What? An F.A.Q. for an individual? Well, it makes some sense…you’ll notice in life that many people you meet for the first time will always ask you the same sets of questions once they know a bit about you. So I have collected together the questions I most often hear from casual aquaintences and new friends. It should give you a pretty good in-depth look at me (and my sense of humor). This will always remain a work-in-progress, with more questions forthcoming.

How Can I contact you?

Through the power of...

Where do you live?

I currently reside in Century City, between Beverly Hills and Santa Monica in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Although primarily a wealthy business district, it has a few residential spots among the gleaming skyscrapers. I live in a small apartment with too many books. (Weird trivia: the robbers in Die Hard drive past my apartment—although I wasn’t living there at the time—on their way to the Nakatomi Building.)

Have you always lived in Los Angeles?

I was born in Washington, DC, where my father served at Walter Reed Military Hospital. My family moved here when I was four, and I’ve been an Angeleno ever since. Salute the Bear!

Where did you attend college?

I received a B.A. in History from Carleton College, a small liberal arts school in Northfield, Minnesota. My specialty within my major was the Middle East. I also minored in Media Studies.

Minnesota? Why would a kid who spent most of his life in sunny Los Angeles go to college in Minnesota? Isn’t it cold there?

Yeah, it gets quite cold in the winters. But I just learned to stay inside. Honestly, Carleton College just had the education I was looking for. And it’s good for everybody to spend some time away from home. 

Are you married, and do you have any kids?

I haven’t married anybody (yet) and have no children aside from my fictional ‘kids’ I created for my books. And they have trouble writing home. (Isn’t that always the way?)

Who are your parents?

I am very fortunate to have two parents who are loving and supportive. My father, Dr. Dean A. Harvey, works as a pathologist at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica. My mother, Corky Harvey, is a childcare specialist and registered nurse who runs her own business, “Bringing Up Baby, Inc.,” that provides services and classes to new mothers. Both my parents grew up in the Pacific Northwest. My mother’s family was involved in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (her mother was a missionary, her uncles were ministers), and my father’s were ranchers and bartenders. An interesting mix.

So, are you a Seventh-Day Adventist?

Do you have any brothers and sisters?

Yes, two younger siblings, seen to the left. Colleen is three years younger, and Reed is eight years younger. I’m very close to both of them; they are the most inspiring young people I have ever known and I’m lucky to be related to them. My sister recently got married, so now she is Colleen Martin instead of Colleen Harvey—not much of a change, really. She now lives in Munich, and is expecting her first child in July. My brother is currently going to medical school at the University of Emory in Georgia.

And yes, Reed is that much taller than Colleen. (I’m in the middle of the height curve of our family at an unremarkable 5’9”.)

What is your ethnic background? What kind of name is Ryan Harvey?

You’ll hear me talk a lot about Iceland, and you might occasionally catch me wearing an F.B.I. (Full-Blooded Icelander) T-shirt, but I’m not predominantly Scandinavian despite my blonde hair and blue eyes. I’m a mix of various European groups: German, Dutch, and Anglo-Saxon. My paternal grandmother claims some of our relatives came over on the Mayflower, but she was just making that up. “Ryan Harvey” is an English name that translates roughly as “Little Red-Headed King.” Since I’m neither a king, short, or red-headed, I can only guess the name comes from a parental sense of humor.

So…then what’s the deal with Iceland?

I have a deep interest in Scandinavian culture, which I developed while researching it for my novel The Realm of the Raven. Iceland’s unique early democratic culture in particular fascinated me, and I based the setting of Ránland on their early history and made extensive use of their language, which comes closer to genuine Old English than any other language spoken today. Imagine impressing a woman with the phrase: “Þú ert mjög falleg.” (“You are very beautiful.”) Just looking at the words transports me back to the ninth century and the dawning of the English language!

Since my research, I have developed my bizarre fixation on the Great Republic Iceland. To my great shame, I haven’t gone there myself, but it’s on the top of my list for future traveling, along with Turkey.

Wha—? Turkey?

Yep. That penninsula jutting into southeastern Europe. I specialized in Middle Eastern History in college, and Turkey in particular. I love the Ottoman period; it has a beautiful ornate romance to it. In general, the classical Middle East appeals to me, and so it forms the other half of The Realm of the Raven. See my novels page for more information.

What kind of books do you write?

Since my main interest in literature is speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, supernatural horror), almost all my work falls into its various categories. In fantasy I tend toward heroic and dark fantasy, and in science fiction I am mostly interested in space opera and soft science fiction; I don’t have the patience to write hard science fiction involving extremely heavy science, although I do enjoy reading in that genre. Most of my work is targeted at the Young Adult (or ‘YA’) reading group, a nebulous age bracket that includes junior high and high school students. However, many adults read and enjoy YA works, and the books I write I believe appeal to a wide demographics of readers.

Why did you choose to pursue Young Adult fiction?

Young Adult literature is one of the most fascinating and exciting of publishing genres today. It has fewer limits to it, and the imaginative potentials inherent in it are tremendous. YA books can also be more ‘pulpy’ than most adult books, and since I love pulp literature, the genre just feels like a natural fit for me. Also, I love writing about teenage protagonists. The conflicts they deal with at this awkward, scary, and exciting time of their lives just naturally suit them for thrilling dramatic treatment. Whether they live in contemporary Los Angeles, like Kristel Holly in Z-Dancer, or in a simulacrum of sixth-century B.C.E. Arabia, like Altayr in The Realm of the Raven, teenagers always have immediately recognizable and sympathetic issues. We’ve all been there, and we all know how it feels.

What books have you written so far?

I have two finished books, Z-Dancer and The Realm of the Raven. Extensive information on both of them is on the novels page of this website. I also have other books in preparation, but I’ll post info on them when they are ready to show to people.

Have any of your books been published yet?

No, but don’t worry…I’m getting there. This is a slow and tough business.

Have you ever written screenplays?

Yes, actually. The first long-form works of fiction I created were screenplays. I wrote a total of six over a few years before I decided that I work much better in the novel format. I enjoy the novel form much more because of its descrpitive potential and its ability to put you deep inside the characters’ heads. Also, a novel is a completed work in itself, whereas as screenplay exists as a blueprint for another work. Artistically, I find the screenplay medium unsatisfying. Of my six screenplays, only the last two I think are any good, and I have reservations about those as well.

Where do you get your bizarre ideas?

Most writers get a question similar to this. Some have snappy answers like: “A warehouse in Kansas.” This is just a way of saying: I don’t know. Creativity is an odd thing. Most of my ideas seem to originate out of daydreaming, or concepts plucked from a lifetime of voracious reading. Usually, I’ll latch onto an idea out of the blue, and then start free-associating other ideas onto it until it blossoms into a full-fledged story. Usually, the influences on a work are so varied that listing them all (or at least the ones you can think of) makes you sound a bit crazy.

For example, a quick notation of the influences that went into Z-Dancer: E. E. “Doc” Smith’s Galactic Patrol, Godzilla 2000, Spider-Man, Supergirl, the School House Rock! song “Interplanet Janet,” C. L. Moore’s “Jiriel of Joiry” stories, The Black Hole, every one of John Hughes’s ‘80s movies, the TV show Roswell, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (I‘m not kidding!), and Douglas Adams. Just to name a few. Along with my own personal experiences in high school.

But what do you really do to make money?

Sigh...doesn’t everybody hate this question? Well, the short answer is: Whatever comes along for the moment that doesn’t interfere with my other ambitions. Currently, I work my days at American National Trading Corporation, a large commodities brokerage firm in Santa Monica. I don’t work as a broker, even though I am licensed as one (here’s my official license information at the National Futures Association). Never in a billion years would I work as a broker. I labor in administration and new accounts. It pays the bills, and never effects my life when I am outside of the office. Pretty much the sort of job I need right now while writing stories, novels, and magazine articles.

What are some of the other jobs you’ve held?

I have worked as an assistant film editor (on a little-seen children’s science-fiction film Star Kid), a story editor for a production company headed by a film director, a copyeditor for a long-dead website, and an instructor of speed reading and reading development skills. I enjoyed teaching the most, and I got to travel and work in a number of different U.S. cities: Denver, Portland, Phoenix. My students ranged in age from kindergarteners, who learned basic alphabet skills, to college students and adults, who learned speed reading, organizational study skills, and memory retention techniques.

Who are your favorite authors?

Which authors influenced you the most as a writer?

A writer is influenced by every author he or she reads, even the bad ones. However, for positive influences, I would say I learned the most about writing from Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond OO7. Fleming had an incredible popular style that still amazes me, and his approach to plotting and writing remains the model that I use today. Fleming found a perfect three-way balance in his writing between effective descriptions, character development, and physical action. His books also moved at an astonishing pace without forcing the reader along against his or her will. Although Fleming isn’t perhaps my all-time favorite writer (that falls to either J.R.R. Tolkien or Cornell Woolrich), he nonetheless taught me the writing skills I value the most today.

Other writers who influenced my writing: Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, and Shirley Jackson.

What’s the deal with these weird 1930s and ‘40s clothing?

I love the fashions of the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s, and I have a closet full of unusual clothing from these periods. I don’t wear them as my everyday wear; I wear them when I go out swing dancing. I have a variety: some are stylish wear of the period, others are bizarre-colored and crazy-looking zoot suits. In my normal, diurnal life, I wear typical casual clothing.

Ah, swing dancing! Do you do that a lot?

Yep. I started learning in college in the mid-‘90s and transferred it over to L.A. right as the big ‘craze’ hit—which means I didn’t jump on the bandwagon, I was already dancing. The craze has died down, way down, but in L.A. there are still plenty of places where it continues. I’m out two or three nights a week cuttin’ the rug, both on my own or with my regular partner (more on that below). I consider myself pretty good: I’ve been doing it steadily for more than eight years now. I’m commonly seen at The Derby, one of L.A.’s nicest clubs and the best place to swing even though it only does it one night a week now. (Boooo!)

If you would like to learn more about the different swing dancing styles, I have written out a short primer on the basic dances, which you can read here.

Who are some of your favorite swing artists/bands?

Who’s this hot red-headed girl in some of these photos?

What other hobbies do you have?

Books take up a huge part of my life, in particular speculative fiction (a blanket term for fantasy, science fiction, and supernatural horror), which I read voraciously. I also love pulp literature and collect it wherever and whenever possible. I’m also a dedicated collector of the works of Cornell Woolrich (who has his own page on this site), and track down early editions of his books. I have an impressive collection at the moment. My main musical hobby is film soundtrack collecting, and I have almost a thousand soundtrack albums. I dabble in studying Latin, which I took for two years in college and continue to research as a hobbyist.

I also have a number of “fannish” interests: Godzilla, James Bond, Conan, and J. R. R. Tolkien. I am a full fledged Tolkien maniac who can speak the two Elvish languages. I’ve read The Lord of the Rings somewhere in the vicinity of twenty times.

What did you think of the recent Lord of the Rings movies?

I loved ‘em. Loved, loved, loved, loved ‘em! I saw each one five times in the theaters. Peter Jackson did a bang-up job on those flicks. He did stray in places from the novel, and even in a few places I disagree with what he did, but the overall effect is astonishing. This incredible piece of literature finally got the cinematic treatment it deserved.

What are some of your favorite film soundtracks and composers?

My favorite modern film composer, Jerry Goldsmith, died in 2004; he probably had more musical influence on me than any other musician. He had astonishing variety and a dramatic instinct second-to-none among other working composers of his time. My favorite of his scores are The Omen, Chinatown, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Hoosiers, The Wind and the Lion, Total Recall, The Secret of NIMH, Poltergeist, Rambo: First Blood Part II, The Boys from Brazil, and Patton.

My favorite film composer in history is Bernard Herrmann, who was the Leonardo Da Vinci of film music. His first film was, appropriately, Citizen Kane. His last was Taxi Driver. In between those bookends he made a name as the most innovative of American composers, taking one daring chance after another. He wrote for all-string in Psycho, made a glorious Arabian Nights cantata for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and made the stars sing eerily with The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Other scores from other composers that I love: The Black Hole by John Barry; Blade Runner by Vangelis; King Kong (1933) by Max Steiner; The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by Howard Shore; The Empire Strikes Back by John Williams; Jaws by John Williams; On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by John Barry; Tron by Wendy Carlos; Princess Mononoke by Joe Hiashi; and Once Upon a Time in the West by Ennio Morricone.

You’re a Godzilla fan?

Oh yeah! Actually, a fan of all kaiju eiga (giant monster films). The original King Kong is the greatest giant monster film ever (and I enjoyed the Peter Jackson remake as well), but nobody can best Godzilla, the Big G, for consistency. I just love the sight of a huge monster battering down buildings; can’t explain it—it’s just primal for me. My favorite of the Godzilla films (aside from the 1954 original) is Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964).

So what did you think of the 1998 American Godzilla film?

There is no such thing. It never happened. I don’t understand how rumors and urban legends like this get started.

Do you listen to any other music aside from soundtracks and swing?

Yes, although both those genres contain enough music to fill up several lifetimes. I also love straight jazz, especially Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Blossom Dearie, John Coltrane, Billie Holliday, Dave Brubeck, and Chet Baker. My single favorite jazz album is Everybody Digs Bill Evans by the Bill Evans Trio. In the world of rock, I’m a big fan of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I even like some country music of the Western swing variety: Asleep at the Wheel and Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.

And, for the ultimate in bizarre incongruities, I enjoy both Rage Against the Machine and Claude Debussy. I have no idea why.

Are you an anarchist folk musician?

This is what Google has done to our society.

No, you are confusing me with another Ryan Harvey, a member of Riot Folk, an anarchist folk band.

What sort of movies do you enjoy?

There’s a list of my favorite films—at least some of them—on my biography page. I’ll watch almost any kind of film, however I do have leanings. I adore film noir and Westerns, and will give most forms of science fiction a chance. I like weird comedies with quirky humor. I tend to dislike musicals and tearjerker dramas, or overly pretentious indepedent cinema. I like foreign films if they contain guys in rubber monster suits smashing down miniature buildings. (Well, I do like some foreign films that don’t have this, but it does help!) My favorite directors are Roman Polanski, Stanley Kubrick, Ishiro Honda, Sam Peckinpah, John Ford, David Fincher, Tim Burton, and Ridley Scott. I am also a dedicated fan of the stop-motion fantasy films of visual effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, and I even got to meet him recently:

Do you have any favorite TV shows?

I watch almost no contemporary broadcast television programs. In fact, for the last eight years I have not had a television hooked up to any cable system at all, and get no reception whatsoever. My TV exists as a conduit for my DVD player and nothing else.

However, I am a fan of some older shows which I get through DVD sets. I love all of the Warner Bros. animated DC Superheroes shows, especially Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond. I still have a fond love for the violent farce from the 1980s, Sledgehammer! (now on DVD! Buy it, you maggot!) and the original Adam West Batman from the 1960s. And…yeah, I like the original Star Trek. It seems stodgy now, but it broke new ground for filmed science fiction when it premiered. I have also recently started to watch the new Battlestar Galactica on DVD as the episodes come out. I’m hooked already.

But…one love supersedes them all…the greatest television comedy in history…and a show that tops my list of fanatical obsessions…Mystery Science Theater 3000! Yes, I’m a die-hard Mistie! Don’t know what this show is about? How have gotten through life? Click on the link above or the icon to the right and you will soon be swept to Ward E and meet Torgo and the Master, and your re-education will commence! And remember: Flag on the moon.

Okay, what in tarnation is this “Flag on the Moon” business?

It’s a reference to a classic episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 containing the Coleman Francis trash classic movie The Beast of Yucca Flats. The narrator of the flick (who has a lot of work to do since the film has no direct synchronized sound), voiced by Mr. Francis himself, babbles endless in random thoughts. Perhaps the most random of all is the statement—made out of absolutely nowhere—“Flag on the Moon. How did it get there?” The phrase “Flag on the Moon” turned into a catch phrase for the rest of the run of the show.

You’re sort of a geek, aren’t you?

Thanks! In this day and age, you can’t get a nicer compliment.

I wandered onto your site while searching using keywords that seem to have nothing to do with the content you have here. Is this a cosmic sign? Should I change my life? What is the meaning of it all?

To answer your three questions in order: no, probably, and forty-two.