Thank you for visiting my website. Because my husband and I are traveling aboard our sailboat Corroboree, we are often without Internet access. Nevertheless, email is still the best way to reach me at arliss@arlissryan.com. Write and I will answer as soon as we reach a port. You can also follow news about my books on
Buy the Books
You can purchase my books at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble or through your local bookstore. To find an independent bookstore in your area, go to www.indiebound.org.
Book Clubs
Please consider one of my novels for your next book club selection. I am happy to chat with book clubs via Skype and to visit book clubs in my area.
Book an Appearance
Need a speaker? My past appearances include the Florida Heritage Book Festival, Savannah College of Art and Design, the Gulf Coast Shakespeare Festival, the Amelia Island Book Festival, and Florida International University.
“Whatever the subject, Arliss Ryan’s programs are always extremely well-organized and informative. When she was a faculty member at the Florida Heritage Book Festival, the feedback from the writers in her critique group was positively glowing. Many of them said it was the best part of the entire weekend.”
– Vic DiGenti
Past Co-Director of the Florida Heritage Book Festival & Writers Conference and author of the Quint Mitchell Mystery series (www.parkerfrancis.com)
Current programs include:
“Researching and Writing the Historical Novel”
Writing a historical novel may look like fun—until you discover how much work is involved. This program provides solid tips for researching and writing an engaging, accurate historical novel, including accessing and evaluating Internet and traditional sources, distinguishing between fact and speculation, developing a convincing historical vocabulary, and getting into the mindset of people living in centuries past.
“As a social scientist, novelist, and instructor of undergraduate courses in research methods, I found your presentation on research in writing historical fiction was a pitch perfect blend of the importance of honoring the research process and protecting the integrity of history while recognizing the trade-offs we face as storytellers. Your presentations provided a useful, layered, and deeply knowledgeable guide for current and aspiring writers in search of the lasting and rewarding historical novel.”
– Samuel R. Staley
Ph.D., author of novels The Pirate of Panther Bay and St. Nic, Inc., and Director of the DeVoe L. Moore Center, Florida State University
“How to Turn Factual Research into Riveting Fiction”
You’ve done a ton of research for your novel, now here’s how to transform all that important information into riveting fiction that will keep readers turning the pages late into the night. This “craft of writing” program utilizes excerpts from my novels to demonstrate how to integrate facts and research into your story while simultaneously advancing both character development and the plot.
“Could Anne Shakespeare Have Written the World’s Greatest Plays?”
Anne Shakespeare is often portrayed as the unloved wife Will abandoned in Stratford when he set out for London to make his fame. But what if that scenario is completely wrong, and Anne was the true genius behind the world’s greatest plays? This program examines the talents and qualities a 16th-century woman like Anne would have to possess and the obstacles she would have to overcome to achieve that goal. Includes a reading from The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare.
“Mastering the Metaphor”
Aristotle wrote that “the greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor…[it is] a sign of genius.” Whether you’re composing fiction, poetry or nonfiction, metaphors can indeed capture your readers’ imagination and catapult your writing to new heights. But how exactly does a metaphor work and what separates a bad metaphor from a good one? Using a variety of examples, this workshop inspires writers to dig deeper for creative metaphors and gain confidence in using them.
“Arliss’s workshop at the 2014 Florida Writers Conference, entitled Mastering the Metaphor, was informative and entertaining. Who knew that someone could make metaphors so fascinating? Every attendee raved about Arliss’s engaging teaching style, and all of them commented on how they learned something they hadn’t thought of before. If only the world had more workshop instructors like her!”
– Jennie Jarvis
2014 Florida Writers Conference Faculty Chair, Author of Crafting the Character Arc: A Practical Guide to Character Creation and Development