Ryan P. Freeman's Blog, page 4

Existential Ramblings

I feel the need to do a bit of blogging so here I am.Today is the first day I'm weening myself off my anti-anxiety medication. So, you can be fully-warned of a potential mental slog to come... (and don't worry, I'm following doctor's orders!)I live in Hannibal, MO. Right now I can look out from the upstairs windows of the Mark Twain Brewery and see the Mississippi River roll by. The Ice has cleared from it now. Up on Lover's Leap, an American flag waves - away to the right, passed a water tow...

The Queen is Dead

I've been devouring fantasy books for a long time. Ever since I read whatever happened to be at eye-level for a perpetually short 3rd grader in my school's library (enter Susan Cooper and Patricia C Wrede), to delightful encounters in real-life magic with the likes of George MacDonald and Niel Gaiman, I've been lucky to read the sorts of stories which move my heart and challenge my mind.Today, in case you haven't yet heard the funeral bell's toll, a towering scifi/fantasy monarch has passed....

Oh, the Horror: Tim Gabrielle on Love, Fear, and Being a Scaredy-Cat

How did you first start writing?I've always considered myself a writer but I didn't take it seriously until a couple years back. My family and I rented a cottage in Northern Ontario and I brought my laptop with me. We were there for about a week and by the end of our trip I had the first three chapters done and a road map of the rest of the story. From that point on, I kept writing on the regular and right now I'm working on my second and third book together. Why do you love it?I love creatin...

Ideas I Gots Them

'Hey Ryan, how do you come up with your ideas? I could never do that - I get half way through writing a long letter before I need to get up and do something else...' asks John from my church this morning.Well, in no particular order, here the answer: I get an idea, and if it sticks with me, I figure it's probably a decent enough idea, so I start writing. For me, beginnings tend to pose the greatest challenge. It's not the muddy middle or how to end or anything like that - nope. For me, it's t...

The NYLitMag Who Stole Christmas

Christmas morning came for me! My wife and I were up like little kids, doing our present thing along with our curious dogs and lurking cats... when I checked my phone.... ... ...LikesFollowsAn email?... hmmm... what's this?From the 'NY Literary Magazine'... oooh... that sounds cool... I've been nominated for their'Best Story Contest'? Woah! Cool!At this point, I called to my wife Steph - I was excited! The news was the cherry on top of my Christmas Sundae... Pleased as my cats purring in the...

1 In A Thousand

I used to call random people in other states. – Don’t worry, it was for a job. During college, I worked the phones for Hannibal La Grange College (now ‘University’). During the week in the evenings, I’d call up prospective students and talk college. I always grabbed from the ‘out of state’ stack – I figured since I was from out of state, we’d at least have that to talk about. So, I’d get cozy in my computer cubby with my phone and my stack of entrants, and get crack’n.To this day, I can still...

Today I Am An Author

I can't believe it.In the midst of a brief lull here at work, it's been suddenly hitting me. I can remember back to 4th grade when we had a creative writing assignment... they told me to just make up something and write it down. Whatever I turned in was probably only a few (brief) paragraphs... but the teacher complimented me, out-loud in front of the class. For a boy growing up with a severe stuttering problem - public affirmation like that changed my life. While my old 4th grade teacher, Mr...

It's Yule, Yo!

Hey all!Today marks the darkest day of the year (literally). Least amount of light. Whoa.So, for a long while now, my wife Steph has been totally into genetics and family trees and what-not - in tandem with this, I've been curious into my own family history. It all started when I was researching story stuff in Celtic Mythology. I was reading Peter Berrisford Ellis' Celtic Myths and Legends (great read, btw!)... and I got to this part where I realized, since I'm primarily Irish in decent, thes...

Creating Something Greater

How did you first start doing what you do?I have always worked a lot with creative things in a lot of ways. Playing music especially. I also always loved computer games, but it wasn't until I was in my mid-twenties I actually realized that making computer games was something you could actually do. I always had this idea that the computer games industry was basically impossible to get into, and that you had to live in the States to have a chance. Suddenly I found out that there was a thriving...

Introducing Author Services by Ryan!

As you all know, I like to write. Currently, I have three fantasy stories out, with an illustrated version on the way (*Cough The Grey Isle Tale, Illustrated Edition, *Cough cough coming THIS Halloween, 2017!). With all that being said, some people have messaged me, asking if I can help with their own stories - since I've been officially writing and indie publishing for a decade (has it really been that long??).Without further ado, I'm proud to officially announce AUTHOR SERVICES by Ryan!(fan...