in god's country

Rylan is an amazing wife, artist, model, and author.  These are just a few of her many beautiful qualities.  She has already self-published her first book, and is working on a few others, all while creating her Love Letters and managing her daily life.  I recently interviewed her about being an author and what it means to her.

Ottosen Photography: When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer?

Rylan: When I was in the Eighth Grade.

Ottosen Photography: What made you decide that you wanted to be a writer, what prompted that dream?

Rylan: Because I have a lot of creative thoughts.

Ottosen Photography: How long does it take you to write a book?

Rylan: It depends on the passion.

Ottosen Photography: Like the subject, or the passion of that day's writing?

Rylan: It's a creative process that once you know it's finalized, then it's done.  So, it could take a year, it could take two years, it just depends on the creative process being final.

Ottosen Photography: What is your work schedule like when you are writing, how often do you write each day when you are writing a book?

Rylan: Maybe a few times a week.

Ottosen Photography: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk, what do you think you do differently from other writers?

Rylan: I'm eccentric and dramatic.

Ottosen Photography: How so?

Rylan: Eccentric because I don't think like other people, I go through the back door.  I like to think outside the box.

Ottosen Photography: Is your writing more writing, or more art?

Rylan: It's both.

Ottosen Photography: For your books, where do you get your information and ideas from?

Rylan: My heart and God.

Ottosen Photography: What is God's inspiration as far as ideas or inspiration for your books?

Rylan: To help people.

Ottosen Photography: When did you write your first book, and how old were you?

Rylan: It was a couple of years ago, I was 39.

Ottosen Photography: What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Rylan: I like being dramatic and creative. 

Ottosen Photography: Outside of writing, what are your hobbies and interests?

Rylan: I love movies, I love singing, I love music.

Ottosen Photography: Do you play any instruments?

Rylan: I play the harmonica.

Ottosen Photography: Do you want to play any other instruments?

Rylan: I want to start playing the guitar.

Ottosen Photography: What does your family think of your writing?

Rylan: They think that it is very thoughtful and innocent.

Ottosen Photography: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your first book?

Rylan: It's a lot of work!  There's a lot of thought and emotion.  You have to make sure that you say exactly what you want to say, and making sure that you are helping people.  It's a lot of work, you think that you can do it in a week, and that's just not how the creative process goes.

Ottosen Photography: You've had one book published, how many other books have you started?

Rylan: Two or three.

Ottosen Photography: How many of those are complete?

Rylan: One is complete.

Ottosen Photography: Which one, so far, in the creative process of writing those two or three books, is your favorite?

Rylan: The Moon book is probably my favorite.

Ottosen Photography: Which is the next one, correct?

Rylan: Yes, the next one.

Ottosen Photography: Do you have any suggestions as to what other people can do to become a better writer?  And if so, what are they?

Rylan: It's a difficult question to answer, because some people are more creative while others are more analytical.  If you're going to do something there needs to be a certain amount of direction.  So, whether it's direction from you heart, or direction from something you're interested in.  Some people aren't necessarily writing from their heart, some people don't think that way.  You just have to have a direction.  You have to know where it is going to go and how it is going to impact people.

Ottosen Photography: If you had a preference would you create books for adults or for children?

Rylan: I like both, because the books that I write are for children and for adults.  At first I wanted to do only children's books, but I realized that not only children need to be able to be inspired by books.

Ottosen Photography: What do you think makes a great story?

Rylan: That you can help people, that you change people through self-help.

Ottosen Photography: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Rylan: I wanted to be a motorcycle mechanic.  I really love motorcycles and I love working with my hands.  When I was young I couldn't draw and I couldn't write very well, my dad was my influence on motorcycles.

I would like to thank Rylan for taking the time to sit down with me and answering my questions.  If you would like to know more about Rylan and all that she is doing, please take a moment to visit her website King of Hearts.