Hi there! Thanks for visiting my website. Ever since I wrote my first novella at 11 years-old, I’ve devoured books of all genres. I love star-crossed romances, medieval history, heart-pounding thrillers, sword-and-dragon fantasies, and anything on astrophysics. These wide-ranging interests are why I don’t constrain myself to one genre. I’ve written women’s fiction, nonfiction/memoir, and even a door-stopper epic fantasy (coming soon!).
My stand-alone novels are Forgetting Me (a BookLife Editor's Pick and finalist in the Indies Today Book Award), Two Weeks of Summer (a Kirkus Reviews "Get It Now" book, semi-finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award, and finalist in the Indies Today Book Award), and The Secrets Inside (semi-finalist in the Indies Today Book Award). I have two more novels slated for release in 2024/2025.
When my son was born three months early, writing was my only way through the crucible. His premature birth and lengthy hospitalization led to a poignant essay as well as articles on breastfeeding for Ohio's Women, Infants, & Children's Program and the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps. Pregnancy & Newborn, ¡Hola Arkansas!, and The Northwest Arkansas Times have all featured my work.
I live in Arkansas with my husband and our three sons. When I’m not wrangling our hectic home life, I’m busy writing my next book!
My stand-alone novels are Forgetting Me (a BookLife Editor's Pick and finalist in the Indies Today Book Award), Two Weeks of Summer (a Kirkus Reviews "Get It Now" book, semi-finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award, and finalist in the Indies Today Book Award), and The Secrets Inside (semi-finalist in the Indies Today Book Award). I have two more novels slated for release in 2024/2025.
When my son was born three months early, writing was my only way through the crucible. His premature birth and lengthy hospitalization led to a poignant essay as well as articles on breastfeeding for Ohio's Women, Infants, & Children's Program and the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps. Pregnancy & Newborn, ¡Hola Arkansas!, and The Northwest Arkansas Times have all featured my work.
I live in Arkansas with my husband and our three sons. When I’m not wrangling our hectic home life, I’m busy writing my next book!
BookLife Talks with Katherine Tirado-Ryen
With three books under her belt-and one, Forgetting Me, receiving an Editor's Pick-Tirado-Ryen has proven she's an author readers can trust to deliver an "enthralling," "sweet," and "well-told" story. With two more books releasing next year, we spoke with Tirado-Ryen about the thematic connection between her books and why she thinks authors should narrate their own audiobooks.
Your books tend to feature coming-of-age stories. Why does this type of story interest you?
Coming-of-age novels have a timeless appeal. They explore the journey from innocence to experience and speak to the universal desire to triumph over adversity. I strive to write novels with relatable characters that have the power to inspire, encourage empathy, and foster hope. Raised in a Puerto Rican family, I also try to touch on the minority experience. Ultimately, I love an underdog with grit. They're the characters I root for the most!
Has your writing process changed over the course of three books?
I wrote my first book on a Compaq Presario when I was 11 years old. In college, I wrote on a PalmPilot with a detachable keyboard. Now I work on an iPad that fits in my purse. The technology has changed, but what hasn't is finding consistent, quiet writing time often a Herculean task while raising three rambunctious boys. From the NICU to jujitsu, I carve out the space to work. Writing anything worthwhile takes time and you have to find it yourself.
Still, I never lack for inspiration. After two traumatic child-births-my second son was a micro-preemie born at 27 weeks, and I barely survived delivering my third I channeled my pain into prose*. I've since heard from many readers touched by my experience.
If the main characters of your books met, how would they react to one another?
I think college-bound Connie Baltimore, down-on-her-luck Kim Kincaid, and amnesia-stricken Anne Strafford would all commiserate about their fraught family dynamics! All three are romantics at heart who struggle to navigate their interpersonal rela-tionships. I imagine them sharing hearty laugher and a few tears over chilled espresso martinis and, of course, lots of chocolate.
Why did you decide to make audiobooks for your novels, and what was the process like?
I've loved audiobooks since finding Michael Crichton's Timeline on cassette tape. My favorites are those read by their authors, who inherently connect with the nuances of their characters. Narrating my own audiobooks gives me creative control over my novels' interpretations, as well as adds an authentic touch to the storytelling.
As for the process, it's not for the faint of heart. I took courses on narration and sound editing, set up a recording studio in my home office, and worked only when my children attended school. My sons say they cannot imagine anyone else reading my words. That's been an unexpected gift: my children will not always have me, but they will always have my voice.
What can readers expect from you next?
I have two books releasing next year. All Hands Together follows three best friends during their final year of college. These self-proclaimed three musketeers have weathered everything: family drama, cheating boyfriends, and awful professors. An unexpected crisis threatens to shatter their alliance.
Next comes The Traitor's Prophecy, the first book in an epic fantasy series set on a medieval continent. A powerful mage, a tyrannical king, and a sorcerer's apprentice collide in a breathtaking race to thwart a world-ending prophecy.
I wrote the first chapters of the latter juggernaut when I was 15 but shelved the project during college and graduate school. During the pandemic, my oldest son asked me to write a book with drag-ons, wizards, knights, and kings. I pulled out those dusty pages and set to work on a story that's lived in my heart for more than 20 years. It's a genre switch, but I'm excited! I've applied my experience writing romantic, coming-of-age novels to an intricate fantasy world rife with fantastical creatures and high-stakes escapades. My sons are thrilled. Truly, I cannot imagine a better audience.
For more, visit booklife.com/tirado-ryen
* To read Katherine's harrowing birth story published by Pregnancy & Newborn magazine, click here: bit.ly/41q7Asb
With three books under her belt-and one, Forgetting Me, receiving an Editor's Pick-Tirado-Ryen has proven she's an author readers can trust to deliver an "enthralling," "sweet," and "well-told" story. With two more books releasing next year, we spoke with Tirado-Ryen about the thematic connection between her books and why she thinks authors should narrate their own audiobooks.
Your books tend to feature coming-of-age stories. Why does this type of story interest you?
Coming-of-age novels have a timeless appeal. They explore the journey from innocence to experience and speak to the universal desire to triumph over adversity. I strive to write novels with relatable characters that have the power to inspire, encourage empathy, and foster hope. Raised in a Puerto Rican family, I also try to touch on the minority experience. Ultimately, I love an underdog with grit. They're the characters I root for the most!
Has your writing process changed over the course of three books?
I wrote my first book on a Compaq Presario when I was 11 years old. In college, I wrote on a PalmPilot with a detachable keyboard. Now I work on an iPad that fits in my purse. The technology has changed, but what hasn't is finding consistent, quiet writing time often a Herculean task while raising three rambunctious boys. From the NICU to jujitsu, I carve out the space to work. Writing anything worthwhile takes time and you have to find it yourself.
Still, I never lack for inspiration. After two traumatic child-births-my second son was a micro-preemie born at 27 weeks, and I barely survived delivering my third I channeled my pain into prose*. I've since heard from many readers touched by my experience.
If the main characters of your books met, how would they react to one another?
I think college-bound Connie Baltimore, down-on-her-luck Kim Kincaid, and amnesia-stricken Anne Strafford would all commiserate about their fraught family dynamics! All three are romantics at heart who struggle to navigate their interpersonal rela-tionships. I imagine them sharing hearty laugher and a few tears over chilled espresso martinis and, of course, lots of chocolate.
Why did you decide to make audiobooks for your novels, and what was the process like?
I've loved audiobooks since finding Michael Crichton's Timeline on cassette tape. My favorites are those read by their authors, who inherently connect with the nuances of their characters. Narrating my own audiobooks gives me creative control over my novels' interpretations, as well as adds an authentic touch to the storytelling.
As for the process, it's not for the faint of heart. I took courses on narration and sound editing, set up a recording studio in my home office, and worked only when my children attended school. My sons say they cannot imagine anyone else reading my words. That's been an unexpected gift: my children will not always have me, but they will always have my voice.
What can readers expect from you next?
I have two books releasing next year. All Hands Together follows three best friends during their final year of college. These self-proclaimed three musketeers have weathered everything: family drama, cheating boyfriends, and awful professors. An unexpected crisis threatens to shatter their alliance.
Next comes The Traitor's Prophecy, the first book in an epic fantasy series set on a medieval continent. A powerful mage, a tyrannical king, and a sorcerer's apprentice collide in a breathtaking race to thwart a world-ending prophecy.
I wrote the first chapters of the latter juggernaut when I was 15 but shelved the project during college and graduate school. During the pandemic, my oldest son asked me to write a book with drag-ons, wizards, knights, and kings. I pulled out those dusty pages and set to work on a story that's lived in my heart for more than 20 years. It's a genre switch, but I'm excited! I've applied my experience writing romantic, coming-of-age novels to an intricate fantasy world rife with fantastical creatures and high-stakes escapades. My sons are thrilled. Truly, I cannot imagine a better audience.
For more, visit booklife.com/tirado-ryen
* To read Katherine's harrowing birth story published by Pregnancy & Newborn magazine, click here: bit.ly/41q7Asb