Ryan Aldred has been writing – in one form or another – for close to twenty years. He finished his first novel while still in high school, a work that was never published and has long been buried in the darkest corner of his sock drawer. His first piece – a story regarding his trip to Indonesia – was picked up by Lonely Planet when he was fifteen years old.
While studying at Queen’s University, Ryan wrote for the campus humour paper ‘Golden Words’ and served as the paper’s Senior Staff Writer and Operations Manager. There he had the privilege to work alongside some hugely talented writers, including Neil Pasricha (The Book of Awesome), Jay Pinkerton (Cracked, Portal 2), Elan Mastai (All Our Wrong Todays) and many others. Ryan also created the annual Golden Words Science Fair, known by its motto: “The Way Grade Five Should Have Been – Held in a Bar, With Cash Prizes”.
When Ryan completed university, he moved on to writing reports for the Public Service and, later, articles and grant applications for the Canadian International Learning Foundation. During this time, he received a Commander’s Commendation for his work with the Canadian Forces Reserve and a letter of recognition from the Prime Minister of Canada from his role in advancing education for the women of Kandahar.
Ryan never gave up his dream of becoming an author. He tried both travel writing and financial blogging, though neither was a good fit. Years later, the premise for the Bar on a Beach Mysteries came to him, and the characters Ben, Miguel and Victoria refused to leave him alone until he told their story. Rum Luck is the first installment of the series, and was a finalist for the 2015 Unhanged Arthur Award from Crime Writers of Canada.
‘Rum Luck’ was published by Five Star Publishing (an imprint of Gale / Cengage Learning) in June 2016, and is available from most major retailers.
