Wild
Women Authors welcomes author Ryan Summers and Ivey
London from September's Song, Ryan's self-published women's
fiction metaphysical novel. First up is Ivey.
Welcome, Ivey. Tell us a bit about
September’s Song. It is the story of Ivey
London. She buried her husband, Keegan, as a war hero five years go
and tried to move on with her life. She has a young son, a budding
romance at work, is battling her brother over custody of their
Alzheimer’s mother, and all the things a single mother and woman
deals with. A part of her still grieves for Keegan.
Then she discovers a man she is
positive is Keegan, is alive. He’s amnesiac and escaped from a
secret underground holding facility. Oh, he also has amazing
telekinetic abilities. With soldiers trying to reclaim him, Ivey and
Keegan must first discover what happened to him and where he’s been
for five years before they can rediscover what they had.
What made you choose nursing for a
profession? In nursing you see people at their worse, in crisis,
and you have the opportunity to step in and help. It’s a chance to
show compassion in an otherwise dark moment. Nursing also is mentally
challenging as well as physically. There is a whole spectrum of
nursing, from pediatrics, to geriatrics, to everything in between. I
like working in rehabilitation. The results are so rewarding.
Knowing what you know now, if you
had it to do over again, would you stick with being a nurse or do
something different? I have no regrets except I have to be away
from my son, Jory, so much. Nursing is where my heart is at. Perhaps
I’d work in a doctor’s office or someplace I can be home more
with Jory and my mom.
What is your biggest fear? Failure!
Oh my gosh. I fear failing as a mother to Jory. I worry I won’t be
able to help my mom like she needs. I fear not being able to connect
with Keegan or help him with these challenges. I fear I can’t help
my patients in their rehab. I know I can’t do it all, but I have to
try to be all for the people I care about.
Who is your favorite fictional
character and why? I admire “Marmee” Margaret March from
Little Women. She was a phenomenal mother to four girls of
such different personalities and a devoted wife, even when her
husband was off to war. She is such an inspiration to those of us
younger generation wives and mothers.
What is the best piece of advice you
ever received? You cannot change the past, you can only learn
from it to adjust the present to create a better future.
Thank
you for spending time with us, Ivey. We'd like to chat with Ryan now.
With regard to research, where did
you start for this novel? Did that lead you down different paths,
thereby changing the original concept? The origin for this novel
was a photo of a boy feeding a homeless man. Originally I had much
different plans for this story, and researched quantum fiction,
(quantum physics is a pet interest of mine) I was leaning more that
direction, with a splash or two of military operations. Ivey (the
wife) became more predominate as I researched and eventually I had to
concede she was going to control a good share of this book. The genre
shifted from quantum fiction to women’s fiction with metaphysical.
Tell us a bit about your publisher.
I have books published with Soul Mate Publishing since 2013 or
’14. I joined Melange Books shortly thereafter. I released with
Limitless Publishing a year or two ago and recently signed with The
Wild Rose Press. So I’m not hurting for publishing houses. I
appreciate them all for the ways they are different.
When it came time to get serious with
September’s Song, I decided I wanted to self-publish it. It
was never pitched to any house. There are a few reasons why. First, I
already had releases coming out with Melange and Limitless. I had
self-released a non-fiction blog-to-book the year before and enjoyed
(mostly anyway) the experience so I felt it was worth repeating.
September’s Song had been such a problem child to write, in
that it was almost written backwards to incorporate all the many
layers inside it, plus the endless changes from initial concept to
finished product. Due to that I felt it needed to be special. My
birthday was coming up and I decided it would be my birthday gift to
myself: self-publish this novel. It was an incredible experience in
which I learned so much about all the “behind the scenes” part of
publishing beyond what I experience as just an author.
It took just over six months of
‘Extremely Active’ editing, revisions, cover design, etc.… and
pre-promo once I got serious about releasing it. This is after two
years of hard research, writing, re-writing, etc… and the cool-down
period before I considered it done.
What are you reading right now? I
read and review for two digital review magazines, so most of my
reading is done for them. I honestly can’t remember the last time I
read something for recreation. I have four months of writing
magazines stacked on my nightstand with the intention to read them
someday. I have a whole bookshelf devoted to my tbr pile. So far,
there are about 45 books stacked on it. I keep finding promising
books on Amazon and think, “Hey! I’d like to read that.” I like
both fiction and non-fiction, so it’s an eclectic mix. My Kindle
has around 1,500 books on it. Again, same thing… that book sounds
cool, so I download it. I figured it out, if I never get another
book, I will probably die without having had the time to read every
book currently on the tbr piles. In a way, that’s both morbid and
good in the same way.
What's next for you? Melange is
holding a spot in November for my time travel romance, which I need
to finish. I am dipping my toe into the genre of thriller/horror for
a contribution for Limitless for later this year. I signed contracts
with The Wild Rose Press for a series of romance stories. Book one is
in round 4 edits, book 2 is in self-edits, book 3 needs some
revisions, book 4 is being written, books 5 and 6 are being
researched, plotted and outlined. Plans are for 9-12 books over time.
I am also joining Sweet Promise Press to contribute a few stories to
their various lines. Right now I am working on a story for the
Sweethearts of Country Music line. So no pressure to write. None.
I also write non-fiction articles for local magazines and periodicals. Sometimes I think I eat deadlines for a bedtime snack. My day job is pet sitting/ dog walking and day care, which keeps me hopping. I do a lot of writing while on the run between appointments.
I also write non-fiction articles for local magazines and periodicals. Sometimes I think I eat deadlines for a bedtime snack. My day job is pet sitting/ dog walking and day care, which keeps me hopping. I do a lot of writing while on the run between appointments.
To learn more about Ryan Jo Summers
and the stories she creates go to:
Website: www.ryanjosummers.com
Blog:
https://summersrye.wordpress.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/RyanJoSummers
To
purchase September's Song, go to:
Barnes
& Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/septembers-song-ryan-jo-summers
Thank you, Kat, for hosting Ivey and I. We appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteRyan Jo Summers and "Ivey London"
Ryan, it's so exciting to see how your writing has matured and ventured into such different forms. To me, you are fearless! Keep inspiring other authors and enjoying your new adventures in writing! --kate
ReplyDeleteThank you! How very kind of you. I appreciate that. Fearless? I dn't know. How about stubborn? (smile) Yes, I am not able to complain about the adventures of writing.
ReplyDelete~~Ryan