On Location with Garry Ryan

Home is Also a Location

Ever notice how a person’s tone of voice often reveals way more than the words being used? There’s this tone people use when I say I’m going to be babysitting my grandkids after my daughter goes back to work.

The underlying message in the tone usually falls under two categories: Have you lost your mind? and Have you lost your manly manliness?

The former has been in question for so long that it really sounds more like a statement of fact.

The latter has been in question ever since I started writing mysteries with a gay protagonist. An interesting aside to this matter of manliness is that macho macho men often run for cover when a nasty diaper needs changing. Maybe you can figure that one out.

Either way, I’m really looking forward to being around the grandkids. One is three and a half while the other just had her first birthday. It’s going to be busy, it’s going to be frustrating, and it’s going to be fun. The odds are that it won’t be boring.

As far as the writing goes, kids help create a stimulating environment. My grandson likes rainbows. We have a front door with coloured glass that creates rainbows on the floor in the morning. He gets a kick out of seeing the rainbows on his feet or hands. And that idea worked its way into a scene in an upcoming novel.

There is the worry that their demands will result in less writing time. And, in time, that worry will either become a reality or something else that really wasn’t worth worrying about.

Garry Ryan was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, where he lives today. He received a B.Ed. and a Diploma in Educational Psychology from the University of Calgary, and taught English and Creative Writing to junior high and high school students before retiring in 2009.

In 2009, he was awarded the Freedom of Expression Award in Calgary, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the arts community in Calgary. The Lucky Elephant Restaurant won the 2007 Lambda Literary Award.

www.garryryan.ca