Hello everyone! Welcome back to another author interview. This week I had the opportunity to talk with author Ryan Lanz, creator of the A Writer’s Path blog. He’s also the author of Crossroads of Redemption, The Silver Crystal, and more.
Check out the interview below!
Hello Emma! I appreciate you having me on and digging into your questions.
1. What does writing mean to you? What do you think the purpose of writing is?
I think the purpose of writing is very individual. Some people just write for fun and very occasionally, such as to let off steam or to help with a grieving process. It can be a way of coping with times of change too. For me, though, I write because of the enjoyment of it. It’s a lot of work, but there’s something special about when plot threads click together and it works in a way you didn’t know you wanted until it happens.
2. What particular genre do you write in? Why are you passionate about that genre?
I write fantasy books. The closest subgenre is epic fantasy, although my stories don’t involve the fate of the world, but they definitely do involve the fate of the character’s world. A lot of the books I grew up reading involved the fate of the entire world, such as warring with the gods for the hope of humanity, and I’ve loved them, but I feel like I prefer to walk a different path for now. It’s possible I might always try in the future.
But my books definitely involve magic, a large cast, multiple points-of-view, longer books, and that’s all in line with epic.
3. What does being a writer mean to you?
Being a writer, to me, means that I have created something unique, have enjoyment, and find a fulfilling thing to do with my time, but I also have something to leave behind. For whatever reason, it’s often on my mind about what I’ll leave behind when I go, and leaving (hopefully) many, many stories for others to appreciate when I’m gone is something that motivates me a lot.
4. Where and how do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration for my stories in things like ancient history, odd interactions, how a building looks, or even the way that people interact with each other, such as unusual pairings, strained relationships, or opposite goals. Are you familiar with the Red Car Theory? It’s a concept that explains how people tend to notice things more often after they’ve become aware of them. If you’re looking for red cars when out driving, then you’ll see them all the time, but if you aren’t, you likely won’t notice them hardly at all. I try to remind myself to look for story ideas all the time, and they come to me.
5. What are some of the challenges you face as a writer and how do you combat them when you sit down to write or even just prepare to write?
I think a writer’s main struggles are often situational, so they can change. Right now, my main challenge is allocating time to write. I’m someone who can write literally all day if I have nothing else on my plate, so the more other things I need to do, such as a day job, side projects, book marketing, etc., it peels back time away from writing. But they’re all good and necessary things to do in their own way. I’m currently testing out different marketing techniques, and some of them require more time than others, so I’m adjusting. In terms of marketing vs. writing, it’s all a balancing act, I think.
6. What were some of the ups and downs when working on your latest book?
The main “down” part was the length, which I especially felt when editing it. It turned out to be about 350,000 words, or 1,184 pages or so, so it’s a beast. I had no problem writing it, but when it came time to edit, it was a lot to work through. But I’m very happy with it. It tied up a lot of plot threads in the series so far, as well as opened some new ones. It’s priced the same as any of my other books, so it could be looked at as extra value for my readers in terms of volume.
7. What moments of working on your latest book did you enjoy the most?
Things that I enjoyed the most about my last book, which ties into the “ups” part of your last question, is how it tied up many plot threads that have been going on, in many cases, since book one, which by word count, was a long time ago. It felt so satisfying to me to resolve a lot of that, and in many cases in ways that (hopefully) are unexpected to the reader. It felt good to close that book in the series, as well as hint at how the next book, book five, will go.
8. Where can we find some of your writing?
Sure! People can check out my free novella on my website, the only place it’s available. My main books are all on Amazon, and for those who read in Kindle Unlimited, all my main books are in that. Right now the first book in the series is only $0.99, so between that and the free prequel novella, it’s pretty easy to test out my stories.
9. Where can we reach you?
I’m pretty active on Twitter (I’m holding out calling it that), but I’m also on Facebook and Tumblr. Anyone can feel free to reach out and say hi.
10. Any other information about you as a writer?
Just that I’m writing! I’m about 35% through the first draft of my upcoming book, book 5 in the Red Kingdom series. I’m pretty excited to share new characters, settings, and conflicts in it with my readers. I hope they enjoy it.
Thanks for having me on Emma. This was fun. Happy to do it anytime.
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Thanks for joining me, Ryan! Look for Ryan’s books on Amazon (you can find all of them on his website here). Also, check out Dawn of Storms by subscribing to his newsletter! Happy reading!
And don’t forget to like and subscribe to this site too!
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You can check out my AUTHOR SITE here.
My 2022 chapbook
My 2023 micro-chapbook