Meet Ryder Lyne | Science Fiction & Dystopian Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryder Lyne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryder, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think risk-taking is a necessary part of the industry. In fact, it holds some truth for almost every industry. It comes down to weighing the risks associated with that part of the process to decide if the return on investment is likely. That ROI doesn’t always have to equate to dollar signs, and most entrepreneurs know it as the return of time invested in a project. In regards to books: From plot development to marketing strategies, every aspect of being an independently published author takes on some risks.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
George Orwell’s books have been a heavy influence on my writing since I picked up 1984 when I was twelve, thinking the cover was darkly attractive. From there I fell in love with Brave New World, thinking Aldous Huxley was as close to a rockstar in literature as you could get. Over the years, I tend to gravitate to authors under the Simon & Schuster Publishing House as they continue to produce literary works that shape so many trends that we end up seeing down the road in pop culture.

From a professional perspective: Eight years ago, I started off as a ghostwriter for some well-known authors who entrusted me to complete varying projects to meet deadlines. Ghostwriters commonly get a bad reputation with the general community associating ghosts with “selling their ideas or work.” That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Like method actors, ghostwriters take on another author’s voice and submerge themselves completely in the author’s world and characters to complete a contract. The author’s ideas, world, and characters need to be delivered because, at the end of the day, it was and will always be the author’s concept. Over time it’s been a very rewarding experience having made some wonderful friends along the way that helped me solidify that I want to stay in my science fiction and dystopian lane.

Regarding my Brand/Authorship/Journey:

My brand messages are fairly clear:
-Self-advocacy
-Advocate for others
-Question all things (including the systems and programs surrounding you)
-(And hopefully) At least one reader will pick up one of my books and be able to identify with my characters… inspiring them to go out and change the world by making it a better place than how they/we found it.

Part of my brand has been influenced by mental health. Having been diagnosed at an early age with ADD/ADHD/Anxiety/Depression was an uphill battle, and learning coping methods that worked for me wasn’t easy. However, reading and writing were consistently there in the background promoting healthy means of regulation. This balancing act is personified in The Divine Bloodline Trilogy where I give my depression a humanoid form. But it wasn’t until 2019 that I think my career finally slipped into place.

The Axiom Chronicles is so influenced by my daughter and motherhood as I process the new milestones in her life. But not in the traditional memoir or parent-coaching book you’d expect. Like many Millenials, I tend to gravitate towards fiction needing escapism from reality. I also happen to be “mildly” pessimistic. So bridging the gap between what our family is going through that year and punishing my characters for it in a dystopian setting seems to be a healthy enough approach.

In 2019 I had my daughter who was born Deaf/Hard of Hearing. However, we as a society need to start normalizing Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety discussions. These mindful conversations in a safe environment for the mother need to happen, as it was hands down one of the worst experiences I will ever have in my life. Writing Steal Your Thunder was part of my coping mechanism, but there was a long period of time in which reading and writing were not appealing to me.

Within the next two years, my daughter went from minimal hearing to having access to sound through cochlear implants. Within the first three years of her life, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Many parents of neurodivergent children and parents of children with impairments will attest that you go through a grieving period when you receive a diagnosis. Not a grieving of a lost child, but the loss of that childhood you envisioned your child living.

As much as I love literature of any genre, there aren’t enough books to prepare someone for parenthood. Like many expecting parents, I had this preconceived notion of what an ideal childhood would look like for my daughter, and within the first three years of her life, that reality went out the window [with a laugh.]. And like many expecting parents, motherhood is undoubtedly one of those learn-on-the-job roles.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Arizona protects over 1.5 million acres of land throughout the state, and the beauty of State 48 is you can drive an hour and a half and be at a different elevation. You can drive two hours and be up in the woodlands at over 6,000 feet. We have waterfalls, caves, grassy plains, riverbeds, and lakes. When my author friends come for a writer’s retreat the question isn’t what places would I take them to do some sightseeing as the list would never end. The easiest question I ask them is “Which direction do you want to go?”

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So much of my continued growth and success directly correlates to my network and inner circle. My spouse, sister, and parents have been cornerstones of constant exposure and enlightenment. They come from different industries, bringing new facets of life that I wouldn’t normally consider.

My spouse has been there for my spontaneous two in the morning moments of clarity. He doesn’t bat an eye when my epiphany inconveniently draws me out of bed, blinding him with the bedside table lamp, and stays up for another hour as I jot down what is fresh in my mind.

My sister, a clinical psychologist, has been a critical player in helping me understand the psychology behind my characters. By not only forcing me to ask the harder questions about my books and the messages I want to convey, throughout the years her encouragement of mindfulness and self-reflection has unlocked areas of the conscious and sub-conscious thought.

My father is a blue-collar man through and through, but as an outdoorsman, he introduced the fundamentals of seeking enlightened and deeper relationships with those around me. From a Supreme Being to my business relationships, every conversation I have has some of him, my mother, and my sister in the back of my mind.
My mother has been my number one supporter since I woke up one morning and declared I was going to write a book. Not once did she doubt it.

My daughter has shaped so much of the Axiom Chronicles and will continue to shape the series for years to come.

As far as my network goes, author and editor Deidre Sequeira has been my ride-or-die and continues to be an essential part of the entire publication process. Nikki Allegretti is one of my closest Paranormal Fantasy authors that embraces the dark side of things and is a text message away when I need a hype woman. Kristen Aitken, Texas-Native-Gone-Scotland editor, author, and poet is my go-to when sound boarding overseas concepts. Amanda McCabe is a budding author that radiates positivity and sunshine that I cannot soak up enough of.

The members of the Book Wyrm Literary Club (a Discord group of international authors) are there on a daily basis to create a healthy and productive writing environment. Their encouragement to keep going and celebrate the smaller wins is what makes the process all the better.

Website: https://www.ryderlynebooks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryderlauthor/

Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16958737.Ryder_Lyne

Image Credits
L.J. Stock