Christopher Ryan has always been a storyteller. Whether "ranking" on friends as a teen, covering street crime and dirty politics in The Bronx as an award-winning reporter, or teaching High School English, he serves the story above all else.
I recently chatted with Chris about his time as a journalist during New York City’s violent crack epidemic, his desire to become a police officer, and the decision that led him into the classroom and ultimately to his first published novel, City of Woe. Along the way we talk about his gumption as a high school student to call Marvel Comics and interview Stan Lee and how all of his experiences on the streets of New York City influence his writing.
If there’s one thing I learned during this interview it’s that Christopher Ryan seeks to combine all of his loves to tell tales that question justice, faith, and the nature of good and evil.
More conversations
From Newsroom to Novelist
Former Wall Street Journal deputy editor-in-chief Neal Lipschutz on turning to fiction full-time after retirement, being edited after decades as an editor, and his new Scott Morgan suspense novel, Long Arm of the Past.
Listen →
The Answer 500 Authors Keep Giving
For the 500th episode, Mike Carlon turns the mic on himself: where writing careers begin, why there are no overnight successes, grief, and the 3 a.m. download that became The Waiting Room.
Listen →
Bouncing Back
Ellen Holtzman on her award-winning debut Bouncing Back, teaching herself to write, why you can't tell the story while you're still in the wound, and how women lose and find themselves in marriage and divorce.
Listen →