Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Gods of the American Wild is my first full length novel, but I’ve written doesn’t of short stories which I never published and another novel which… maybe some day I’d like to rewrite it. With this book, I felt incredibly passionate about the story and happy with how it turned out.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Gods of the American Wild: The Dragon 2043. For me, the biggest inspiration was the political division that we have in the United States right now. The central conflict of the book is that the Illuminate, essentially, is trying to engineer a civil war and manipulate people into giving into their darkest impulses. In many ways, the novel is a parable.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When inspiration strikes and I’m really thinking about what’s going to happen next, I find myself turning on an album that fits in with the scenes like a soundtrack and pacing around my apartment for hours.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tons. Chuck Palahniuk and Bret Easton Ellis have been major influences, as far as contemporary fiction goes, but I’m a huge fan of the classics like The Count of Monte Cristo, Crime and Punishment, The Great Gatsby and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. My favorite book growing up is Ender’s Game and I think that comes through a lot in my writing — that style of something that can be described as genre fiction, but really has a lot of depth and meaning.
What are you working on now?
The next project for me is the… well I guess you’d call it the “1.5” to Gods of the American Wild, which will be a book of short stories that sets up the sequel, introduces new characters and checks in on what some of the characters of the first book are up to in between the two main books.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hard to say, as it’s my first book. I’m trying everything I can — ads, interviews like this, being active on social media, blogging. I have to say, I really enjoy doing interviews, so I hope to do more in the future.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. You have something to offer the world and if you don’t offer it, there’s no one out there who will do it for you. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” You have a short time on this Earth. Paint it your color while you’re here.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“There are three things you need in life. I call them the three Ps. People, passion and pay. Try to get at least two of the three in everything you do.”
What are you reading now?
“The Power of Myth” by Joseph Campbell.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to finish the Gods of the American Wild series, then we’ll see what happens next. I have a great idea for another series, but you never know where life will take you.
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?
Ender’s Game, World Mythology, The Giver, Fight Club
Author Websites and Profiles
Ryan Watterson Website
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