Memoir Author Trish Ryan ~ Interviewed

TRISH RYAN lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband, Steve, and their genetically improbable mixed-breed dog. You can contact Trish through her website.

Share a bit about your writing journey:

I learned that I could write in high school. I was failing math, largely because I was so distracted by the scent of Mennen Speed Stick (the best smelling male deodorant in the world, in my opinion) wafting from the boy sitting in front of me. I wrote an essay about this dilemma for my English class and received an A. That’s when I figured out that I could balance out my weak points by putting extra energy into the things I did well.

I forgot all of this in college and decided to become a lawyer, which makes very little sense for a girl who hates confrontation and accounting for her time. But my love of writing continued, and I kept notes during those unhappy years, some of which I drew on while writing my memoir.

What came first for you -- the platform or the book(s) and how did/do the two mesh?

The book came first. HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT is a memoir, which I could never have written if I hadn’t had a few crazy experiences early in life: working for a New York Times bestselling spiritual advice author, going into hiding after leaving an abusive husband, doing a complete change in my spiritual direction and leaving my New Age practices to follow Jesus. All that “story” had to happen before I could write it down.

Interestingly, though, the “platform” I have now is largely through my blog, which doesn’t deal directly with any of these issues. It’s more about connecting with other women, writing funny blurbs about the daily events of my life (my ongoing dream to become a professional baton twirler, my dog peeing on the bed when she saw me packing for a trip, my incredulous realization that our new Miss America can’t ride a bicycle…) I like this grassroots style of platform building. When you build on genuine connections, the whole thing feels more solid, somehow.

How would you sum up your platform, expertise or message?

If you’re exploring spirituality, give Jesus a try. He’s an interesting guy with some surprisingly helpful things to say. He fixed my broken love life, and really, I can’t recommend him highly enough.

How does your message or your book(s) meet a need that others do not?

I’m pretty sure I’m the only one suggesting that people explore Jesus as part of a broader spiritual search. When I was reading books on Feng Shui and Astrology, I’d have read about Jesus if there had been something about him on the bookstore shelves written in a language I could understand, that didn’t demand that I convert. I’m confident in Jesus’ ability to hold his own in the competition for our spiritual attention, so I just want to suggest that people invite him into the mix to see what he has to say.

What marketing have you done in the past that has been most effective and what are you hoping to try in the future?

My book comes out on April 30 (I’m writing this on the 21st) so we’ll see what turns out to be most effective. But my sense is that the time I’ve invested in my blog—both posting and visiting other bloggers to get to know them, too— has been well spent. It’s broadened my social circle in a way nothing else could, and connected me with people who care about the same things I do—finding a great relationship, figuring out faith, writing. It’s like a cocktail party filled with people who all want to have the same conversation. That conversation is what I write about, so it’s a great fit.

Any books or classes that you'd suggest to other writers?

Stephen King’s On Writing is a classic, particularly his comment that “the road to hell is paved with adverbs.”

What career would you pursue if you couldn't write or speak?

I’d love to be a song lyricist. I have no musical skills to speak of, but when I hear music, words come to me. Someday I hope to pair up with someone who composes songs and see if I can convey an entire message in just a few lines, rather than in chapters.