Location: United States
Member Since:
July 30, 2012
Ryan Elson
Biography
It's widely known that you have to be a little bit crazy in order to think you can make a living as an author. For this reason, it's a wonder that it took Ryan so long to get there in the first place.
Ryan was born during one of the most brutally cold Januaries that Chicago has ever seen. Perhaps that should have been an indication that he was bound for great things. Okay, maybe not, but it is an interesting aside.
It all started when Ryan was two years old. At that time, he loved nothing more than to take several large puzzles, mix the pieces from all of them together, and then set to work solving each one (well, he may have loved eating eggs more than puzzles). In elementary school, he wrote a self-illustrated children's book called "The Revenge of the Porcu," an epic (and slightly unusual) tale about how the passenger pigeon went extinct and the porcupine got its quills.
A long dry period commenced during which Ryan graduated from high school and then Iowa State before starting down a typical career path (i.e., working until he died). Along the way, he picked up a love of camping, hiking, and prettymuch anything in the outdoors.
His job as electrical engineer at a cement plant took him to California. But with the collapse of the economy came the closure of the plant, and Ryan had to find other work. He found employment with a defense contractor, where he worked for almost two years, even though he never enjoyed the job.
One day, Ryan put in his two weeks notice with his boss. It was time to do something new. Reenter writing. After trying his hand at science fiction, Ryan decided that travel writing came more naturally to him. So when his youngest sister announced her engagement, Ryan planned a road trip which would become the basis for his first book, "Don't Step on the Dirt."
Ryan currently lives in Nevada and has several books in progress in various genres.
Ryan was born during one of the most brutally cold Januaries that Chicago has ever seen. Perhaps that should have been an indication that he was bound for great things. Okay, maybe not, but it is an interesting aside.
It all started when Ryan was two years old. At that time, he loved nothing more than to take several large puzzles, mix the pieces from all of them together, and then set to work solving each one (well, he may have loved eating eggs more than puzzles). In elementary school, he wrote a self-illustrated children's book called "The Revenge of the Porcu," an epic (and slightly unusual) tale about how the passenger pigeon went extinct and the porcupine got its quills.
A long dry period commenced during which Ryan graduated from high school and then Iowa State before starting down a typical career path (i.e., working until he died). Along the way, he picked up a love of camping, hiking, and prettymuch anything in the outdoors.
His job as electrical engineer at a cement plant took him to California. But with the collapse of the economy came the closure of the plant, and Ryan had to find other work. He found employment with a defense contractor, where he worked for almost two years, even though he never enjoyed the job.
One day, Ryan put in his two weeks notice with his boss. It was time to do something new. Reenter writing. After trying his hand at science fiction, Ryan decided that travel writing came more naturally to him. So when his youngest sister announced her engagement, Ryan planned a road trip which would become the basis for his first book, "Don't Step on the Dirt."
Ryan currently lives in Nevada and has several books in progress in various genres.
Where to find Ryan Elson online
Website: http://www.ryan-elson.com
Twitter: @AuthorRyanElson
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://ryanelson.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @AuthorRyanElson
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://ryanelson.wordpress.com/
Books
Don't Step on the Dirt
by Ryan Elson
Price:
$7.99 USD.
Words: 100,090.
Language:
English.
Published: November 2, 2012
.
Categories:
Nonfiction » Travel » Essays & Travelogues, Nonfiction » Travel » National Parks
When his sister announces she’s getting married in Indiana, Ryan, already unemployed, packs up his trusty car Clyde to make the journey. Never forgetting to tell the roadside cows his final destination, Ryan camps his way across the American West. Chocked full of hilarious anecdotes and amusing historical tales, Don't Step on the Dirt will change the way you take your next road trip.