Richard Ewald

Biography

Richard Ewald grew up in the small towns of northern California, from central valley farming communities to the snowy outposts in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. He learned to drive a car on winding mountain roads when he was eight, began playing guitar at nine, and started programming computers at ten. In his early teens he fell in love with the fantasy stories of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. They inspired him to create his own worlds and tell his own stories. He began crafting a fantasy world in junior high, and even wrote out the beginning of a novel, which he eventually completed after college. The other big influences in his childhood were endless video games at the local arcades and television sitcom reruns.

Richard spent most of his early adult life in the Silicon Valley and the San Francisco and Monterey bay areas. He studied Classical Greek and software engineering in college and grad school, and he got married and started a career in the tech industry. He squeezed some writing time in occasionally, but did not make it a priority. During this period, he began quite a few books, and finished a handful. He had become a life-long fan of Stephen King in college, and he spent a lot of time learning from the master, especially King's book On Writing, a great book for all aspiring writers.

When his long-awaited daughter finally arrived, Richard was ecstatic and suddenly very busy. He took a long break from actively writing, but he continued his lifelong habit of creating worlds and peopling them with characters that would grow to take on a life of their own. He finally left California and moved across the country to Atlanta. The "South" was like a foreign country to him, but he quickly grew to love it. The land of sweet tea, peaches, and Palmetto bugs has an undeniable charm all its own, but deep down inside he'll probably always be a Californian.

Smashwords Interview

Who are your favorite authors?
Stephen King, Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Robert Heinlein, Piers Anthony, H. G. Wells, Charles Dickens, many many others.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I love life. Everything about it. Inspiration is everywhere. Also coffee. And having to get my daughter to school on time.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Richard Ewald online

Books

Sierra Girls
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 102,500. Language: English. Published: October 14, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Psychological thriller
Follow Gabriel Quinn as he hunts down the serial rapist who kidnapped his daughter. When Michelle disappears from her quiet neighborhood, the police find no evidence and seem to give up immediately. Her father believes Michelle is still alive, but he knows that her time is short. As her dad searches for her, Michelle seeks an escape from the broken down house in the mountains where she is trapped.