Introducing The Valleys in Between

Reflections on life and writing from an island in the Salish Sea.

Dear Friend:

It’s cold here this morning but the ice has yet to seize the fountain outside my window. A river otter and two raccoons were in and out of it this morning.

It’s been some time since I’ve published a novel, and there are several reasons for that. I’ve been a busy carpenter here at this old island house where I escaped several years ago to write. A landscaper, too. And a keeper of the forest and its owls and rabbits and toads. I’m also the proud adopted father of an elderly Maine Coon cat and an ever-growing mob of black-tailed deer. But I have been writing. And now it’s time to try something new.

Welcome to my Substack publication. Here I’ll share my experiences of writing life on the island. I’ll also be publishing new work in serialized form, emailed directly to you. I’m hoping to send out one full chapter a week or so, to paid subscribers, beginning early next year. In short, you’ll get the opportunity to read a new novel as it’s finished, before it’s published and offered to the public for sale. I’m grateful that you’re here, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

And now I’m off to stoke the fire and disappear into a tub of good morning oatmeal.

Signed,

Your Friend Ryan.

An audio recording of this essay can be found here:

Audio: Introducing The Valleys in Between