photo by Blushing Cactus Photography
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Ryan B. Clark, and I am a writer. I write across a few different mediums. My first love is my fiction. I write mostly supernatural/ horror stories. I also write an online blog called Keep the Greasy Side Down online magazine. Mainly it focuses on local music and Arizona specific topics or people.
How did you get your start?
I wrote my first book, Grave Whispers, and placed it with a small publisher called Black Bed Sheet Books. I went to the Horrorfind Convention that year, and I learned a lot. After there was a falling out with that publisher, I shopped my ideas around a bit, but all too often I was told my ideas were too much of a niche market. I decided that I would have to do it on my own, if I really believed in my projects. Ghost Songs is now my fourth book.
What inspires you?
Motorcycles and Music. I mean a lot of things, but those two mainly. Music has always been a very special tool for me. I make playlists for characters, use music to set mood for certain chapters, and use that energy to write in different styles at times. When I need to clear my head… I hit the road, and try to keep the greasy side down. Spirits of Jerome was inspired by the legends of a special place. Ghost Songs was inspired by local music. The third Echoes of the Ancients has been inspired by the plethora of Native Tribes in Arizona and their fascinating mythologies.
What do you like about AZ?
I have spent my entire life in Arizona. I was born in Tucson. I graduated high school in San Manuel. I attended both the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. I taught high school in Pinetop, Arizona and I currently live in Mesa. I spent a few years in Kansas City in my early 20s, but otherwise, I have been here. I love Arizona. I can ride my motorcycle all year. The geography is spectacular. The ruggedness of its spaces, mountains to the pines…. the serenity of the Sonoran desert. Arizona is home. The only thing I don’t like is that too many other people like it. It is getting hard to enjoy the state I remember when I was young, just because there are so many more people.
Where can we see you(r) work?
My books are always for sale on Amazon. I also sell them from my website. I will have a Facebook store shortly. Spirits of Jerome is also carried in several stores up in Jerome, but this fall I will be doing a hue marketing push to land my books in more small, private, independent book stores in Arizona.
What is your mantra?
Keep the Greasy Side Down. It is a biker phrase, or its opposite… keep the shiny side up…. but for me, it became a metaphor. Writing keeps me rooted. Music makes my world more beautiful. All of these things help me keep my greasy side down….. help me improve…. help me shine more. In life….. I just try to keep the greasy side down…. and keep rollin.
