The Clearing Blog Tour

For today's guest author interview we start Thomas Rydder's blog tour for his newly released book 'The Clearing' Find out more about it in the interview below:

Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
Good morning, Michael, and before we get started, I want to say thanks for having me on. This is my first author interview - ever - and I couldn't be more pleased that it's here.

Now. Who am I? Whew...talk about an information dump. Simply as I can, I'm a country boy who grew up in a small town in western Pa. During that time, I grew to love old horror flicks - you know, the Chaney’s as The Wolfman, Lugosi as Dracula, Karloff as Frankenstein. I'm now all grown up (at least according to age), have a beautiful wife, work as the project manager at a small civil engineering firm, help rescue cats, and instead of watching and reading about all those horrifying monsters, I write about 'em.

What inspired you to start writing?
I wish I could say I was inspired, but it didn't happen that way. I kinda tripped over writing. I was poking around for something to do in my spare time. See, I've always like creating stuff. I sang in a group way back when, played the trumpet in the Marines for awhile, even did some genealogy of a couple limbs on my family tree. So, I was seeking another way to express myself. Now, there are a few ex-high schoolers that owe their English comp grades to me, and my wife knew that. So, she suggested I try writing. I joined a little site called Hubpages - quite a nice place for aspiring authors, by the way - and started giving it a go. Wrote a short story that got some good feedback, then started another. For some reason, it just kept growing, and today it launches as "The Clearing." How's that?

And what was your first story?
The short story I just told you about was/is called "Travellin' with L.J. Sassafras", and I actually plan on expanding it at some point into a novel - or at least a novella. It's in the YA genre, so I may have to actually create another pen name for it. I understand that's the custom...

If you could work with any author, who would it be?
At the risk of doing a shameless plug - and that's why I'm here, right? - I've been told my writing resembles Dean Koontz a bit. Being as how he's also one of my favorite authors, I'd faint if he'd sit down to write a letter home with me, much less a book.

What do you enjoy most about writing?
The thrill you get when the first idea hits you, and you realize it could be a really good story. That's immediately followed by a rush of ideas, some frantic scribbling, and unfortunately, a mad desire to just start writing it - whether I'm working on something currently or not.

And the least?
You know, I bet I'm supposed to say the marketing aspect, as that's what I hear from most folks. Since I'm brand new to this, and am enjoying all facets of it, that's not the case for me just yet. I have a feeling that will change as time passes, because even now, I realize that it's an incredible amount of work, and practically wipes out any free time that could be spent writing.

What advice would you give new and aspiring authors?
Writing a good book is, of course, the first spoke in the wheel of life for an author. And you need to realize there are a million folks out there, doing the same thing. Once you realize that, forget about it, and keep right on trucking, because if you have a good book, you have a viable product. However, if you're looking to be successful at selling your books, get started on your author platform now, and have it firmly in place when your book is ready.

What are you working on at the moment?
I have an anthology of a novella and two short stories almost completed - they're all ghost stories - and plan on having them launched very soon. After that, I'll likely work on the sequel to my current novel "The Clearing." I already know what direction it's taking, and am very anxious to get started on it.

Tell us about your latest work and how we can find out more.
"The Clearing" takes place in a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania. As an aside, the location is modeled after my home town. Anyway, through a series of grisly events, the residents come to realize they have some unwanted - and very dangerous - visitors. The full moon on the cover might give potential readers a hint as to what kind of visitors. I think what I like best about the story is there isn't anybody familiar with guerrilla tactics and martial arts, or ripped with muscles. As my publisher said, it's "Ordinary people thrown into extraordinary circumstances."

Thanks again, Michael...I enjoyed being here, and appreciate the opportunity more than you could know...
My book launched today on Amazon, and the links for it are:

Kindle

United States - www.amazon.com/The-Clearing-ebook/dp/B00BMEVA0W/

The United Kingdom - www.amazon.co.uk/The-Clearing-ebook/dp/B00BMEVA0W/

Canada - www.amazon.ca/The-Clearing-ebook/dp/B00BMEVA0W/


Paperback on Amazon

United States - http://www.amazon.com/Clearing-Thomas-Rydder/dp/1481077686

The United Kingdom - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clearing-Thomas-Rydder/dp/1481077686


Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/290578


Also, if you'd like to get in touch with me, these are my links:

Blog - http://thomasrydder.wordpress.com/

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/thomas.rydder

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ThomasRydder

Come by and say hello!

Thomas's blog tour continues at the following sites:

Monday, March 4th - Interview with author M.S. Fowle   http://msfowle.wordpress.com/

Wednesday, March 6th - Interview with book blogger Debdatta   http://b00kr3vi3ws.blogspot.com/  

Friday, March 8th - Guest post with author Victoria Dougherty    http://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/

Monday, March 11th - Guest post with author Shannon McRoberts    http://www.obsidianpoet.blogspot.com/

Thursday, March 14th - Interview with author Donna Galanti    http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/