Know about your Authors

knotanumber

Pen Name: Knotanumber. I've also written a young adult book called "Through the Wind Falls" under the pen name Rowan Skye, after two of my nieces, Rowena and Sky. My real name is Ryan Hodges. Not very catchy is it? But there is this guy called Hodges in a Monty Python skit. He is the guy on the life-raft they all want to eat after they've run out of food.

Username: knotanumber

Is your pen name your legal name? If no, then how did you make up one?

Big surprise here, but Knotanumber isn't my real name. In real life, I work in the field of data analytics. "Not a number" is an error message you get when you try to perform a calculation that doesn't compute, like the square root of apple pie. I thought this was a great metaphor for what computers can't do but our human brains do all the time. Give a human an irrational or impossible problem and he will still come up with a solution.

How many books have you published till date?

It's tempting to build myself up here. Who doesn't want to brag about their accomplishments? But here are the facts: I've never published professionally. I've self-published a book on Amazon and two full-length novels on wattpad, one of which has routinely reached the fantasy spot—so I'm kind of proud of that. In my defense, I haven't tried very hard to sell my books. I like to write books much more than I like to market them. Anyone know a good agent?

My ambition is to connect to other people through my writing, regardless of whether that's through a traditional publishing route or self-publishing, which has become much easier and more respected in recent times. I've read some "best sellers" where I go, "What do people see in this book?" and underrated books that knock my socks of. It just goes to show, you can't judge something solely on its popularity.

What are your future projects?

I am inspired by space science, in particular the discovery of planets around other stars. It's amazing that the first exoplanets have been discovered within my lifetime. There could be another Earth out there waiting to be discovered!

In the legacy of Carl Sagan's Cosmos: Life on Jupiter, I want to explore extra-terrestrial life forms using a science-based approach. I've started a series of short stories/novellas about the kinds of intelligent (apex) creatures that might inhabit these strange worlds. I'm calling the series apeXeno.

What is writing to you?

It's kind of a compulsion. I can't really explain why I do it. I'm not a natural-born storyteller. I'm an introvert and a perfectionist. Writing doesn't come natural to me. It's a long and often excruciating process. But I always find myself coming back to it.

Is being an author, your long time dream or a hidden passion you found out later?

I've wanted to write ever since I was a kid. I grew up reading Tolkien, Stephen R. Donaldson, Piers Anthony, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Anne McAffrey, Jack L Chalker and many others. I wasn't very popular in junior high and I was picked on a lot. These worlds were my escape. I wanted to create my own world that I could escape to—and I guess I still do.

What genre books you like to work on?

I've had a long time interest in fantasy, but I'm mostly interested in hard science fiction now. I think fantasy really struggles to break out of the Tolkien mold. It's hard to come up with a new fantasy concept. On the other hand, science is all about making new discoveries and it has a tremendous role to play in society and the future. There's so much material that hasn't been fully explored.

If we challenge you to write a book of another genre we suggest, then would you take it up?

Probably not. Writing even a short story takes hundreds of hours, and I do have a full-time day job. Realistically, I have to be choosy about what projects I take on and make sure I have the motivation to carry me through the long haul.