AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ryan Butcher

Ryan Butcher, author of the psychological thriller Trial #1322, talks about his novel's inspirations.

Why did you choose to write in the thriller genre? Do you consider yourself primarily a thriller writer?
I only wrote the one thriller, so I don't know if that makes me a thriller writer, but I plan more books, thrillers as well as horror. I'm a friendly person, but it's good to vent some anger and have my main characters go through hell and back.  In my next books, I'll try to keep the gore at bay, though.

Trial #1322 is about a medical trial that goes horribly wrong for the participants. Why did you choose to write about this topic?

I have a friend who took part in trials and that gave me the idea. Plus it's something that hasn't been done yet. At least not that I remember. I did a bit of research and couldn't find a similar novel. I thought what would happen if a trial goes wrong?

Were there any aspects of Trial #1322 that you particularly enjoyed writing? Was anything particularly challenging?

I enjoyed developing the characters and how they slowly lost the plot. At the same time, it was a challenge, because I wanted to show early signs, while delivering valid explanations for their behaviour. In fact, the drugs kicked in relatively early; every interaction, the jealousy, etc., is because of the drugs. To keep the suspense wasn't as easy.

Trial #1322 spends a lot of time in the heads of the three main characters—Natalie, Jason, and Laura. What inspired this approach to storytelling?

I found it was important to give all three characters the opportunity to take centre stage. They all fight their own battles, and they all reveal something to the reader, particularly when they are in the same room. I think using this POV made it more exciting and was the perfect fit for this novel.

Would you ever participate in a medical trial for behavioral drugs?

No, I think I'm messed up enough as it is.

Trial #1322 leaves the ending pretty open. Do you intend to write a sequel? What are you working on now?

Open? Well, in some way, perhaps. I left it open to the reader's imagination what really happened. I can't give more information in case your readers want to see for themselves. So, no, there won't be a sequel.

I'm working on a paranormal thriller. A bit like paranormal activity, perhaps. Just different. A group of people in a house and it's going to be scary. Not for the faint-hearted.

Trial #1322 is available at: Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book)