Action Pulp!

By Adam Messer

“Go live first. Get some scars. Endure heartbreak. Lose a job. Get lost in a strange city or country.”

Dr. Ron Thomas Jr writes action adventure, science fiction, and sword and sorcery fiction.

Please introduce yourself.

Officially, Dr Ron Thomas Jr but on social media I am DrRonThomasJr on pretty much any platform. Building the brand!

What genres do you write and why?

It’s two-fold. After a bit of fiction and some poetry, I spent a long time doing non-fiction magazine work and academic publications. Nice to get paid! For the past few years, I have dug into my fiction more and done sword-and-sorcery, science fiction, and even a tongue-in-cheek superhero story. My main work, though, is in action-adventure series fiction.

What is your earliest memory of reading?

I vaguely recall my parents telling me that I read to the old blind man at the end of the street from the King James Bible at about 3 years of age. It must be true because I still have the Morgan silver dollar he gave me! The first thing I recall having of “my own” was a Blue Beetle comic book and a stamp book full of animals. Thereafter, I could manage long car trips with a grocery bag full of comics, sports digests, and some paperbacks (Ray Bradbury, Doc Savage, Perry Rhodan, and The Executioner).

When did you know you wanted to write? How did it happen?

Again, in childhood, I made my own comics and sports magazines which my relatives had to endure. By college, I was active in student journalism, quickly got hired by a daily newspaper and the rest is barely history.

What’s one of your favorite scenes in one of your books?

Not to be gross about it but, after the lead character’s first kill, the escape is delayed by him having to stop and vomit. It is a messy business for the uninitiated.

What makes a good character? A bad one?

A little good in the worst of us and a little bad in the best of us. A well-crafted character is one where you can tell who is speaking before you get to the attribution. If they are not distinguishable, then they are just a bunch of NPCs to be moved around.

What moves the story for you?

There must be a decision point. Captain Kirk must choose: Put history back on its correct course or save the woman he loves. Joseph Campbell’s description of the hero’s journey is an important template to me as is Lester Dent’s pulp novel format. Taken together, you can get the action and the development of the lead character.

What is your favorite book and why?

I immediately think of The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Any book that features a self-assured, principled character. Continuing characters are always of interest to me to see how they develop so Ellery Queen, Nero Wolfe, and even Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter. Because I have taught it so many times, I give a nod to The Great Gatsby as being a novel that gets a lot done in only nine chapters. Spoiler: Gatsby is not a continuing character!

What do you want to say to your audience?

I hope I don’t have to say anything and that the work speaks for itself. However, as a marketing invitation, readers looking for authentic and realistic suspense and action, without double-digit body counts or fantastic gadgets ought to check out The Deadly Genesis File.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Go live first. Get some scars. Endure heartbreak. Lose a job. Get lost in a strange city or country.

Do you have anything else you would like to add?

It is a shame that the old Waldenbooks paperback days are over. Sure, ebooks are okay (and you can find me at Amazon.com) but there was something nice about a book in your back pocket that you could get out at lunch.

Website: DelphicInstitute.org (This is the fictional … or is it? … website for my whole series with free samples from the first two novels and a bridging short story. You can get a feel for this whole new universe,)

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