Let's Welcome Ryan Decaria today! Tell us
a little about yourself.
Hello.
I’m Ryan Decaria, an author hailing from the great city of Ogden, UT. By day,
I’m a technical writer, but by night, I’m an author of mad science YA, an avid
board gamer, and podcaster. I’m co-host of the Meeple Nation podcast where we
discuss the board game world. I love fantasy and science fiction, both, but I
enjoy mashing the two together with mad science.
Your from Utah? I envy you. There is a lot of beautiful country in Utah. I just visited Zion National Park. Talk about breathtaking. What
brought about the idea for this book?
I
started imagining about a story where a teenage girl discovered her father was
an evil mad scientist. I wanted this to be a modern story rather than a Gothic
or Victorian era story, so the laboratory needed to be hidden or in a remote
location. Her father needed employees, though, for his modern genetics laboratory,
and those employees would have families. Once I started brainstorming what high
school would look like in this town, I was hooked.
Sounds very original. Ryan, have you been given any helpful advice on your writing journey? If so, what?
The
best advice I’ve taken is to always finish what you start, every single time.
Don’t let the newfangled, flashy ideas get in the way of telling the story that
was in your heart a short while ago. Learn how to get to “The End”. It’s a
skill. Wrap it up. Share it with someone who cares about you. Then share it with
someone who doesn’t.
I like that advice, "share it with someone who cares about you. Then share it with someone who doesn't". I always tell new authors to have someone other than their mom read it. Currently, what are you working on?
I’m
working on the Sequel to Devil in the Microscope, planning for a release in the
spring. I also have an epic fantasy in the works, as well as a graphic novel I
would love to sell.
What has been the most difficult thing you have struggled with since you began a career in writing?
I would
always chase the next idea and never get to the end of anything. You never had
to share or submit something that wasn’t finished. It was a serious roadblock
that I had to get over. Once I started finishing things, I started selling my
work soon after. It’s still a struggle for me to stay on one idea until the
end, but I find that it’s the most important thing I can do.
I struggle with that too. But I have found jumping around helps me think better, but I have to limit myself to three projects at a time, otherwise I would never finish anything. Tell us a little bit about your main characters
Anika
knew one thing about her dead father. He was a scientist. Ever since she was
little, she’s been fascinated with Chemistry, playing with Jr. Chemistry sets
she would buy at garage sales. She won the science fair every year. Her world changes
when she finds out her mother is a big fat liar, her father is alive, and he’s
been searching the world for her.
Once
she moves in with her father, things start to get weird. The Science Olympiad
team at the high school under her father’s secretive genetics laboratory all
seem to have a secret. They welcome Anika into the fold, hoping she might have
the skills to save them from their parents.
Is there something you learned from writing your first book?
My
first book was a middle grade story about a blind girl who goes to live at the
White House, which will likely never be published. My daughter is blind, and
while I was writing the story, I had to remind myself that making life
difficult for my character was what made the book interesting. I’d always heard
that you should get your protagonist stuck in a tree and throw rocks at her. My
daughter thought I was being way too hard on that character. I think she might
have been right.
I think a lot of us hold those first stories back. Mine is hidden away, never to see the light of day. Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five
years, I hope you’ll have heard of me again. I plan to publish 2-3 novels a
year, so in five years, I’ll have 15 or so books out, hopefully a comic book or
graphic novel, many short stories, and perhaps a board game or two. Hey, maybe
I’ll have even given up the day job.
Wouldn't that be nice, to just be able to write full time. I am hoping to get their in the next few years too. Good Luck! Do you have people read your drafts before you publish? How do you select beta readers?
My
first drafts I only read myself. After a quick polish, I share chapters with my
writing group. After I have a complete draft put together, I share the book
with a few trusted alpha readers. After cleaning up the book with another edit,
I’ll share it with as many beta readers as I can find. I would love to have a
long list of groupies eagerly awaiting my drafts, but for right now, I’m still
seeking them out.
I don't have a problem finding people who will read my book early. But it's hard to find those readers who really find the faults, and catch inconsistencies. I have a couple really good ones, but I would love to have a few more too. Which do you find more challenging inventing the hero or the villain? Why?
For me,
it’s the villain. I feel like I know my hero really well. I know what she wants
and what she needs, and what she is willing to do to get both. Villains are
hard for me because I don’t want them to be mustache twirlers with evil as its
own reward. I think the difference is that I don’t spend as much time (in my
head) with the villains as I do with the heroes.
Any last words you'd like to share with us Ryan?
Thanks
for your time. I encourage anyone with the flare for creating content to stop
hiding and make it happen. Share your work with people that care about you and
ask for feedback. Thank them for it. Embrace it. Make your stuff better. Then
share it with strangers. Ask for feedback. Thank them for it. Embrace it. Make
it better. Keep going. You can make it!
Good Luck Ryan, it's been a pleasure having you on today. Don't forget to check out Devil in the Microscope. Happy Reading!!
Twitter:
@RyanPDecaria
Facebook:
/RyanPaulDecaria
Devil
in the Microscope on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07452YTPY/
Devil
in the Microscope on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35718498-devil-in-the-microscope
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