Today I’d like to bring your attention to an author by the name of Rye James. Rye James has written 2 novels and 3 short stories. His novels are The Assassin (Western) and Escape (Suspense-Thriller)
Here is a quick summary of each.
The Assassin: Matt Beck is a man hired to eliminate problems. So when the deadliest gunman in the West wanders into an Arizona town, the residents instantly fear one of them has been marked for death. Once Beck arrives, he tangles with the law, a young gunslinger itching to make a reputation on his death, a treacherous preacher, and a gunfighter hired to kill Beck. Through it all, he must protect a secret he’s carrying that would surely mark his own death if found out.
Escape: Ray Spencer is an honest man trying to do the right thing. After uncovering information that would lead to a scandal a contract is placed on his head. He is then framed for a murder he did not commit forcing him to go on the run. A hit man and the FBI both desperately want him. At every turn there could be someone waiting for him. There’s only one thing he can do–escape.
You can see the book trailer for both of his books on his myspace page.
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Rye James was nice enough to answer some questions that I had for him. After you are doing reading the interview, stick around for a giveaway!
RJ: I’m married with a daughter and a newborn son. We also have 3 dogs who we consider part of the family. I’m pretty devoted to my family, they’re the most important thing to me. I love animals and try to help them when possible.
C: You give a portion of your proceeds from your books to a charity. What gave you the idea to do that?
RJ: It just came to me one day that it seemed like a good idea. I like to give back and help those who aren’t as fortunate and might need a helping hand so it just seemed like the right thing to do. Then when I was looking at different charities for The Assassin, I saw so many that I wanted to help I decided to name a different one for each book release so that’s how it came to be.
C: Do you prefer writing short stories or novels? Why?
RJ: I think I prefer novels, it just seems more satisfying to me. Maybe it’s because they take so much longer and require more effort and crafting of a story. I like writing short stories too but I’d say I prefer novels. I never really intended on writing short stories till people started e-mailing me asking for another story based on The Assassin, so I wrote Day Of The Assassin which did extremely well on Amazon Shorts.
C: What sorts of books do you read?
RJ: I like to read both fiction and non-fiction. With non-fiction I tend to read more historical stuff like biographies, old west, and different war periods. Fiction I usually read westerns, mysteries and crime novels, and thrillers.
C: How is writing Westerns different from Suspense-Thrillers? Do you prefer one over the other?
RJ: Well it’s very different when writing dialogue since there’s a different style of speech, and they 
used words that we don’t use much these days if at all so that’s one difference. Guns were a lot more prevalent back then and accepted so I can write about a gunfight in the middle of the street and then the combatants can continue on whatever journey they’re on. In a Thriller or some other type of novel if you have a gunfight in the middle of the street you’ll most likely wind up in jail or wind up being pursued by the FBI. I probably prefer westerns. I know they’re not the most popular genre though, so I want to write in several genres to appeal to a wider readership. My next two books will be westerns, and then after that I’ll have a couple fantasy novels and a supernatural thriller so I’ll be stepping away from the western for a year or two most likely after the next two are released.
C: Where do you write your stories? Anything special you do while you are writing that you might want to share?
RJ: I usually write at my computer. Sometimes I’ll write if I’m out and I get an idea and I’ll quickly jot them down on paper but for the most part I write at the computer usually at night when everyone else is sleeping. I tend to not be able to write much if other people are around me though I usually have the TV on. I’m not sure why but it’s just a habit now.
C: When did you first start to think that you might want to write a book?
RJ: It was actually back in high school. I actually started to write a mystery but I only got a few pages before I gave up on it. I didn’t really write for a while after that. It was several years later that I started writing again. I contacted a few sports websites and wrote some articles for them before I started thinking about writing a book. After I decided I wanted to write a book it seemed like a natural to write a western first since I felt more confident with that genre.
C: What do you do with your time when you are not writing?
RJ: Most of it is spent with my family. I also enjoy watching sports-baseball, football, hockey along with listening to music and watching movies though I’m probably watching Dora more than anything these days.
C: Have your family and friends read any of your novels or short stories?
RJ: They do. I also ask them for input on certain things like what they think of the covers.
C: Anything else you want to tell my readers?
RJ: Thank you for reading this interview for starters. Hopefully at least one of my books appeal to them and they’ll read it and like it and hopefully follow my career a little bit via my website or blog. I welcome all e-mails whether they be questions, comments, or charity suggestions and I respond to everything. So I’d just like to say thank you.
You can find out more about Rye James at the following websites:
http://www.ryejamesonline.com/
http://www.ryejames.blogspot.com/
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