Today’s interview is with Ryan Redmond, short story writer and lover of wines.
LQ: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
RR: My name is Ryan Redmond, and at the moment you read this, it is quite possible I’m drinking a glass of wine. I certainly am drinking one while writing this. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, I’ve hopped around from Florida to Louisiana to California, and I currently reside in Pasadena, where I spend most of my time writing, reading, and day drinking at my favorite spots around town.I’ve been writing for years and have a number of books, short stories, and plays published on Amazon, and my goal is to become a successful author who can spend his time writing in the morning and mixing cocktails in the afternoon.
LQ: What does your writing process look like?
RR: I have found that my most productive hours of writing are either:
A) 10PM to 2AM with a glass (bottle) of wine
B) 4AM to 7AM with a cup (pot) of coffee.
Therefore, I am often tired and thought of by my neighbors to be a vampire. Even though I’m a suspected drinker of blood, the neighbors are quite friendly.
My daytime writing process is quite different. It involves constant procrastination. Writing is rarely accomplished.
LQ: What was your favorite book to write so far?
RR: For a writer, it is almost like choosing a favorite child. Or maybe not? Because I certainly can choose. I don’t have children so I can’t really relate.
A short novel I wrote called Millennial Lost. It’s a romantic and comedic and drunken tale of two strangers who meet in New Orleans and proceed to spend the day together going from one bar to the next, exploring the city and each other’s lives. It’s filled with adventure, mystery, love, humor, and the many wonderful restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and sights of the Big Easy. Inspired by my own personal life and time spent living in New Orleans, it was fun to write and reminisce about my carefree time there.
LQ: Who is your favorite character to write about?
RR: I love to write minor characters. The types of characters who suddenly appear and then leave the story. Not necessarily the supporting characters, but the ones who have such a brief moment in your story that you don’t truly get to know but you don’t forget. It forces me to be more creative with how to bring the character to life in as few sentences as possible so that the reader gets a vivid view of who the person is.
LQ: Who are your favorite authors? Have any of them influenced your work?
RR: There are endless writers and books who influence me, and the list includes Hemingway, Steinbeck, Fran Lebowitz, Voltaire, Gore Vidal, Carrie Fisher. However, a writer who I always recommend, who is usually unknown to whoever I’m bothering, is Ludwig Bemelmans, author of the well-known Madeline children books. However, he wrote numerous books, and his humorous stories and anecdotes are some of the greatest escapes from the terrible times of reality. Hotel Bemelmans is my favorite and probably his best work. After you finish reading this sentence, go buy it.
LQ: How are you doing during the current pandemic?
RR: If I hear about Shakespeare writing when he was quarantined, I’m going to slap someone. I find it hard to focus on my work with the looming threat of a disease that could kill me. Nothing like waking up in the morning with the fear of death to slow down my creativity. Writers, as we know, have enough trouble as it is finding inspiration. A plague is not needed to make us more productive. I’m single and live alone so I enjoy solitude, but I desperately miss my local bookstore and bar.
LQ: What are you currently working on?
RR: I’m currently working on a couple of projects because I can never seem to solely focus on one thing. My most completed work in progress that I am hoping to finish in the coming weeks is a humorous memoir about life in my 20s, moving from state to state, living out of a suitcase, drinking a ton of wine, and the many romantic missteps along the way. I hope it can provide laughs to those who need it or some sort of guidance for those wanderers who feel lost as they navigate growing through their 20s.
LQ: Anything else you would like to share?
RR: For all the writers who may feel stressed at this time, take a deep breath, pour a glass of wine, and dive into one of those unread books piling up in your home. You know you have them. Take a break from the work and enjoy the stories of another writer. Let them give you a brief escape.
