Ria Stone

Biography

Other Info:

Ria.stonemail@gmail.com

Gina's Dream Audiobook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ginas-dream-ria-stone/1117351920

As a mature U.S. Expat living in Mexico, I have found time to write and appreciate life.

Also, as an avid reader, and former typesetter with journalistic training, my vocation now is writer, author and publisher. Dorothy Sayers gets a lot of credit for my transformation. I so enjoyed her works, I decided to try my hand at writing a novel. It has been a wonderful adventure and excellent education.

With a wide range of reading interests, I lean towards mysteries, science-fiction, and non-fiction subjects like astronomy, geography, science and history for starters.

I enjoy the community of writers. I have known and meet many wonderful writers over the last 30 years and continue to meet more.

p.s. My author photo was taken at the Book Launch Party for Gina's Dream on the Day of the Dead holiday in Mexico, hence the skeleton.

Smashwords Interview

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in suburbia in Silver Springs, Maryland.

Actually, I credit my mom for my interest in writing. She recognized early on that I loved to read and encouraged me. Getting my library card was a highlight. I read voraciously as a child. Mom would tease me and tell others to look behind the chairs or curtains to find me reading a book.

My 6th grade teacher, Mr. Marsh, encouraged the class to create a magazine. I wrote my first story for that magazine. All I remember about the story is that it was about a mysterious occurrence in the dog house in the back yard at night.

As I grew older, I found suburbia a bit dull, so I let my imagination entertain me. I wrote another story at 18, complete with outline and character biographies. It was a work in progress. Somewhere in my many moves, I lost that early novel. But, most of my stories reflect the fundamental conflicts of that first novel -- the role of women in society, what is love and what is its cost in terms of concessions, how do we change in a relationship, the role status and money play in who we marry, and is our society healthy, to ourselves and our planet?
Who are your favorite authors?
I am an avid reader. While I have read tons of books, I seem to settle on mysteries, science fiction, science and history.

I have read Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew series, LInda Barnes, Nevada Barr, Lilian J. Braun, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Wilkie Collins, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Linda Fairstein, Dashiell Hammett, Jonathan Kellerman, Harry Kemelman, John D. MacDonald, Marcia Muller, Barbara Neely, Sara Paretsky, Robert B. Parker, and many more.

But, five authors stand out for me: Mary Stewart, Doris Miles Disney, Dick Francis, Janet Evanovich, and Dorothy L. Sayers

My teenage reading passion was Mary Stewart's novels like "My Brother Michael." Her heroines innocently got into trouble and had to think their way out of the problem with the help of a hero. In addition, she wove in history, geology, and poetry into her stories.

I loved the setting, characters and the surprise ending of Doris Miles Disney's "Who Rides a Tiger."

Dick Francis' economy of style appeals to me. He says so much in so few words. Janet Evanovich was the first author who made me laugh out loud at her characters and their predicaments. But, it was Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Whimsey series that spurred me to write. I loved how she structured her novels, how she wrote her sentences, each word had a role, a place, and an impact into how the story was built. I went back to college because of Ms. Sayers.

I used to consume science fiction novels by authors like: Isaac Asmiov, Douglas Adams, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ray Bradbury, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Octavia E. Butler, Orson Scott Card, Jack L. Chalker, Arthur C. Clarke, Harlan Ellison, Philip José Farmer, Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Aldous Huxley, Judith Merril, Robert Silverberg, and many more. But, Spider Robinson is my favorite, especially, his works "Time Travelers Strictly Cash" and "Star Dance."
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Ria Stone online

Books

Budget Guest Accommodations Opportunities Marketing Report: Merida, Mexico
Price: $3.50 USD. Words: 9,940. Language: American English. Published: November 1, 2016 . Categories: Nonfiction » Business & Economics » Marketing, Nonfiction » Travel » Budget
The Budget Guest Accommodations Opportunities Marketing Report is for current and future owners of budget guest accommodations. Because many businesses start and fail, what can a BGA owner or future owner do to help the business succeed? This report offers low-cost market analysis; suggested marketing ideas and samples; and more to help your business succeed. Take a peek, what will work for you?
Mocktails
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 4,680. Language: American English. Published: September 16, 2015 . Categories: Nonfiction » Cooking, Food, Wine, Spirits » Beverages - Non-Alcoholic
Note: 2nd Edition Mocktails are drinks that resemble popular cocktails like a: Bloody Mary, Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Piña Colada, Tequila Sunrise, and more, except there's no alcohol in a Mocktail. Many of these recipes are frugal & don't require fancy equipment or exotic ingredients. Enjoy making over 15 Mocktail recipes in this ebook, like a: Cosmopolite, Juanita, Mock Champagne and more.
Recipes from the Kitchen of a Frugal Non-Cook
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 5,380. Language: English. Published: December 16, 2013 . Categories: Nonfiction » Cooking, Food, Wine, Spirits » Methods / Quick & Easy, Essay » Author profile
(4.67 from 3 reviews)
This collection of easy recipes is for non-cooks who feel like an alien in the kitchen. Recipes from RKFNC provide ideas for a variety of sandwiches from PB&J to Dagwood Sandwiches, and simple recipes like: Tomato Salad and Coleslaw. One basic spaghetti recipe suggests a variety of toppings. Other recipes include Two Bean Corn Chili and Skillet dishes.Try Ria Stone's Microwave Small Dish Cake!
Gina's Dream 1st edition English eBook
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 23,180. Language: English. Published: October 29, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias, Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General
What would you do if you met an alien? Gina's Dream is the story of a romance caught in the web of time that will change the future of two worlds. Kit Brennan, Assistant Director of Science Exploration Through Astronomy (SETA), falls in love with Gina Hobart who claims to be an alien. Their futures hang in a delicate balance as Kit questions whether she is real or crazy. Bonus: My First Editor.

Smashwords book reviews by Ria Stone

  • Some Wore Blue & Some Wore Gray on July 07, 2013

    Before I begin, I must say that all the various eBook sources -- iBooks, Amazon, Smashwords, Project Gutenberg and more and the various technologies to read them can be confusing. "Some Wore Blue & Some Wore Gray" by Heather Graham was free and it was a treat to read. I appreciated the author's balanced approach and light conversational tone as she provided personal biographies of many of the luminaries of the Civil War. Many I recognized like Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, and Jefferson Davis. Graham also included the personal histories of various civil war figures such as Varina Davis, Jefferson Davis's wife, Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, and more. She also illustrated the book with wonderful black and white photos. I found George Armstrong Custer's photo interesting in light of his biography. Custer is considered one of the most photographed figures of the Civil War. As an amateur historian, Graham provided a fresh perspective. She balances the failures and successes of these pivotal historical figures with charm. After revisiting these stories, there was one story I had forgotten. It was that former President Ulysses Grant finished writing his biography on his death bed. The profits from the sales of his biography kept his wife, Julia Dent Grant, from a life of poverty. A surprising addition to the book was a biography of Scarlett O'Hara, the heroine from the novel "Gone with the Wind." O'Hara's biography includes historical notes on "Gone with the Wind's author, Margaret Mitchell.
  • Type Away Writer's Block: iPad Edition on Nov. 04, 2013
    (no rating)
    Plagued with bouts of writer’s block, author, Jodie Nelson offers insight into her remedies for overcoming writer’s block based on personal experience and research. Nelson’s approach is to provide one remedy a day over 15 days. She starts with Free writing or what I know as spontaneous writing. Free writing can be very interesting because you just sit down and start writing on any topic or thought you come up with for one minute. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar or brilliant sentence construction, just write. Nelson suggests creating a file for these writing exercises. Other chapters focus on self-confidence, fear, your inner critic, procrastination, inspiration, outlining, motivation and more. At the end of each chapter, the author recommends another free writing session for a longer period of time. In Nelson’s short chapters, she captures the essence of her ideas like how to deal with your inner critic. One good idea in her Inner Critic chapter is to look at what your inner critic is saying. Is your critic being helpful or overly harsh? Look at the helpful comments and get rid of the rest. Midway through the book, Nelson talks about Flash Fiction. She uses Flash Fiction as a means to get the writer to begin writing a story with all the basic story elements but in an abbreviated form. Flash Fiction is today’s new short story. According to Nelson, Flash Fiction is a story with 1000 words or less. Writing Flash Fiction can be good practice for writing longer stories. Throughout her book, Nelson offers references to books, software programs, and other websites for further information on various topics she discusses. I found Nelson’s chapters on Ideas and Quotations helpful. I can alway use more ideas on where to get story ideas and I appreciate pithy quotations like “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” -- Lao Tzu.
  • Venture Capital, one Mans Journey Toward Redemption In The Midst of Turmoil on Nov. 13, 2013

    I have mixed feelings about this "short story." I choose the book because it was set in India and the author had a unique perspective. While the author's writing style does keep the reader interested, I had missed the fact that this was a short story with only about 5,000 words. I had been expecting a longer story. The story is itself is more like a dream in the mind of the lead character. While I enjoyed the author's bio, notes and prologue and even the story, I felt the price is too high for a short story.
  • The Nightmare of Sara Farraday on Nov. 14, 2013

    The Nightmare of Sara Farraday is a fictionalized account based on true events. While the focus of the story is on domestic abuse, the spectrum of criminal behavior perpetrated on women and children was horrific. Few seem to escape domestic violence. It is in my family, so I had a personal interest in reading the story. The author, Annette Reid, has created a very emotional story. It is so full of terrible events, it made me dizzy. Rape, murder, physical and mental abuse, alcohol abuse, lying, wrongful incarceration, stalking, harassment, attempted murder, family secrets, verbal abuse, malicious rumor-mongering, incest, mental illness and more. Reid moves swiftly from one event to the next in Sara Farraday's life. While Sara supposedly found a better life, I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop and find Sara back in an abusive relationship. The simple statistic that 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence should scream "Our society needs to change." Plus, this is a global epidemic, women the world over suffer at the hands of men and women. I see potential in Reid's writing. Her style is clean and direct. One regret I had was I had hoped the author would have provided a resource page with links to domestic violence information and assistance websites.
  • COMFORT FOOD on Nov. 17, 2013

    Just as we classify readers into genres and types, we can do the same with cookbook readers. I am a noncook. Sadly, I can hardly boil water, so when a cookbook offers "easy" recipes, I am interested. I am intimidated by elaborate recipes. Elaborate to me is a recipe with more than 5 ingredients, unusual food items, and multiple preparation processes. Also, unfortunately, I only have a hotplate, microwave and a slow cooker, so appliance intensive recipes won't work for me, not even a blender. (But, there's hope, maybe I will get one for Christmas.) While I appreciate Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson's generous offer of a free book of 30 healthy comfort food recipes, I could not use many of them. I was intrigued by the Wheat Waffles. I wish there had been a suggested ingredient list rather than items written in text for the Monster Turkey Sandwich. But, I think I can do the Simple Shrimp Fra Diavolo (whatever that is), the Fresh Tomato Pasta, the Slow and the Cooker BBQ Beef Ribs. I may try the Pot Roast Madness but I find buying meat a trip to a foreign land. I might even try the Two-Ingredient Strawberry Jam that will be an adventure since the idea of canning is a bit scary.
  • A Cookbook by Ted on Nov. 19, 2013

    A Cookbook by Ted. Oh my goodness, I laughed out loud at this quote: No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office. ---Covert Bailey. I can’t pass up a free cookbook even though I am a non-cook. I can barely boil water, but I keep trying. Ted gets a lot of kudos from me. He lists the ingredients and writes the instructions in an easy-to-read format. Plus, Ted has included several humorous quotes. It is a short cookbook, but you can find recipes for stew, lots of pies, tarts, rice dishes and more. Because I only have a hot plate, a microwave and a slow cooker, these are the recipes I think I can manage: Curried shrimp, Three cheese rice, Mulligatawmy Stew, Stew and Dumplings, and The Spinach Salad Dressing and Spinach Salad. I also found a lot of useful information in the glossaries of herbs and spices and the tips on frozen chicken/turkey. I read cookbooks for more than the recipes. Sometimes you get some local history, humor, cooking tips, lovely mouth-watering pictures and an understanding of how to handle various food products and more. Ted Summerfield is an interesting and prolific author. Besides writing a multitude of puzzle books and more, he ran a bistro for several years in Canada where some of these recipes were used.
  • Rapid Recipes for Writers . . . And Other Busy People on Dec. 14, 2013

    Some of these recipes were forgotten favorites. After a quick read through, I plan to try: Spinach Surprise and Nest Eggs, and reexamine the cookbook for some of the others at a later date. I appreciate the simplicity of Ms. Wards instructions.
  • How to Bake: Baking Powder and Baking Soda on Dec. 14, 2013

    I appreciated Mr. Weaver's expert knowledge of the chemistry of baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and more. The pictures and recipes were lovely. I just wish I had an oven.
  • The Curse Of The Carnaval: Adie Sturm Mystery#3 on April 11, 2014

    At first, I thought Anastasia Amor was a good writer but my enthusiasm waned when I got tired of reading about various tongues in various body orifices with constant descriptions of electric shocks. I don't read a lot of romance novels but I just lost interest in the characters and their murky morals. I guess this story is a form of escapism except that the story is something I wanted to escape from.
  • Tales from Indies: Smashwords Forum Writers Anthology 2015 on Nov. 15, 2015

    Smashwords Forum Writers* is the publishers' name for the authors of the "Tales from Indies", Smashwords Forum Writers Anthology 2015. *The Smashwords Forum is an independent website not affiliated with Smashwords. Tales from Indies is the first anthology published by Smashwords Forum Writers (SWF). This collection of eleven pieces, with an international flavor, includes short stories, an essay, and chapters from completed works with themes ranging from science-fiction, fantasy, historical retelling, to paranormal romance. "Tales from Indies" writers are: Bret Allen, John Chapman, Shelia Chapman, Şerban Valentin Constantin Enache, Julie Harris, Kell Inkston, Alan James, Ian Kotze, Jennifer R. Povey, Ria Stone, and Bonnie Turner. Smashwords Forum is a forum for Smashwords authors founded by Ted Summerfield. It is free to join and offers lots of helpful information and support on how to self-publish on Smashwords and much more.
  • The Coracle: One Man in a Tub on Aug. 18, 2017

    I love well-constructed, researched, written and illustrated books and "The Coracle: One Man in a Tub" fits that description superbly. The book is part of a project "Fast Tracks to Heritage Craft" an effort to save lost crafts or tradecrafts. I swooned over the story as told through historical references to small skin boats found in Wales and around the world. In fact, I had not heard of the story of the possibility that Prince Madog, a Welshman, traveled to North America in a Coracle well before Columbus and landed in Alabama. The book is full of amazing stories and facts, and is full of great illustrations. I appreciated the depth of the research involved and also the lists of references. This book is not only interesting, it's fun.