An Interview with Jon Ring: Author of Stained Echoes

Jon Ring lives in Helena, Montana, with his wife Honey, and his three sons, Jack, Henry, and Wyatt. He is the owner of the White Knight Games & Hobbies with his brother Joel Ring and can be found regularly there even in his off time, rolling dice and recreating historical battles with miniature armies. And he reads, a lot.

Tell us about your book.

Stained Echoes: Tales of the Mysterious and the Macabre is a collection of thirteen stories, comprised of horror, suspense, and strange fiction. It is a loose follow-up to my first book, The Dreadful Call and Other Stories of the Supernatural and Suspense.

Why did you want to write a book?

I started publishing my work a bit later in life. I suppose I was too busy doing other things to do it earlier, even though it was something I wanted to do as far back as I can remember. When my father died it put things a bit differently in perspective. I saw that he had planned to do a great many things, and now none of those would come to pass. Bit of a motivator, I suppose.

What do you think are the main pitfalls for indie writers?

Never finishing or making the time. If you want to write you need to make time to do it, plain and simple. You must drive yourself constantly to stay on task. Life will always be complicated, and will only get more so over the years. You will never have an excess of time someday to write suddenly. That’s not how it works.

As a writer, what is your schedule? How do you get the job done?

I write at night. Between managing my business and being a husband and a father of three, the only time I have available to write is generally shortly before bedtime. I try write every night.

Tell us about the genre you wrote in, and why you chose to write this sort of book.

I don’t think a writer gets to pick their genre. It chooses them. I just wouldn’t be able to write anything else than macabre or weird fiction.

Who are your biggest writing inspirations and why?

H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and Basil Copper. All three write with great description, fluid prose, and boundless originality. If I could do so half as well I would be pleased.

How do your friends and family get involved with your writing? What do they think of your book?

They are all a tremendous help. I bounce ideas off them, and generally they are the first to see the rough drafts of my stories. One of the greatest things I can hear from them is that even though my genre is not in their general interest they can still appreciate the nuances of the story. However, my wife and mother do wonder why I have to write about such terrible things. 🙂

What are your plans now your book is published?

Promote the current books I have out, and continuing writing, of course.

Why did you write about this particular subject?

The supernatural and death is, however morbid, a very fascinating subject to explore. In a way, it is the final frontier. Mankind has explored nearly the entire planet, and with the aid of telescopes and other technology, and has a good idea of what lies beyond as well. But no one knows truly what happens when you die. Are you a ghost? Do you go to heaven or hell? Do you just vanish from existence? What is the point of it all? Writing and conjecturing about death helps me understand life better.

What’s next for you as an author?

I am currently working on a third volume of stories. It should be out sometime next year.