Ryan Troske

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I am a police officer and fire fighter residing in southeast Missouri with my wife, two young boys, and crazy energetic dog. I love to write, play guitar, and watch and play sports. A very abridged version of myself, but it hits some main points.

When and why did you start writing books?

I first starting writing back in 2013 or so. Was kind of on a whim. I had been blogging about my experiences and adventures with a new job, and just my life in general, and a number of people I know greatly enjoyed my posts and commented on how I was such a great writer and should write a book about my adventures. I may not have written about my so-called adventured (yet, anyway...I have some ideas), but I decided to give writing a shot. A simple one sentence idea for a book soon took off and exploded into a 4 book series, possibly more.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

Not exactly a career at this point, though I'd love it if I could write full-time. I love creating and letting my imagination wander freely, so why not get paid for it?

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

I only have two published books at the moment and it's hard to pick one over the other. As far as characters, of course, I rather enjoy the main character Ethan. It has been a lot of fun creating and molding him through the series. As far as supporting characters, I find myself liking Murphy and Raven more and more.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

The first was probably the hardest simply because I had never done anything like it before. The second, however, took longer to work through, unfortunately, but I was tackling a lot at the time and it became difficult to work on it as much as I would have liked.

Who is your favourite author and book?

Tough call. I love several genres, such as fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, suspense, legal thrillers, etc. As far as some of my favorite works, I love Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, John Grisham, and many others.

What book are you reading right now?

I recently started Beneath Devil's Bridge by Loreth Anne White. Bout a 3rd of the way through. So far so good.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

My Supernaturals series definitely stemmed from my love of X-men and super heroes in general. I am also working on an epic fantasy series (tentatively named: The Telkuhryn Chronicles) which draws from both LOTR and Chronicles of Narnia. I also have a post-apocalyptic series which is similar to The Walking Dead, but there are no zombies, simply what they are called in the books, The Sick. Quick explanation, a virus that basically shuts down a lot of the brain and reverts humans to a very basic animalistic state.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Love my sports, watching and playing. I enjoy playing guitar and writing music. Most of all, I love spending time with my two young boys. They are an absolute riot.

Do you have any new books in the works?

Several. I'm working on book 3 in my Supernaturals series, as well as the first books in my Telkuhryn Chronicles and Survival series.