January 24, 2026
Ron Fortier is a great man of many talents. He has a long history of writing novels, short stories, and comic books. As a publisher and editor of Airship 27 Production, he has over 300 titles in their catalogue. Fortier is a champion for literacy and writers.
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Ron Fortier. I was born 5th Nov 1946 and raised in small New Hampshire town called Somersworth. I attended Catholic parochial school and High School graduating in 1964. In 1965 I joined the U.S. Army and spent the last year, 67-68 in Vietnam. Coming home at the age of 21 and beginning career as a freelance writer a few years later. I currently live in Northern Colorado with my wife Valerie. We had five children and six grandchildren from them. All are adults now and we’re wondering when the first great-grandchild will show up.
What genres do you write and why?
I began by writing comic books and have been doing that successfully for almost sixty years no. Some thirty years ago I started writing short action/adventure pulp stories and novels which ultimately led to my starting Airship 27 Production, an independent New Pulp publisher along with my Art Director Rob Davis. As of today, there are over 300 titles in our catalog. Most of our books still available at Amazon.
What is your earliest memory of reading?
My Dad, a World War Two veteran, gave me a Kid Colt Outlaw comic book when I was five. I couldn’t read at the time but was mesmerized by the pictures. Eventually, as I continue to grow, Mom taught me the words in the captions and word balloons. I can truthfully say comics taught me to read. By the time I was ten, I was reading detective and science fiction paperbacks. That’s where I discovered Mickey Spillane and Edgar Rice Burroughs among so many other great writers.
When did you know you wanted to write? How did it happen?
Fascinated with comics, I began drawing my own by the time I was seven. Small, folded paper things with stick figures. My art was rudimentary. By the time I became a freshman in high school I clearly had the desire to work in comics. I soon realized I would never make it as an illustrator and so shifted my efforts to writing. Via God’s blessing, I had an amazing English teacher who recognized my rough talents and mentored me; encouraging me to pursue my dream and never give up. I owe so much to her.
What’s one of your favorite scenes in one of your books?
I’ve always loved it when heroes from various series meet. As a kid it was always a thrill to see Superman and Batman team up. Then of course you had Spiderman and the Human Torch over at Marvel. Once I began writing the new Captain Hazzard novels, I plotted such a team up in the fifth book, “Custer’s Ghost” wherein two classic, but little-known Golden Age pulp champions meet and decide to fight the villain together. The scene where Captain Hazzard and Jim Anthony Super Detective greet each other and shake hands was a rush for the little boy still alive in me.
What makes a good character? A bad one?
All characters need to be fully fleshed out on paper. It’s one thing to know your characters in your head, but you have to make them known to your readers. That means giving depth, true feelings and motivations. To me bad character is a cut-out cardboard, an exaggerated figure with no real grounding or believability.
Now if we’re talking good guys and bad guys, well that’s another matter. I’m old school. I believe heroes need to be strong defenders of truth and justice; always looking out for the innocent and vulnerable and willing to sacrifice themselves if need be for a noble cause. Wheras villains are the opposite, lacking any empathy or conscience, totally selfish and out for themselves, thinking it’s the world that owes them and possessing egos the size of the moon.
What moves the story for you?
Both action and character. It’s a delicate balance. Being a self-proclaimed writer of adventure stories, the last thing I want to do is give my readers a boring tale. The action has to move constantly but without detracting from those moments that allow us to peek into a character’s soul.
What is your favorite book and why?
Of the thousands of books I’ve read in my life, my all-time favorite remains Frank Herbert’s “Dune.” It’s one of the few books I’ve read several times over the years. I first encountered it at the age of sixteen and it blew me away. The world building involved awed me. As for my own works, that’s hard. They are all my creative children. Perhaps the one I point folks to most of the time is my alternate world graphic novel “The Boston Bombers” which I wrote for the late Caliber Press. I’m currently writing the sequel to it, i.e. Vol 2, after almost thirty years.
What do you want to say to your audience?
Thank you. Without you I would never have been able to have this amazing, wonderful, beautiful and crazy career. I wish I could hug each and every one of you. Come see me at one of my convention and I’ll do just that.
What advice do you have for new writers?
Don’t ever quit. The only difference between those who succeeded and those who failed is this; the losers quit.
Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Only want to repeat my thanks and urge my fans to keep an eye out for the new comic series I’ve got in the works these days.
Website: www.airship27.com
Action Pulp! 