Hi Alan! Thank you for accepting our invitation, please tell us a little about yourself.
Alan Ray: An introvert is what I describe myself most, but don’t be fooled by my reclusiveness. Doing some writing and occasionally painting are two of my preferred ways of expressing my ideas.
True enough; introverts excel at writing! I’m curious if you choose this career path or if it found you. When did you come to realize that you were a writer?
Alan Ray: My introversion happened as a consequence of 10 years of school bullying. During my childhood, I never had close friends to share with. My suspicion was that I never had the same interests and hobbies as everyone else.
What age demographic do you write for?
Alan Ray: I write for older teens and adults, and if I can stretch that far, perhaps those in their early forties.
Which author and book do you admire the most, and why?
Alan Ray: I can’t answer this question because many of their works share many clichés as the rest of the others. The second I began working on my novel, I found myself detached from their works, so much so that I longer enjoy much of their message.
What type of content do you prefer to write?
Alan Ray: My writing style is often short and succinct – less flowery with more content and impact. My English teachers were so oblivious to what I could do mentally and then execute into writing that the proverb, ‘first impressions last,’ was utterly proven false by my experience. I can easily fool anyone holding to this principle in life.
Wow, that’s impressive! So what activities do you enjoy when you are not writing?
Alan Ray: I like reading articles and informative topics on the internet. Other things that fascinate me include going for walks and taking day trips from my place.
Is there any fictional being you like the most?
Alan Ray: Dragons because 95 percent of fantasy writers tend to view them as evil beings. I don’t blindly jump to everyone’s bandwagon reasoning just because of established tradition or antiquity.
What part do dragons play in the plot of your novel?
Alan Ray: In my novel, they took part primarily as vault and treasure guardians for the surrounding villages and kingdoms. Dragons were the fulcrum of the financial stability of a society. Sometimes they act as mediators and trial advocates for oppressed parties. However, this sort of role for them looked like they were demanding tribute and siding with ‘evil’ beings to humans’ perception. This is where I turned the ‘first impressions last’ saying on its ugly head.
If you were to compare your writing to any other authors, who would they be?
Alan Ray: Close but no cigar. The only closest so far where any sort of comparison would be Drakojan Skies made by M. Wemhoff. His works were not even books or articles but rather Flash game series on the internet.
Thank you for taking the time to respond, Alan, and best wishes in all your future pursuits!
