Interview With Author Noel Ryan
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Ireland, but the “Green Isle” couldn’t hold me. I left at twenty-one with a thirst for more and spent the next few decades managing the kind of high-end cocktail bars and clubs where the world’s most colorful—and often dangerous—characters drank, some becoming friends others just fell over drunk. I’ve spent my time observing the elite and the deranged from behind the bars I managed, learning exactly what people are capable of when they think no one is watching.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Book Title: Should Have Taken the Left Turn
The Inspiration: The inspiration was simple: I spent fifteen years watching people. Behind high-end bars and the velvet ropes of international clubs all over the world, I saw the world from a perspective most people never get. I met the elite, the deranged, and the “gangstas” who weren’t nearly as smart as they thought they were. You´d be amazed at what people tell you after a few old fashioned´s.
They say truth is stranger than fiction, and after a decade of managing cocktail bars across three continents, I realized my memory was a graveyard of stories that were too good not to tell. I wanted to capture that “Marmite” life—the high-stakes, the “shit-ton” of money, the government black ops, and the choices that define a man.
I wrote this because I wanted to show what happens when you don’t take the safe route. I didn’t want to write a story about a common criminal; I wanted to write about a herald—someone who moves in the shadows of the high life, making the impossible happen for the right price. My wife eventually told me I had enough material for a trilogy, so I finally sat down to document the rise. If you liked the sharp, high-stakes underworld of J.J. Connolly’s Layer Cake, you’ll find yourself right at home in the first installment of this trilogy.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Music is my writing kink, there needs to be a soundtrack to the story
I’ve always believed that every story has a rhythm and every situation has a tone. That’s why every chapter in this book is named after a specific song—a track that captured my mindset or the atmosphere of the room at the time. Either rhythm or the lyrics go hand in hand with the chapter
Music isn’t just background noise; it’s the pulse of the moment. Sometimes it’s the lyrics that tell the truth I wasn’t ready to admit, and sometimes it’s just the raw energy of the beat that kept me moving through a high-stakes double-cross.
If you want to step fully into my world, there is a curated playlist available at shouldhavetakentheleftturn.com. It’s designed to be played while you read. It sets the mood, sharpens the edge.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always been drawn to writers who don’t just tell a story, but invite you into a specific, high-stakes world and close the door behind you.
J.J. Connolly is a massive influence. Layer Cake changed the game for me—it showed that a criminal narrator could be sophisticated, professional, and deal in high-level logistics rather than just street-level chaos. It’s that “Business Class” approach to the underworld that I’ve aimed to capture in my own work.
Then there’s Anthony Bourdain. His writing in Kitchen Confidential had a raw, rhythmic honesty that I’ve always admired. He lived his life in the heat of the moment and wrote about it with a “dont give a fuck what you think attitude”—he didn’t care if you liked him, as long as you understood the craft. That’s the same energy I bring to the page.
I’m also indebted to the sharp, punchy dialogue of Elmore Leonard. He taught me that in the world of high-stakes deals, what people don’t say is often more important than what they do.
Finally, my life managing clubs across three continents influenced me more than any library ever could. I fifteen years watching the elite and the deranged interact from behind the safety of a cocktail bar. My “influences” are the stories I heard in the early hours of the morning, the ones that were too wild to be made up.
What are you working on now?
Well my wife said I have enough stories and drive to make the book a trilogy instead of trying to cram it into one, so that’s what I´m doing now, drafting the second book, hopefully it doesn’t take another 15 years to write this one, I think the people who read the first would be very annoyed at me.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I´m completely new at this, and since i do not use social media very often, i forgot i had an X account. I am relying on my friends and family to get the book out and also awesomegang !
Do you have any advice for new authors?
No, Id like some myself !! Well actually yes listen to your spouse if they push you there’s nothing better then typing – END NOVEL
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You only have a limited amount of fucks to give. If you go around giving a fuck about every person who annoys you, every slight, and every person who isn’t worth it, you’re going to get run ragged.
It changed me from constantly pleasing people to only helping the ones that matter as you never get it in return.
What are you reading now?
the dying hours by Mark Billingham – great way to disconnect on the train to work.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I´m building the second books story line as we speak, and all ready have some great tracks to go with the chapters
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Kitchen confidential, Cash by Johnny Cash, the subtle art of not giving a fuck (you’d need it stranded on a desert island to be fair!) and probably a survival guide of some sort !
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