Ryan Aldred
writes mysteries and thrillers. Today he joins us for an interview. Learn more
about him at his website.
When did
you realize you wanted to write novels?
I’ve enjoyed writing and storytelling for as long as
I can remember, but it was back in high school when I first attempted to write
a novel. I wasn’t really thinking about genre at the time, but I suppose you’d
call it a comedic political thriller about a seniors home in the U. S. that
declares itself an independent nation. It was and remains completely
unpublishable, but I had a tremendous amount of fun writing it. The consensus
was that I wouldn’t be able to make a living from writing, so I studied
Cognitive Science (computing science and psychology) and shoved my writing to
the side for a decade. But I always had one project or another brewing in the
back of my mind.
How long
did it take you to realize your dream of publication?
Either four years or fourteen, depending on how you
count it.
I was on parental leave with our son when the idea
for the Bar on a Beach mystery series came to me. I’m grateful to my very
patient and understanding wife for not murdering me when I told her that I
intended to start writing a novel while we were still learning how to look
after a three-month-old. But I worked at it steadily, and had the first draft
of a novel about four months later. That’s when the real work began – editing,
querying, more editing, more querying, more editing, and so on.
Within that first year, I wrote the novel, found an
agent, and did the first major re-write. In the second year, we went through a
slew of rejections, the agent and I parted ways, and I met Deni Dietz from Five
Star at the Bloody Words conference in Toronto. We went through two more major
re-writes – adding and removing about 15,000 words – before Five Star picked it
up in November 2014. It was published in June 2016.
Are you
traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?
Traditionally published through Five Star, which is
part of Gale Cengage. A lot of authors are doing some incredible work via the
indie and hybrid route, but I knew my first novel would benefit from an
experienced editor. I can’t say enough good things about the work done by Deni
Dietz and her team.
Where do
you write?
We live in a Victorian-era home in Prince Edward
County. There’s an old teak table in the library that’s surrounded by windows overlooking
our garden. There’s a bit of motion outside, but not enough to distract. Although
my wife and kids are also at home, I like being on the main floor – it lets me
feel a part of the household, but still far enough removed that I can focus on
my work.
But really, I’ll work anywhere. I write in 90 minute
blocks. So long as I can get (relative) peace and quiet for that window, I’ll
get some work done. I set a goal of 500 words – about a page and a half, double
spaced – per day. 500 words might not seem like a lot but if you do that every
single day, you’ll have the first draft of a novel in five months.
Is silence
golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?
I love music, but I just can’t do lyrics when I’m
writing. The words get all jumbled. So I listen to a lot of Vitamin String
Quartet – they do covers of a lot of big name alternative music. It’s beautiful
and upbeat. Their rendition of ‘What’s My Age Again’ by Blink 182 is a personal
favorite – it’s beautiful music, which stands in such stark contrast to the
song’s filthy lyrics. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VAoHQbndKs ]
How much of
your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in
particular?
I first visited Rum Luck’s setting of Tamarindo in
2004. It’s just this really great town, with this laid back vibe. Beautiful
beach, great surf, awesome people. But it does have a bit of an edge to it.
There is a drugs trade in the region, and there’s not much that can’t be had at
the right price. Still, Tamarindo has this gravity. It makes you want to sell
all of your worldly belongings and live in a shack by the ocean.
Some friends and I joked that we were going to open a
bar that we’d rent out to pretend-owners who wanted the experience of running a
bar on a beach somewhere. We’d let clients customize the bar however they’d
want – so it could be a sports bar one week, and a jazz club the next. Time marched
on and we never opened that bar, but that became the basis for the cantina in
Rum Luck and the rest of the upcoming Bar on a Beach mysteries.
My characters tend to borrow traits from a handful of
people I know in real life. That’s where they start, at least. But as they get
out into the ‘real world’ and make decisions, they grow and evolve on their
own.
Describe
your process for naming your character?
I have a hard time remembering names, so I try and keep
my characters’ names as distinct as possible. I also try and space them out on
the alphabet. There’s nothing worse than a book with five characters whose
names start with ‘M’. And I genuinely feel that names convey a certain
personality, and so I reflect that with my characters as well.
Real
settings or fictional towns?
I set Rum Luck in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, which is a
real town. I think it’s tougher to use real towns – it takes more research, and
there’s a greater chance you’re going to make someone angry – but I love the
idea of introducing someone to a real place. One reader told me that she felt
like she’d been to Costa Rica after reading Rum Luck, and I’m just not sure you
get that feeling with a fictional town.
What’s the
quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Victoria Holmes flies down to help her friend Ben
Cooper when he’s arrested for the murder of the cantina’s former owner. She’s
this really smart, sarcastic lawyer who works at this high powered law firm,
and who quite enjoys her life of luxury in Toronto. But she’s also always
dreamed of being a DJ, so when the chance presents itself, she decides to quit
her job and stay in Costa Rica. She’s wearing a business suit during her first
set, and picks up the name of Maestra de
Escuela or DJ School Mistress. I love exploring the idea of a character who
seems to have everything, yet never had the chance to pursue a dream. It seems
ridiculous in some ways, but it is very, very human.
What’s your
quirkiest quirk?
A couple of years ago, I joined an improv troupe by
accident. It started with a practice once a week and, before I knew it, we were
actually performing. By then it just felt as though it was too late for me to
back out. While I never imagined that I’d end up performing on stage that way,
I do really enjoy it. As a writer, I’m always trying to get the perfect story
eventually. When I’m up on stage, I have to do the best I can with the very
limited time available. It makes it easier to go back to writing rough drafts.
If you
could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which
one would it be? Why?
I absolutely love Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. I think it’s
absolutely brilliant. She just has a flair for the locked room mystery. I’d
love to attempt something that technically demanding one of these days, but I
don’t see that happening for a while yet. But I do like having something to
aspire to.
Everyone at
some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?
I don’t think you can go back and change just one
part in your life. I’m really happy with where I’ve ended up, and I wouldn’t
want to jeopardize that by mucking about with history.
What’s your
biggest pet peeve?
My biggest pet peeve is when someone complains that a
television show / author / musical artist that they pirate isn’t making any new
material. If you are completely broke or simply can’t access the content where
you live, then I understand. But most of this material cost less than a trip to
a coffee shop. If you like what we’re making, vote with your dollar.
You’re
stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
A satellite phone, membership with Global Rescue [https://www.globalrescue.com/],
and a pizza. By the time I’m done with the pizza, Global Rescue will have me on
a helicopter back to the mainland.
What was
the worst job you’ve ever held?
When I first joined the Army, a Sergeant told me that
it would be the best and worst job of my life. I thought he meant that some
years would be hard, and others would be easy – but no, one moment you can be
digging trenches, and the next you’re in a helicopter flying over a frozen
lake, so low that you’re below the tree line. I’ve been in the Army Reserve for
18 years now. I’m a Sergeant myself. And I would say it’s the most difficult
job I’ve ever done, but I fully intend to stay in until I age out.
What’s the
best book you’ve ever read?
It’s a tossup between Starship Troopers and Night
Watch by Terry Pratchett, but I think I’ll have to give the edge to
Pratchett. He just did such an amazing job of creating these fantastic
characters that seem so very real, and weaving a story that keeps you on the
edge of your seat. I’ve never been a police officer, but the way he wrote
Captain Vimes seems so natural. Whenever I read Night Watch, it feels like I’m spending time with an old friend.
Ocean or
mountains?
Why not both?
Perhaps our favourite place to visit is Manuel
Antonio in Costa Rica. It has these beautiful hillsides – not quite mountains,
but a fair facsimile thereof – that are covered in rainforest, and they crash
down to the Pacific. Best of both worlds.
City girl/guy
or country girl/guy?
I’m a country guy, but I live within a few hours of Toronto.
I like knowing my neighbours and buying that night’s dinner from a farm stand,
but sometimes you just need to spend some time at a museum and take in a show.
What’s on
the horizon for you?
I’m working on an in-depth re-write of Past Salvage. That’s the first book in
the Extractor series, in which the lead operative from a private search and
rescue firm is drawn into the black market antiquities trade. I’m hoping to get
it out to agents in early 2017.
Anything
else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?
I’d just like to thank everyone for reading. I hope
you’ll consider taking a moment to read the opening pages of Rum Luck. I love
hearing from readers, so do reach out and let me know what you think of it.
Rum Luck
Sand. Monkeys. Murder. Ben Cooper was supposed to be
on his Pacific honeymoon, not waking up in a Costa Rican prison cell with no
memory of the night before.
Then again, Ben never thought he would catch his
fiancée with some clown--literally. Or that his friend Miguel would drag him to
the surf paradise of Tamarindo before Aunt Mildred could ask why they canceled
the open bar reception.
But surely his friend and lawyer Victoria didn't need
to fly down from Toronto overnight. After all, the police would let him go once
he sobered up and paid his fine. Right?
Except for the little matter of a murder. And Ben's
buying a beachside bar from the victim, hours before the man's death. With
foreclosure looming and death threats piling up on the rum-soaked bar, Ben and
his friends must scramble to salvage something from the ramshackle cantina that
is their best shot at a fresh start or a quick end.
To succeed in this sinister surf town, they must turn
to the wild idea that got them into this mess--building a business around those
who've always wanted to run their own bar on a beach somewhere, even for just a
week.
But to survive, they'll need every skill at their
disposal--including those they'd rather forget they have.
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