BOOK TOUR: The Witch Brothers Saga by Adam J. Ridley (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I started writing several years ago. My foster son had just come out of the closet and was having a hard time adjusting to the new lifestyle. Being an avid reader, I immediately began searching for books that he could read.

I was rather surprised by how few books were out there at the time about healthy gay male relationships. So, I began writing short stories for him. After that, I caught the bug and have been writing ever since.

Adam J. Ridley is my pen name I chose for my Urban Fantasy (UF) novels. I realized not everyone who reads my romances will want UF and certainly not all my UF readers would want to wade through my romance books. So, it just made sense to give life to Adam, with my new release of the Witch Brothers Saga.

Where were you born/grew up at?

I grew up in a tiny place, can’t really call it a town, in the middle of West Tennessee, surrounded by pine forests and farmland. Needless to say, I spent most of my childhood out in the wood playing.

I think my childhood had a lasting impact on me, especially in the world of creativity. Because I spent so much time alone out in nature, I became rather good at creating all sorts of imaginary worlds. Nowadays you can experience some of those worlds in my writing.

Who is your hero and why?

Wow, so I have several. That being said, my grandmother has to be the top of the list because she was such a big advocate of mine early on. I suffer from a list of issues that in the 1970s weren’t well known or respected… ADHD, Dyslexia, not to mention basic stubbornness.

My granny would sit down with me at night, and we’d read together in her silent living room long after my grandfather had gone to sleep. When we’d finish a book, we’d discuss them and she’d tell me her favorite parts of the story, and I’d tell her mine.

Because of her, I’m a lifelong lover of reading and learning in general. Not to mention, an author. So, yeah, she get’s the number one spot for me.

What kind of world ruler would you be?

Let’s just say it’s good I’m not the leader of the world and leave it at that… (Cue evil laughter…) LOL

What do you do to unwind and relax?

I’m such a typical book geek. There is NOTHING I love more than a good, sappy, romance novel with all the feels. Or a dark and foreboding fantasy/urban fantasy. That’s my go to for getting the world out of my head and letting myself unwind.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

So, this is hard and something I struggled with for a long time.

I really struggled with writing in general. My pre-college education was sketchy in regard to language arts, and as such, writing scared me. I was convinced I was bad at it. However, after getting a degree that forced me to write a lot, I was able to overcome the fear enough to give creative writing a try.

It didn’t take me long to figure out how much I loved writing. Then I began to see reviews which said other people liked what they were reading.

So, long story short, I guess I didn’t consider myself a real author until I realized people actually liked what I was putting out in the world enough to buy and read them.

Do you have a favorite movie?

Oh yeah, Practical Magic will always be my favorite, then Steel Magnolias cause you know snark and tears are the best!

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

Humm… since I’m a visual writer, all my books take place visually in my mind, so to me they are already movies. 

That being said, here’s a bit of trivia. I initially began writing Taking a Chance for Love for Hallmark. Of course, it became much too sexually explicit for them as the writing continued. However, I could still see it being a movie. Of course,

If any of you are movie producers, give me a call, I’m sure we can work out some favorable terms! 😊

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

Oh, so this is a fun question. My hubby and I sold our homes (we had two on a 3-acre urban organic farm) and moved into a 40 foot RV five years ago.

Now, we travel around the United States exploring areas I’d only heard about before. Most of the settings in my books are a product of traveling the country.

For example, The Witch Brothers Saga is set in a part of Oregon where we spent the summer. Even thought the town, Chemeketa, doesn’t exist in real life, if you know the area between Tillamook and Lincoln City, you’ll recognize the landscape.