Book Blurb:
Interview: A rare sit-down with paranormal private investigator Jonathan Alvey.
The Play’s the Thing: When a blonde woman shows up in Alvey’s office, seeking protection, he uncovers more than a murder attempt.
The Cost of Custody: Alvey helps estranged parents rescue their daughter from a terrible fate.
Sins of the Father: A pawn shop owner risks it all by asking Alvey to recover property that is more than meets the eye.
Legerdelivre: There’s nowhere Richard Tomlin can hide when it comes to the controlling powers of a dusty grimoire, but can Alvey truly help him?
What a Nightmare: Little old ladies do deceive, and secretaries come dear, in Jonathan Alvey’s office.
Do As I Say, Not As I Did: Alvey must air a CEO’s dirty laundry before a company ghost destroys too much.
The Ties That Bind: Can Alvey control a poltergeist and maintain his promise to not fall victim to the Dragon Black?
Bindings and Spines: A first chapter sneak peek of the second White Dragon Black novel.
Author Bio:
R.M. Ridley lives with his wife on a small
homestead in Canada, raising chickens and sheep. He has been writing stories,
both long and short, for three decades, the themes of which range from the
gruesome to the fantastical.
As an individual who suffers from severe bipolar
disorder, Ridley is a strong believer in being open about mental health issues
and uses his writing to escape when his thoughts become too wild.
WHITE
DRAGON BLACK: Google + | Twitter
Q & A Session with Author R M Ridley
Please share how you came up with the concept for
your short stories? Which of the stories was the easiest to write and which was
the most difficult?
All of my
writing comes from my Muse, I can’t construct a story myself. From my
perspective, I don’t create my tales - I just record them. Now doesn’t that make me sound crazy? But it’s true
– the majority of the stories I write, are idea’s that come to me as snippets
of conversations, or little scenes that play out in my head as images. My
challenge is to turn those into words that capture what I ‘see’.
In many ways,
‘The Ties that Bind’ was the hardest story to write, as I wanted a thread that
connected it to the next novel, ’Bindings & Spines’ and yet allowed the
story to stand all its own. That made for a challenge that I truly enjoyed.
The easiest one
to write was probably, ‘Sins of the Father’. Being the first story written in
that world, I had no restrictions, no rules, and no history. I didn’t have to
keep anything straight, remember details, or worry about contradicting myself.
Of course, when I wrote it, I had no idea that it would spawn so many other
short stories, and novels.
Please
name some of your other published works?
Tomorrow
Wendell - first White Dragon Black novel
Horror
Library, Volume Three – ‘Blink the Blood Away’
Tales of the
Talisman Magazine, Volume 1 Issue 4 – ‘Pigeon Pete’
Mental
Wellness: Real Stories From Survivors – ‘Ceaseless Cycles’
Legends and Lore: An Anthology of Mythic
Proportions – ‘Charon’s Obol’
What is your preferred writing genre?
I’m a
paranormal / urban fantasy author mainly, but I cut my teeth with horror, and
that will always have a dark spot in my heart. I’m sure my mind will churn out
some further grisly morsels yet.
And preferred reading genre?
When it comes
to reading, I’ll take just about any sort of spec-fic, as long as it’s well
written. Sci-fi, horror, fantasy, alt-history – give me a well told story, and
I’m yours for the duration.
What are your top 3 favorite books?
Ignoring how
awful question that is to ask of any book lover, these are three I certainly
always come back to, both physically, and in my mind:
‘The Dark is Rising’ by Susan Cooper was my favourite book as a child, and it
still ranks in the top three.
‘Snow Crash’ by Neal Stephenson was an amazing journey meshing cyber-punk,
ancient myth, and philosophy and thus must have a place here.
‘Someplace to
be Flying’ by Charles de Lint, in many ways is one of my favourites of his
works. There is a darkness to it that really appealed to me and it stepped away
from some of the better known characters and giving a fresh view into an odd
world.
Do you have any particular writing habits?
You mean good
ones? I try to get my writing done at the beginning of the day. After enough coffee
to find words, I sit down and write what my Muse deigns to share with me. That
way, no matter what else the day throws at me, I have got the important part
completed.
Do you have a playlist that you created while writing your story?
Yes, definitely.
It grows and shrinks every so often, as songs no longer seem pertinent to the
world, or I find new meaning in songs that inspire me. I also have subsets for
the different moods Jonathan goes through and, of course, one for fight scenes.
Panster or plotter?
Panster –
Absolutely Panster! If I even try to
plan a chapter ahead, the entire train of thought comes to a painful screeching
halt and I’m left, chin in hand, staring at a black page, listening to the
sheep Baa.
Advice for writers?
I think there
are two things that I would recommend, one is easy and the other sounds hard,
but is actually just a change of mindset. First advice is a standard – Just
Write. Get it down, and don’t look back until you’ve told the story. The second
thing is - Learn to Love Edits. It sounds impossible, but editing is just
writing from a different angle. It is the same process, same creativity, same
weaving of words but you are doing it from outside the box instead of inside.
***BONUS INFORMATION***
I have not been able to finish this anthology, but have every intention of it. This would not normally have been my first choice, I do love a challenge though. For now this will get a 4* from me. The writing is very well done, easy to love and follow characters.
Jonathan Alvey is full of surprises, and understandable mixed emotions, more than enough attitude, and suffering.He has many quirks that will have you clinging to love for him. I really enjoy when an author has love for his characters and it shows in the depth to which they allow you to know them. I am very intrigued to see what happens as the story continues.
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About Xchyler Publishing
Our books:
Book Tour:
March
22:
The
Play's the Thing
March
23:
Cost
of Custody
March
24:
Sins
of the Father
March
25:
Legerdelivre
March
26:
Do
as I Say Not as I Do
March
27:
What
a Nightmare
March
28:
The
Ties that Bind
March
28:
Bindings
and Spines
You find what you’re looking for... where you least expect it.
