Tell us a little about how you became a writer. An event happened when I was ten that was
hard for me to wrap my brain around. So I wrote it out, story form, and even
illustrated it. I’d been reading since I could remember so making this
unconscious step over to writing was more of a coping strategy then, but it
paved the way to becoming a writer.You write fiction and non-fiction. Yes, I was published in the non-fiction world before my debut fiction novel.
What do you like about writing non-fiction? It
usually takes less time to write non-fiction. They are both so different, but
the subject matter for non-fic is usually written—to some degree—to spec, so it
saves me having to supply a topic. Plus
the faster turn-around is nice.
Tell us about your writing different genres and mixing genres. What challenges and rewards do you find in
doing that? It’s a natural thing for me to do the mish-mashed genres. The
challenges are believability. For
example, my sophomore novel, “Shimmers of Stardust”, is inspirational Christian
and time travel. Those two don’t naturally lend themselves to being believable when combined. The reward, however, is “Shimmers of Stardust” has remained my
consistent best-selling book for 4 years running. Other challenges are creating
the story lines to flow together, and not have one overpower any others, or
overtake the romance. “Chasing the Painted Skies” has a lot going on in it.
It’s a romance, with mystery, a treasure hunt, a shape shifter, and a ghost
story. There were a lot of story lines to keep in line with that story. The
reward is all the positive feedback I’ve received from readers. It ended up
flowing together nicely. Many people say the setting is a character all its own
in “Chasing” and that makes me feel good.
What advice would you give beginning writers? Write
for yourself first and foremost. Never write for trends or uncomfortable
genres. Writing is a learning process, from the first one to the last one,
whether it’s one book, two books or one hundred books. Each one has something
to teach. Each one.
What is your current book?
September’s Song is my 2nd
self-published book, and first fictional one. The first was a blog to book
non-fiction about my adopted dog and the challenges of the first two years with
him. This is my “problem child” in that it was a very difficult book to write.
It was sort of like a petulant child that demanded “Write me!” but then fought
me every step along the way with how it wanted to be written. Honestly, most
days I just went along for the ride as the characters dictated what was
happening. It was a new experience for me. I wasn’t even sure what genre to
label it until it was finished. That was tough! But it’s done, it’s live, and I
could not be happier with the end result. It was worth every crank tantrum it
gave me for the two-and-a-half years it took to write.
What made you want to write it? A friend sent me an
email, with a series of various photos. One in particular struck a chord within
me. Nothing fancy, just a child handing a Styrofoam carton to a man. But so
much about the photo shouted it wanted to say something. So without any real
sense of direction, I started scribbling away. Many of my original thoughts never
came to fruition as the characters pushed them aside in favor of better and
newer…err…suggestions.
How about a blurb?
Ivey London who lost her military husband, tried to move on with their
son, her Alzheimer's mother, and a boss attracted to her. She finds him alive
and amnesiac five years later. Armed with inexpiable abilities, he is pursued
by a forceful group determined to reclaim him. Ivey is just as determined to
keep her late husband. Together, they uncover
what happened to him, who is after him, and search for how to reclaim what they
once were--husband and wife.
Now that sounds like an intriguing story! Here are the buy links if you would like to pick up a copy:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/septembers-song-ryan-jo-summers
What is your next project?
Several! I am still working mightily on a 1719 time travel/ pirate romance that is slated to be released November 2019. I need to get it finished and to the publisher. Last month I signed with a new publisher for a series of books. Stories 1-3 are written and contracted, so edits will start soon. I’ve started writing book 4 and planning out books 5 & 6. Ultimately, I hope to see around 9 to 12 stories come out of this series over the years. I have plotlines and some fleshing out for three other novels, I just need time to work on them. I have a non-fiction inspirational novella and a young adult/ new adult novel I will either self-pub or pitch to agents, when time allows. On top of that I still have my non-fiction articles to work on. I am a regular contributor to a couple of them, so there is always topics to research and drafts to work on. No dust should be collecting on my keyboard.
How can readers get in touch with you and learn more about your books?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanJoSummers
Thank you, Ryan Jo, for being my guest today. Any comments or questions for Ryan Jo?
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