Richard Alan lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with his wife, Carolynn. They are the proud parents of three wonderful adult sons.He is a Vietnam combat and 101st Airborne Division veteran.
After an education in mathematics, a 17 year career in manufacturing engineering and a 22 year career in software engineering, he has started a career as an author. Richard writes novels about people trying to find their life-partner, soul-mate, the person they are meant to be with for life. His first two books, Meant to Be and The Couples, are available on his website and most online retailers.
Richard’s other interests range from mathematical analysis and photography to anything with an engine. His current projects include writing the third (Finding Each Other) and fourth novels in the “Meant to Be” series, and discovering the properties of functions of p-adic numbers. Having completed a potting bench for his lifepartner, Carolynn, he is busy driving her to watch salmon runs, visit National Parks, and anywhere that provides an opportunity to view her avian friends.
His latest books in the Meant to Be Series are Meant to Be and The Couples.
You can visit Richard Alan’s website, VILLAGE DRUMMER FICTION at www.villagedrummerfiction.com.
ABOUT THE MEANT TO BE SERIES
When four years old Meyer and five years old Joan met in the children’s room of the local library, they had no idea the two of them would be spending a lifetime together. Their friendship took off slowly due to their age difference. Joan did not want to bother with someone who wasnot old enough to be entering kindergarten.They reconnected a few years later when Meyer’s family moved from Iowa to the Seattle area, where Joan’s family had moved the year before.
Joan and Meyer remain friends throughout their high school years until Meyer left for Viet Nam and Joan’s family experienced a tragedy that impacted Joan’s view of friends and family.
The interactions of three generations of friends and family helped them reconnect so that they couldcelebrate the good times and get through the difficult and tragic timesas loving partners.
“Interwoven into this engaging tale are the lives of various members of Meyer and Joan`s families, as well as some of their friends, that have likewise experienced this feeling of Bashert(meant to be) -something that none can exactly put their fingers on as to why it happens, but they just know that it must be some divine intervention influencing their fate.” Norm Goldman, Bookpleasure.com review.
Meant to Be is a new novel about relationships, love, and life, from author, Richard Alan.
Acclaimed author of Meant to Be, Richard Alan, once again enchants us with characters that we really want to know. You will laugh, cry, and love with them as you seek the answers to the relationship questions posed by this talented author.
Will a tough techy lady be able to find love with a man who is still mourning his deceased fiancée?
Will an intellectually snobbish genius learn that there is more to the truck mechanic than meets the eye?
Can a nerd and a party girl find happiness together?
Can a teenage boy musician get past his unrequited love to learn to love a ranch girl instead?
Will a troubled rape victim be able to have a normal relationship with a man?
The Couples is about people who may belong together and how the world around them helps them, or sometimes defeats them in their search for a life partner. It follows the lives of couples,their friends, and their support systems,as they explore their relationships.
The Couples is Richard Alan’s second novel in the “Meant to Be” series. It continues to explore relationships, love, and life.
Q: Welcome to Beyond the Books, Richard. Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?
I have two books published, Meant to Be and The Couples, books 1 and 2 of the “Meant to Be” series.
Q: When you were published for the first time, which route did you go – mainstream, small press, vanity published or self-published and why or how did you choose this route?
After a lot of research I decided to go the self-published route. I use CreateSpace for my print books and Smashwords for the eBooks.
Q: How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
It so exciting to see my book on various online book outlets. I felt such a sense of accomplishment, especially when people started buying it and providing reviews and feedback. My wife and I went out to a very nice restaurant to celebrate.
Q: What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?
The first thing I did was arrange a book signing at local bookstore. I used e-mail and Facebook to advertise and I provided a poster to the book store. They also had their own advertising.
Promoting has been a real struggle. I was naïve when I started writing. I thought that since I wrote a really great book, it would sell by word of mouth. Now, with the help of my wife, I have a Facebook page, I Twitter, write a blog, and belong to numerous groups of authors who help each other. I am doing a virtual book tour with “Pump Up Your Book” in March and I am participating in the Fourth Writers Platform-Building Campaign.
Q: Since you’ve been published, how have you grown as a writer and now a published author?
I have matured as a writer. I listen to my readers and my characters and I am maturing along with my characters.
Q: What has surprised or amazed you about the publishing industry as a whole?
I am surprised that the established publishing houses continue to make it very difficult for authors to become published. I’m amazed at the relative ease of self-publishing.
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being a published author?
I love the challenge of being creative, the solitude of writing, and the joy other people get from reading what I have written. It gives me great pleasure when a reader tells me he thinks of the people in my book as “members of his family.” One woman told me that she had “only found one other male author who writes women so well.” It gives me a sense of satisfaction that others enjoy what I write.
Q: Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
Do not try to edit your own manuscript. Have a group of beta readers critique your book before you have it published. Listen to the editors and beta readers. Start creating buzz about your book has to start long before the manuscript is even finished. Read blogs about writing. There is a wealth of information out there and many authors who are extremely supportive. Good luck and have fun.
As The Pages Turn 