Peter John Ravlich

My father is an avid reader, and my grandfather was a dramatic storyteller: there was no escape for me. I’ve been writing stories since at least age eight, when I remember submitting an action-adventure involving hidden doors, espionage and some rather colourful language for a homework assignment. The discovery that eight or nine pages of narrative trumped the couple of banned words in my teacher’s eyes was a powerful lesson, and I’m pleased to admit that my level of profanity has only increased since.

So I might have taken the wrong moral from that experience, but my love of reading and writing has been a constant, and I crave that moment when a word or a phrase trips some uncharted neurological circuit and delivers a moment of epiphany or emotion. Poetry and flash fiction offered a compact, easily managed channel for this addiction, before my wife arranged an intervention:

“You’re a better writer than you are a consultant, and I’m not big on poetry,” I misquoted. “Would you like to do a Stephen King, and take some time off to focus on some longer projects?”

My answer was evident – if daunting – and scaling down my communication business has allowed me to apply a more serious, structured approach to my writing, and has been an immeasurable gift. In the past year, I’ve published a quirky dark comedy and the first two parts of an urban fantasy serial, and have several other projects in the works. I’ve also been a prizewinning finalist in the Hugh Howey Booktrack Fan Fiction Competition, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have people read and enjoy my work.

Website: http://www.inklings.co.nz
Twitter: @PeterRavlich
Facebook: Facebook profile
LinkedIn: http://nz.linkedin.com/in/peterravlich/
Blog: http://www.inklings.co.nz

http://www.inklings.co.nz