For readers meeting you for the first time, who is M. C. Ryder in your own words?
Recently, I viewed what META AI had to say about M. C. Ryder, ending with, “…an author to watch out for in the literary world.” M. C. Ryder may not be a known name in the literary world, yet, but I’m one to keep an eye on. I don’t stick with just one genre; I write in multiple genres. I dare to be unique and bend the rules. My empowering literary voice inspires others to follow their dreams, just like I followed my lifelong dream.
You’ve been writing stories, poems, and lyrics for as long as you can remember. What first made storytelling feel essential to you?
Growing up, I was an avid reader. There came a time when I wasn’t reading what I wanted to read anymore. The plots were the same. The story structure didn’t take risks. The characters made the same mistakes over and over again. Since I wasn’t reading what I wanted to read, I decided to write what I wanted to read. Sometimes when I don’t have a voice, writing becomes my voice. When I don’t know what I want to say in certain situations, I write. Writing is free therapy.
How do your love of nature, autumn walks, and music with deep lyrical meaning influence your creative voice?
Naturally, I’m an introvert. Although there are times that I enjoy social interactions, I prefer the solitude of nature. A place where I can reflect, dive deep into thinking, and re-energize. Life is on constant fast forward. Nature is where I’m allowed to take a pause. Often times I’ve crafted scenes in my mind’s eye while connecting with nature. There’s a lot of distractions with modern technology today, but music enhances a calming of the mind. I always need some kind of background noise while I’m writing. During intense scenes, I often have intense music accompanying in the background. When I’m uncertain what direction to go in my writing, I find the right song to help steer me in the right path.
📖 About A Darker Demise
A Darker Demise brings together three short stories that tie into the first two books of The Dark series. What made this the right moment to revisit and re-release this collection?
The first short story in A Darker Demise is A Unity of Balance. This short story is a prequel that ties in with The Darkest Side of the Moon. It was important to explore the character who started it all with the original prophecy. A vital character. The other two short stories, My Salvation and The Path to Redemption were experimental stories I wanted to explore with the thoughts and feelings of characters I couldn’t capture in the first two books. Writing all three short stories helped drive the direction of The Dark series.
How do these stories expand or deepen the world readers already know from The Darkest Side of the Moon and A Dance Between Light and Darkness?
The stories deepen emotion. Explore questions some are maybe too afraid to ask. Going into the third short story, The Path to Redemption, I had the outlined mapped out in my head how it would end, but I had no idea the mental journey I would take in getting to the end. I found I was forced to ask questions I never imagined asking myself before. I’m amazed in how it turned out and it’s my favorite story from A Darker Demise because my hope is it will start a conversation.
For new readers, how would you describe the emotional and thematic core of A Darker Demise?
For readers who haven’t read The Darkest Side of the Moon or A Dance Between Light and Darkness, emotions will be traumatic. The themes are dark and dreary. Not for the faint of heart. There’s a scene in My Salvation that is re-written that physically made me, the author, sick to my stomach in re-writing it. It was heartbreaking writing it the first time, and even harder writing it the second time through the character’s perception.
🌑 Themes of Darkness, Redemption & Salvation
Darkness is a central theme across this collection. What does “darkness” represent to you as a writer?
Darkness is many things, but at the end of the day, to me, it represents imperfection. We as humans struggle with the darkness within. We are taught to be good. Right from wrong. How to be perfect. Yet, we all find ways to rebel with sin. There’s a Cherokee proverb about “Two Wolves.” Everyone has the same internal struggles. The longer one runs away from accepting what they already know, but afraid to face it, that’s when darkness consumes.
How do redemption and salvation intersect with darkness in these stories?
·Forgiveness plays a huge role in A Dance Between Light and Darkness. It’s the ultimate way of releasing oneself from burdens weighing them down. Forgiveness goes hand in hand with redemption and salvation. One must always go through a dark journey in order to reach the light.
Do you believe darkness is something to be overcome, embraced, or understood—and how does that belief shape your writing?
Yes, darkness can be overcome when one embraces it with understanding. A theme I explore over and over again in each story in The Dark series. Sometimes we are not meant to understand why something happens in the moment, but in time, with an open mind, we come to learn the reason. There is always a lesson to be learned.
🖤 Craft & Narrative Choice
Your debut novel, The Darkest Side of the Moon, is written in second-person narrative—a bold and uncommon choice. What drew you to that perspective?
When I original wrote The Darkest Side of the Moon, I wrote the story in third-person narrative. It took over ten years for me to complete it. I was unsatisfied in how the story was shaping. I’ve always read stories in third-person or first-person narrative and decided to perform a search on what second-narrative was. When I learned about second-narrative, I decided to apply it. I liked how The Darkest Side of the Moon seemed to come more alive with the bold choice. The publishing world is daunting, but in order to make waves, I was daring to do something different.
You return to second-person POV in one of the short stories in A Darker Demise. What does that narrative voice allow you to explore emotionally?
When I wrote The Darkest Side of the Moon in second-person narrative, it was more rewriting the story in second-person narrative. Writing The Path to Redemption in second-person narrative allowed me to write something fresh in that narrative. What I found is, I enjoy writing in second-person narrative.
How do readers typically respond to second-person storytelling, and what do you hope they gain from that immersive experience?
Readers are mixed with the second-person storytelling. I’m basically making the reader the character in the story. It’s foreign to them. It’s going to take some time for readers to get used to that storytelling structure. What I hope readers will eventually gain from the second-person narrative is, a different mindset. That’s the whole purpose of second-person narrative. Viewing from a different perspective than what they are used to.
🖋️ Writing Process & Series Evolution
What does your writing process look like when working within an established series?
My writing process is chaotic. When a story comes to mind, I usually map it out in my mind if it’s going to be a standalone or a series. Often times, I’m surprise in the direction a story goes when I actually start writing it. For example, The Dark series originally was going to be three full-length novels. After I wrote the third book, the age-old question, what if, popped into my mind and the series ended with five full-length novels and three novellas that tied-in.
How has your approach to writing evolved since you originally self-published The Dark series in 2022?
With each book in The Dark series, my writing style has emerged. There are generally two types of writers, plotters or pantsers. I don’t exactly fit either one. As a young writer, I dabbled in a plotter mindset, mapping out an outline on paper. What I found, I lost interest in writing the actual story. Taking the pantser approach while writing The Darkest Side of the Moon, I found didn’t work for me either. I jumped ahead to write the end before going back and trying to connect what I wrote in the beginning. What I found, I had to rewrite the whole story. With that in mind, I approached A Dance Between Light and Darkness differently and from there, I found the style that worked for me as a writer.
Did revisiting these stories for re-release reveal anything new to you as a writer?
Yes. It revealed how much I’ve grown as a writer. Plus, I found key pieces in the stories I overlooked that were essential for later stories. Pieces of a puzzle that were there the whole time.
📚 Publishing Journey
You began self-publishing the series and later signed with Warrington Publishing in 2025. What led you to that transition?
Self-publishing is daunting. Luckily, I found NBA who helped me every step of the way. However, self-publishing is a full-time job on top of my full-time job. I knew I needed more help, as the publishing industry is ever changing. When I came across Warrington Publishing, it was a match made in heaven. I would get the additional help I needed and be able to focus more on writing instead of keeping up with the latest publishing trends. I’m not just an author with Warrington Publishing, I’m part of the team.
What has it been like preparing these books for re-release under a publishing house?
With a clear vision in the beginning when self-publishing, I was already prepared when working with Warrington Publishing to re-release my books in The Dark series.
How do you balance honoring the original versions while allowing space for growth and refinement?
What I like most about Warrington Publishing is, we share the same mindset. Not too much has been changed from the original versions. The changes that were made were necessary, like the covers. With self-publishing, some of the visions I had I was unable to accomplish. With Warrington Publishing, I could go back and make those visions a reality now.
🐾 Life, Balance & Creativity
How does sharing your home with a clowder of cats influence your writing routine—if at all?
My cats can make writing time difficult at times. They don’t understand why I’m ignoring them when I should be giving them attention 24/7. Unfortunately, my cats are not as independent as I would like them to be. They all have unique personalities. However, they do help inspire. When I was writing The Darkest Side of the Moon, I would often act out fighting sequences. I applied some into playtime with them. Also, I wrote a short story that’s through a cat’s perspective in which each personality inspired many scenes.
Do you find that stepping away into nature helps you process darker themes on the page?
Absolutely. Often times, I would write heavy, dark scenes. Afterwards, I would need to take a necessary break, bathing in sunlight. Although not re-released yet, I had to take many breaks while writing All I See Are Dark Clouds. The main theme is grief and depression. One has to be careful how long they consume themselves in darkness or they will drown in it.
💬 Reader Connection
What kind of reader do you think will connect most deeply with A Darker Demise?
The kind of readers who will connect deeply with the stories in A Darker Demise are ones who have been kissed by darkness. Ones who don’t quite fit in. Ones who have to wear a mask in order to survive.
Have any reader reactions to The Dark series stayed with you over the years?
Yes! My cousin was among my first readers. When she finished The Darkest Side of the Moon, she called to tell me how she screamed out loud, late at night, during a particular scene. A reaction I hoped a reader would experience. It reinforced that I did my job right as an author. Another reaction that has stayed with me over the years is a young girl at my first book signing. When I told her The Darkest Side of the Moon was written in second-person narrative, she started jumping up and down and said “that’s so cool.”
🔮 Looking Ahead
As the re-release of The Dark series continues, what are you most excited for new and returning readers to experience?
I’m excited for how each new cover in The Dark series will shape as readers are responding well to them, new and returning.
Are there themes, perspectives, or narrative risks you’re eager to explore in future projects?
I’ve always got risky business up my sleeve. You can always expect the unexpected from me. Such as, writing a light romance, Love at First Latte, for an anthology, The Perfect Blend, with Nicole Frail Books. I tapped into a different writing experience for the project, immersing myself in a behind-the-scenes tour of how coffee beans are roasted, thanks to Cleona Coffee Roasters.
🖤 Just for Fun
If The Dark series were adapted, would you prefer it as a film or a limited series?
Good question. When I first started writing The Dark series, I could picture a film adaption for each book until the series grew beyond three books. Now, it would be a question for the fans. One aspect I’m certain about is, I would need to be involved every step of the way.
Which season best represents the soul of your work—and why is it autumn?
Well, winter would represent The Dark series. More times of darkness than times of light. Autumn represents change. In order to grow, one has to change. Change is never easy, but often times necessary. In order to reach the light at the end of the tunnel, one has to go through a deep, dark time.
If one of your feline rulers could narrate a story, what genre would it be?
One of my feline rulers, ha. That would be my troublemaker, Monkey. What genre would he narrate? Most definitely, humor.
💬 Final Thoughts
When readers close A Darker Demise, what feeling or question do you hope lingers with them the longest?
I hope readers take away; that there is always a light to reach for during dark times. Sometimes one has to look deep within. To listen. To learn. To liberate.
