JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Ronald S. Barrios, author of Masks & Malice
(Rey Books)
When Rey is hired by Pam Lorado to find out about her fourteen year old daughter’s boyfriend, Carter, he learns that the kid is a drug dealer. But that takes a backseat when Carter is found murdered in his own car. Then Pam’s ex-husband Peter, who would rather be a friend to his daughter than a parent, is gunned down in front of Rey’s office. Both Carter and Peter have a connection to another drug dealer named Seth who is crazy enough to kill a kid.
Someone is pulling the strings. Now, Pam and her daughter are in real danger, and Rey can’t make heads nor tails of what is going on. The case is like an onion, and every layer he removes just adds to the mystery.
The only solid connection is a social website called Personal Place where everyone involved seems to have met. Unfortunately, online you never really know who you’re talking to because everyone is wearing a virtual mask…
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Masks & Malice?
Ronald S. Barrios: I created the Rey series, and this is the second in the series. It’s not the kind of series where each book is a continuation. Each book is its own case. As for as inspiration, my writing is a God thing, meaning, I never get writer’s block, I never run out of stories and I never have to do a rewrite – just edits for spelling and the like. I can’t take credit for being able to write.
JP: What sets Masks & Malice apart from other books in the same genre?
RSB: Masks & Malice is filled with action, adventure, twists and turns and what sets it apart is there is no profanity or sex. None. Not even ‘mild profanity’. No compromise. And everyone who has reviewed and read my novels never misses the language.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Masks & Malice getting out to the public?
RSB: Jesus Christ. I follow Him. I’m not perfect and don’t claim to be. I just do my best and write everyday, and He makes a way. For me writing is seriously stress free…
I stick to what I know, and what I know is my character, Rey, and Oakland California, where Rey is based out of. I’ve loved mysteries all my life, so I don’t venture out and, say, try to write Sci-Fi. I don’t know how to. I’m just trying to perfect my craft.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Masks & Malice?
RSB: I write between 5-10 pages a day six days a week. Five in the morning and five in the afternoon. I have a life outside of writing, kind of… If I miss a day of writing, say for family stuff, I have a wife and two children, I don’t worry about it or try to make it up. It generally takes about 2 1/2 to 3 months to write a book.
JP: What’s next for Ronald S. Barrios?
RSB: More writing, promoting and marketing. I’m thinking about starting a YA series and maybe another series, so I can put out a couple of books a year and maybe a short story here and there…
http://facebook.com/ search Rey Books
I want to thank you for the interview. I really appreciate it. I depend on interviewers such as yourself to get my name out there. I’m always humbled when anyone wants to interview me.
Thank you again,
RSB
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