Ryan Southwick, Author

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Crossover Character Interview: Charon

Zima and Cappa from The Z-Tech Chronicles interview Charon from Dragon Assassin Like most interviews, this one went in a completely different direction than I imagined. I'm only glad the two assassins didn't end up killing each other, although they might have if Cappa hadn'

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Lost Colonies Compendium

A companion guide for the Lost Colonies science fantasy space opera series that will grow as the story expands. Includes a galaxy map, timeline, colony information, and additional reading.

Blog

2023 in review, 2024... 3... 2... 1... blastoff!

Didn't quite hit my goals for the year, but 2024 looks to be packed. Thoughts on retirement, switching genres to sci fi, marketing experiments, and the year ahead.

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December 99¢ sale

All titles on sale for $0.99 (USD) through Dec 31, 2023.

Newsletter

Explore the Lost Colonies

Holiday plans. Armenians in spaaaace! December book sale. An in-depth look at the worlds of the Lost Colonies, including a galaxy map.

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Project Xerxes - Writing Wonders Aug 2023

Writing Wonders centered on Project Xerxes. Learn about Emra, Niz, planet Galileo, my philosophy on killing characters, and more.

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Project Xerxes Cover Reveal

Cover reveal for Project Xerxes. A bit about the story and why the cover fits.

Newsletter

Stunning New Sci Fi Cover - Project Xerxes

The new cover for Project Xerxes is here! A delve into the cover making process. A treatise on why Britta and other protagonists in fiction must suffer.

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Book Review: Wool

A post-apocalyptic exploration of humanity in an extended pressure cooker. While I disagreed with some of the premise and struggled with a few mechanics, I enjoyed Wool enough to recommend it.

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Effective Small Caps in Scrivener 3

Small caps are commonly seen in both printed and electronic books to represent signs or other messages that italics or quotes don’t quite cover, so there must be an easy, supported way to set them up in Scrivener so they export properly to PDF, ePub, and mobi formats. Right?

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First vs Third Person - A Perspective

50th birthday. WIP updates. A philosophical perspective on first vs third person perspective in fiction gleamed from video games. The worst opening sentences to books "never written" for 2023. Oh, the humanity.

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Book Review: Red Rising

Red Rising has been recommended to me by everyone, everywhere (all at once) for so long that I must be the last sci fi lover on the planet to have read it. But in case I'm not, here's a review to convince you why you should drop everything and read it right now.

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Project Xerxes Preview and Lots of Starfield

A sneak preview of the upcoming science fiction novella Project Xerxes (Lost Colonies Book 0). Starfield. Oooohhh, Starfield. SPSFC3. Food. A special auction for a special person. Red Rising, Wool, and more!

Newsletter

A Brand New Denver and Top Coach Award

New Denver hits the shelves! Also a glimpse into the making of the Timeless Keeper Saga, and a review of A Tale of Valor from up-and-coming author Linda Scott.

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Timeless Keeper - Writing Wonders July 2023

Thought-provoking Q&A about the Timeless Keeper Saga and writing in general.

Newsletter

Dystopian vs Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

An update on BayCon 2023, New Denver is available for pre-order, and a the nuances between Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic books that you may not know.

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Holtondome sold out at BayCon 2023

Yeah, those two stacks of paperbacks on the left side of the table? Those were Holtondome and New Denver, and they were gone by the end of Day 3! Fortunately I had 2 more paperbacks of New Denver in stock, but I ended up selling a few Holtondome hardcovers for

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Book Review: Gideon the Ninth

Gideon was so good that it threw me into a book coma and has made me question my skills as an author, and I mean those in the best possible ways.

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Z-Tech Chronicles - Writing Wonders June 2023

My collected answers for Writing Wonders, June 2023, which in honor of Pride Month focuses on The Z-Tech Chronicles.

Newsletter

New Denver - Cover Reveal

Cover reveal for New Denver (Timeless Keeper Saga Book 2) coming this August! A few words on the inspiration behind the artwork.

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Stop me if you've heard this one. Two assassins walk into a bar...

A Crossover Character Interview between Zima and Charon, two assassins who may be a little to similar for their own health. Also book reviews, BayCon, book lists, and more!

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Enigma - Writing Wonders May 2023

My collected answers for Writing Wonders, May 2023, which focuses on Enigma (Lost Colonies Book 1), releasing later this year.

Newsletter

Sci Flowers for Mother's Day

A flower-filled Mother's Day edition, containing a scenic excerpt from Angels Fall, more bookish events, a Rhythm of War review (finally!), and more.

Book Review

Book Review: Rhythm of War

An amazing sequel that took me 2+ years to finish because it has all the excitement—and the long buildup—of 4 books combined.

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Exclusive Sci Fi Interview: Three Characters, Two Worlds, One Witty Conversation

A whimsical character interview between Cappa and Dela from The Z-Tech Chronicles, and Britta Silverstar from the Lost Colonies series.