Ryan Winfield's Blog, page 2
April 15, 2013
Isle of Man (Park Service Trilogy #2)
Great News! Isle of Man (Park Service Trilogy #2) has officially released and the eBook editions are on sale for only $3.99.
Kindle
Nook
Kobo
iTunes
Google Play
Paperback
Kindle
Nook
Kobo
iTunes
Google Play
Paperback
April 8, 2013
Great News!
Great News! Isle of Man will be released early, on Tuesday, April 16th. And even better, the eBook will be on sale for only $3.99.
If you've yet to read the first book in the trilogy, take advantage of the sale price and pick up a copy today.
Kindle
Nook
Kobo
iTunes
Google Play
If you've yet to read the first book in the trilogy, take advantage of the sale price and pick up a copy today.
Kindle
Nook
Kobo
iTunes
Google Play
February 18, 2013
Book 2 of The Park Service Trilogy
Hi friends! I'm excited to announce that book 2 of The Park Service Trilogy will be releasing on April 30 16! There is a Goodreads giveaway for 10 copies and you can enter here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
October 15, 2012
My new novel unveiled
Dear Friends:
Today is an exciting day for me. Just a little over a year after my first novel was published, I’m proud to release my new novel The Park Service . The story follows a 15-year-old boy on his quest to uncover who’s behind a mysterious Park Service that protects the future planet from people. But it’s much more than just an exciting dystopian adventure; it’s a coming-of-age tale tackling some tough themes that face us today; it’s a story about friendship and romance and finding courage to stand up to evil no matter how rational its packaging might be.
I hope you enjoy the journey and I’d love to hear from you here or on Facebook.
Sincerely,
Ryan Winfield.
Check out The Park Service today:
Kindle
Nook
Paperback
iBook
Kobo
Book Club Box Sets
Today is an exciting day for me. Just a little over a year after my first novel was published, I’m proud to release my new novel The Park Service . The story follows a 15-year-old boy on his quest to uncover who’s behind a mysterious Park Service that protects the future planet from people. But it’s much more than just an exciting dystopian adventure; it’s a coming-of-age tale tackling some tough themes that face us today; it’s a story about friendship and romance and finding courage to stand up to evil no matter how rational its packaging might be.
I hope you enjoy the journey and I’d love to hear from you here or on Facebook.
Sincerely,
Ryan Winfield.
Check out The Park Service today:
Kindle
Nook
Paperback
iBook
Kobo
Book Club Box Sets
April 10, 2012
Excerpts from Tari Gaffney's review of South of Bixby Bridge and her interview with author Ryan Winfield
Interview by Tari Gaffney of Miss A.
Tari: Where did the inspiration to write this particular story come from?
Ryan: It all started with an image. A young man alone, standing at the treatment center window looking out at the morning street on the day he’s free to leave. I was fascinated by the journey that begins with hitting bottom and discovering this disease of alcoholism and addiction working inside a person.
That initial image worked into a character sketch and I began doing timed writing. Where did he come from? What did he want? What did he really want? What did he need? The results of these exercises became a screenplay titled “Brave Ascent”. But when I finished the screenplay, I wasn’t satisfied. The characters wouldn’t leave me alone, the whole story hadn’t been told. So I started writing the prose from Trevor’s point of view and that developed into the novel.
Tari: As a San Francisco Bay Area native, the setting of the novel (Bixby Bridge on Highway 1, San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Sacramento) resonated with me. What significance do these places have for you?
Ryan: I was born in Bellingham, Washington and I grew up roaming its streets with a canvas paper bag strapped to my shoulders. As soon as I was able, I took off in search of adventure and made it as far as Northern California, where I would live for the next ten years. As a boy from a small town, California was Mecca to me. I lived in Sacramento, San Francisco, Napa, and even a little butterfly haven north of Pebble Beach called Pacific Grove. When I wrote Trevor’s story, the geography became as much a character as any other. From the flat, fog-covered valley to the glittering mansions of Napa, Trevor’s rise and fall, his ultimate surrender, and then the crossing of his own all-important bridge, are all represented in the landscape.
Tari: Alcoholics Anonymous places great importance on the second step of their 12-Step program: “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Many addicts, including Trevor, really struggle with this step. What role, if any, do you think accepting a higher power plays in Trevor’s recovery process and his chances of remaining sober?
Ryan: Great question. It means everything. It might even be what the entire novel is about. An important passage to me, and one highlighted quite often by eBook readers, is a line where Trevor’s counselor asks him if he knows why God’s so hard to find. Trevor shakes his head and the counselor says: God’s so hard to find because he ain’t lost.
Trevor grew up with an abusive father who selectively quotes scripture and quite literally beats people with his Bible. So Trevor has this resistance to organized religion, an allergy to fundamentalism. But he needs a higher power desperately. He searches for this power in wealth, booze, drugs, sex, and even in his relationship with his boss and mentor. And, of course, he can’t find it there. Things get worse. It’s not until Trevor discovers this wounded boy inside of him that he’s able to dig even deeper and find the real father that the boy needs there too. So he finds a higher power he can connect with, something inside of him that’s not him. And he finds God in the people who help him too. There’s another character line I love, where Barbara, who’s a bit like a surrogate mother to Trevor, says to him: God hides himself pretty well in the world. If you want to find him, you might have to look left and right – not up.
Tari: Screenwriter Stewart Stern has influenced your writing. Which other writers have greatly influenced or impressed you?
Ryan: As a young boy, I was often left alone and books and their characters became my companions. I’m thankful for some very wonderful writers – including J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, and Ray Bradbury – who let their gifted imaginations create wonderful characters and then found ways to work morality into their stories without being preachy. These men were the best fathers I never had. Later, I discovered Cormac McCarthy and the way he uses language to create images had a profound impact on my writing. Movies have also played a big part in my writing and I’ve been very lucky to have a best friend and mentor, Stewart Stern, who you mentioned. Stewart wrote some very powerful and timeless films, including Rebel Without a Cause and Sybil. Every writer has to decide what higher themes merit his or her attention, and I’d say Stewart has been the most notable influence on my sense of responsibility as a writer.
Tari: In the novel, Jared, Trevor’s roommate at the treatment center, asks Trevor what he would do if he weren’t afraid. What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Ryan: The lessons Trevor needed to learn were all lessons I needed to learn, including this one. In writing the novel, I had to dig deep and dredge up some ugly things from my own past, and in doing so, they lost power over me. When I wrote the last line of the novel, I felt a remarkable freedom from fear. That freedom is still with me, so I guess I’d answer by saying I am doing it. I’m writing. I’m working on another novel right now, a novel that I’m very excited about. If I’m still not afraid when I finish it, I’ll even let people read it.
Read the full review here: http://askmissa.com/2012/04/06/interv...
South of Bixby Bridge
Tari: Where did the inspiration to write this particular story come from?
Ryan: It all started with an image. A young man alone, standing at the treatment center window looking out at the morning street on the day he’s free to leave. I was fascinated by the journey that begins with hitting bottom and discovering this disease of alcoholism and addiction working inside a person.
That initial image worked into a character sketch and I began doing timed writing. Where did he come from? What did he want? What did he really want? What did he need? The results of these exercises became a screenplay titled “Brave Ascent”. But when I finished the screenplay, I wasn’t satisfied. The characters wouldn’t leave me alone, the whole story hadn’t been told. So I started writing the prose from Trevor’s point of view and that developed into the novel.
Tari: As a San Francisco Bay Area native, the setting of the novel (Bixby Bridge on Highway 1, San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Sacramento) resonated with me. What significance do these places have for you?
Ryan: I was born in Bellingham, Washington and I grew up roaming its streets with a canvas paper bag strapped to my shoulders. As soon as I was able, I took off in search of adventure and made it as far as Northern California, where I would live for the next ten years. As a boy from a small town, California was Mecca to me. I lived in Sacramento, San Francisco, Napa, and even a little butterfly haven north of Pebble Beach called Pacific Grove. When I wrote Trevor’s story, the geography became as much a character as any other. From the flat, fog-covered valley to the glittering mansions of Napa, Trevor’s rise and fall, his ultimate surrender, and then the crossing of his own all-important bridge, are all represented in the landscape.
Tari: Alcoholics Anonymous places great importance on the second step of their 12-Step program: “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Many addicts, including Trevor, really struggle with this step. What role, if any, do you think accepting a higher power plays in Trevor’s recovery process and his chances of remaining sober?
Ryan: Great question. It means everything. It might even be what the entire novel is about. An important passage to me, and one highlighted quite often by eBook readers, is a line where Trevor’s counselor asks him if he knows why God’s so hard to find. Trevor shakes his head and the counselor says: God’s so hard to find because he ain’t lost.
Trevor grew up with an abusive father who selectively quotes scripture and quite literally beats people with his Bible. So Trevor has this resistance to organized religion, an allergy to fundamentalism. But he needs a higher power desperately. He searches for this power in wealth, booze, drugs, sex, and even in his relationship with his boss and mentor. And, of course, he can’t find it there. Things get worse. It’s not until Trevor discovers this wounded boy inside of him that he’s able to dig even deeper and find the real father that the boy needs there too. So he finds a higher power he can connect with, something inside of him that’s not him. And he finds God in the people who help him too. There’s another character line I love, where Barbara, who’s a bit like a surrogate mother to Trevor, says to him: God hides himself pretty well in the world. If you want to find him, you might have to look left and right – not up.
Tari: Screenwriter Stewart Stern has influenced your writing. Which other writers have greatly influenced or impressed you?
Ryan: As a young boy, I was often left alone and books and their characters became my companions. I’m thankful for some very wonderful writers – including J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, and Ray Bradbury – who let their gifted imaginations create wonderful characters and then found ways to work morality into their stories without being preachy. These men were the best fathers I never had. Later, I discovered Cormac McCarthy and the way he uses language to create images had a profound impact on my writing. Movies have also played a big part in my writing and I’ve been very lucky to have a best friend and mentor, Stewart Stern, who you mentioned. Stewart wrote some very powerful and timeless films, including Rebel Without a Cause and Sybil. Every writer has to decide what higher themes merit his or her attention, and I’d say Stewart has been the most notable influence on my sense of responsibility as a writer.
Tari: In the novel, Jared, Trevor’s roommate at the treatment center, asks Trevor what he would do if he weren’t afraid. What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Ryan: The lessons Trevor needed to learn were all lessons I needed to learn, including this one. In writing the novel, I had to dig deep and dredge up some ugly things from my own past, and in doing so, they lost power over me. When I wrote the last line of the novel, I felt a remarkable freedom from fear. That freedom is still with me, so I guess I’d answer by saying I am doing it. I’m writing. I’m working on another novel right now, a novel that I’m very excited about. If I’m still not afraid when I finish it, I’ll even let people read it.
Read the full review here: http://askmissa.com/2012/04/06/interv...
South of Bixby Bridge
January 21, 2012
A Q&A with Ryan Winfield, Author of South of Bixby Bridge
Q: South of Bixby Bridge is your first novel. Have you always wanted to be a writer, and how did you get your start?
A: I always dreamed of being a writer, yes. As far back as I can remember I have been interested in people--more precisely, interested in what it would be like to be other people. To see what they see, feel what they feel. Writing allows me to explore that.
Q: You explore some interesting characters in the book, but it's hard not to see similarities between you and your protagonist, Trevor. I'm sure you've heard the saying "Write what you know." Is Trevor like you in any way?
A: There's a Hemingway quote that I love and it goes something like: "All good books have one thing in common - they are truer than if they had actually happened." I believe that for fiction to be compelling, the characters must have flaws. They must have wounds that need healing, lessons that need learning. I certainly have many flaws and I put some of them into Trevor. In that way, the writing was very cathartic, but also very scary.
Q: That leads me to my next question. At the heart of the book is a story about getting sober. How much of that struggle does Trevor share with you?
A: And here I thought I was going to wiggle off the hook by quoting Papa. I guess I did do a lot of research without knowing I was doing research. My background and family of origin are very different from Trevor’s, but we do share common struggles. I got sober when I was 29, just like Trevor. When I sat down to write about it, one of the things gnawing at me was this idea of hitting bottom. What if you discover this disease working in you, this thing that wants to destroy you, and what if that discovery is just the beginning? What if you think you’ve hit rock bottom but then a trap door opens and you plunge into even lower levels of living hell? What if treatment isn’t the magic elixir but merely a warning sign you pass on your way down? And so it was for me, and so it is for Trevor.
Q: People have mentioned that you're really telling two stories here. The linier story as Trevor moves through time struggling with two antagonists, his sadistic new mentor Paul and the booze, but also the story of Trevor's childhood as he uncovers secrets too painful to admit. Is that what you intended?
A: Yes. But not by design. The linier story you mention evolved first, but as I wrote deeper, I hit resistance in me, an unwillingness to dig up some long buried bones. I knew then that I needed to go there, that I needed to find some courage, tear open old tombs, and let the light in. I discovered that early wounds, some as early as birth in the case of neglected babies, can scar over without completely healing. And so Trevor had similar wounds festering in him. The idea that these wounds could continue to work in us for a lifetime, motivating our behavior, fascinated me.
Q: Trevor has helpers in this book, including one who helps him afford treatment. Are any of those based on real people in your life?
A: Of course. There have always been helpers in my life. Usually women because they have a patience that goes beyond the masculine. Something from somewhere older. Writing Barbara, the girlfriend’s mother, was very emotional for me. I think her character gave Trevor the courage he needed to finally mourn the loss of his mom.
Q: Let’s lighten things up a bit and talk about your writing style.
A: Sure. I knew early on that I would write this novel from Trevor’s perspective. There really was no other way to tell the story. To understand an addict, you have to be in his or her mind. As I found Trevor’s voice, it became clear that he would not always be a reliable narrator—that his denial would work its way into his narration. As he moves through the stages of new sobriety, relapse, denial, self destruction, and ultimately surrender, the style and rhythm of the prose became an instrument to convey his state of mind.
Q: Why break the story into two parts?
A: Because there are two Trevor’s—the sober Trevor and the using Trevor. This story is definitely not for the faint of heart. I mean, our protagonist makes some terrible decisions, as addicts do, and he makes them without excuse because of his denial. That can make the reading tough for people unfamiliar with addiction. But it can also help them understand addiction if they’re able to suspend judgment and let the characters be human.
Q: You do deal with some rough content but it certainly pays off in the end as Trevor figures out what’s really driving him. Switching gears now, I have to ask why you don't use quotation marks?
A: I do use them, if I'm quoting something, like Hemingway above. I just don't use them for dialogue, at least not in this novel. Fiction writing is storytelling, and, for me, punctuation has no value outside of helping tell the story. A comma means pause, a period means stop. An em dash means take a breath but keep going--this train jumped the tracks but it's still moving. A colon connects things or sets off a list. I'll admit I have no idea what semicolons do. When I first read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, my mind opened up. I heard everything every character said and my eyes weren't aching from chasing quote marks all over the pages. When I wrote SoBB, the narrative was coming straight from Trevor's mind to the page and it looked silly to have quotation marks there. I also think my screenwriting background prepared me for faster dialogue where it's clear who is saying what. But in the end, it's art. Writers write what works for them, readers read what works for them.
Q: Well, it's clear what you write works for many readers because South of Bixby Bridge has already had great success. Why do you think your first novel has been received so well?
A: I think when a story is specific enough to the writer, when there is heart and soul in its characters, readers will respond emotionally as many have to SoBB. Almost every day I get messages through my website from readers who are touched by Trevor's story, and I take time to respond to every one. Reading those messages, along with positive reviews, make every minute writing worthwhile.
Q: One last question then. What's next?
A: Lots of people ask for a sequel to South of Bixby Bridge, but I know I'd have to drag Trevor through the mud again and I'm not sure I can do it. Of course, there's always the chance that he turns up on my doorstep some stormy night with a new story to tell. Right now, I'm working on a new novel and outlining a third. I'd like to tell you more, but I'll just say that they're both very different from SoBB, and I think my readers will be pleasantly surprised.
A: I always dreamed of being a writer, yes. As far back as I can remember I have been interested in people--more precisely, interested in what it would be like to be other people. To see what they see, feel what they feel. Writing allows me to explore that.
Q: You explore some interesting characters in the book, but it's hard not to see similarities between you and your protagonist, Trevor. I'm sure you've heard the saying "Write what you know." Is Trevor like you in any way?
A: There's a Hemingway quote that I love and it goes something like: "All good books have one thing in common - they are truer than if they had actually happened." I believe that for fiction to be compelling, the characters must have flaws. They must have wounds that need healing, lessons that need learning. I certainly have many flaws and I put some of them into Trevor. In that way, the writing was very cathartic, but also very scary.
Q: That leads me to my next question. At the heart of the book is a story about getting sober. How much of that struggle does Trevor share with you?
A: And here I thought I was going to wiggle off the hook by quoting Papa. I guess I did do a lot of research without knowing I was doing research. My background and family of origin are very different from Trevor’s, but we do share common struggles. I got sober when I was 29, just like Trevor. When I sat down to write about it, one of the things gnawing at me was this idea of hitting bottom. What if you discover this disease working in you, this thing that wants to destroy you, and what if that discovery is just the beginning? What if you think you’ve hit rock bottom but then a trap door opens and you plunge into even lower levels of living hell? What if treatment isn’t the magic elixir but merely a warning sign you pass on your way down? And so it was for me, and so it is for Trevor.
Q: People have mentioned that you're really telling two stories here. The linier story as Trevor moves through time struggling with two antagonists, his sadistic new mentor Paul and the booze, but also the story of Trevor's childhood as he uncovers secrets too painful to admit. Is that what you intended?
A: Yes. But not by design. The linier story you mention evolved first, but as I wrote deeper, I hit resistance in me, an unwillingness to dig up some long buried bones. I knew then that I needed to go there, that I needed to find some courage, tear open old tombs, and let the light in. I discovered that early wounds, some as early as birth in the case of neglected babies, can scar over without completely healing. And so Trevor had similar wounds festering in him. The idea that these wounds could continue to work in us for a lifetime, motivating our behavior, fascinated me.
Q: Trevor has helpers in this book, including one who helps him afford treatment. Are any of those based on real people in your life?
A: Of course. There have always been helpers in my life. Usually women because they have a patience that goes beyond the masculine. Something from somewhere older. Writing Barbara, the girlfriend’s mother, was very emotional for me. I think her character gave Trevor the courage he needed to finally mourn the loss of his mom.
Q: Let’s lighten things up a bit and talk about your writing style.
A: Sure. I knew early on that I would write this novel from Trevor’s perspective. There really was no other way to tell the story. To understand an addict, you have to be in his or her mind. As I found Trevor’s voice, it became clear that he would not always be a reliable narrator—that his denial would work its way into his narration. As he moves through the stages of new sobriety, relapse, denial, self destruction, and ultimately surrender, the style and rhythm of the prose became an instrument to convey his state of mind.
Q: Why break the story into two parts?
A: Because there are two Trevor’s—the sober Trevor and the using Trevor. This story is definitely not for the faint of heart. I mean, our protagonist makes some terrible decisions, as addicts do, and he makes them without excuse because of his denial. That can make the reading tough for people unfamiliar with addiction. But it can also help them understand addiction if they’re able to suspend judgment and let the characters be human.
Q: You do deal with some rough content but it certainly pays off in the end as Trevor figures out what’s really driving him. Switching gears now, I have to ask why you don't use quotation marks?
A: I do use them, if I'm quoting something, like Hemingway above. I just don't use them for dialogue, at least not in this novel. Fiction writing is storytelling, and, for me, punctuation has no value outside of helping tell the story. A comma means pause, a period means stop. An em dash means take a breath but keep going--this train jumped the tracks but it's still moving. A colon connects things or sets off a list. I'll admit I have no idea what semicolons do. When I first read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, my mind opened up. I heard everything every character said and my eyes weren't aching from chasing quote marks all over the pages. When I wrote SoBB, the narrative was coming straight from Trevor's mind to the page and it looked silly to have quotation marks there. I also think my screenwriting background prepared me for faster dialogue where it's clear who is saying what. But in the end, it's art. Writers write what works for them, readers read what works for them.
Q: Well, it's clear what you write works for many readers because South of Bixby Bridge has already had great success. Why do you think your first novel has been received so well?
A: I think when a story is specific enough to the writer, when there is heart and soul in its characters, readers will respond emotionally as many have to SoBB. Almost every day I get messages through my website from readers who are touched by Trevor's story, and I take time to respond to every one. Reading those messages, along with positive reviews, make every minute writing worthwhile.
Q: One last question then. What's next?
A: Lots of people ask for a sequel to South of Bixby Bridge, but I know I'd have to drag Trevor through the mud again and I'm not sure I can do it. Of course, there's always the chance that he turns up on my doorstep some stormy night with a new story to tell. Right now, I'm working on a new novel and outlining a third. I'd like to tell you more, but I'll just say that they're both very different from SoBB, and I think my readers will be pleasantly surprised.
