Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Kirk Ward Robinson, the acclaimed author of Ridley Speaks, the latest installment in the gripping Speaks Saga.

With a narrative steeped in the struggles and resilience of life in the Appalachian South, Ridley Speaks explores themes of poverty, addiction, family, and redemption, all through the eyes of the unforgettable Ridley Speaks.

Robinson’s masterful storytelling, vivid characters, and heartfelt realism have earned him widespread praise and a dedicated following. Beyond his writing, Robinson is an avid hiker and cyclist who draws inspiration from his experiences exploring the natural world and diverse American landscapes.

Join us as we delve into the mind of this remarkable author to uncover the stories behind the Speaks Saga, his creative process, and what readers can expect from this extraordinary novel.

Norm: Good day Kirk and thanks for taking part in our interview.

Kirk: De nada

Norm: With 15 novels and memoirs under your belt, how has your writing process evolved over the years?

Kirk: Well, that’s actually a huge question. I started out as a kid seeing stories in my mind, but I didn’t really have the vocabulary yet to do anything with them, except for The Pirates of Dublin, which I wrote when I was ten in McAllen, Texas.

Sadly, that handwritten manuscript was lost after we moved to Houston right after the Apollo 11 landing. After that, I dabbled in essays and short stories during my married years.

It wasn’t until after I thru-hiked the AT for the first time in 2001 that I made the decision to quit everything and write fulltime.

Since then, I have consciously improved my craft, often wincing at some of my earlier work. I read profusely, sometimes five or six books per month, which I think all authors of fiction must.

Norm: Ridley Speaks is your third book in the Speaks Saga. What inspired you to continue exploring the lives of the Speaks family?

Kirk: Timewall was supposed to be a standalone novel, what I described as an Appalachian cross between Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone and Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed.

I hiked through a town on Hike 3 that I’d never been to before and I was stunned by the backwardness and despondency of the place.

After Timewall, I continued to wonder about his mother, Blaize. How did she get that way? What was going on in impoverished Appalachia to create a person like her?

That was the genesis of Blaize, and after completing that manuscript, I realized that there was still more of the story to tell.

Norm: Ridley is such a complex and resilient character. How did you develop her voice and personality throughout the story?

Kirk: This will probably be disappointing, but Ridley just popped into my mind. There are some traits in her that I borrowed from a young woman I met on Hike 4, but for the most part, I think I asked myself:

If I had a daughter in those circumstances, what would I want her to be like? Ridley is a teenaged girl with the same pressures all teenagers suffer, but she has the added burden of her upbringing.

It helped that I had family, now long deceased, who lived in the Appalachian Mountains so I was able to borrow much from those memories. Cousin Leslie in Blaize is a case in point. 

The rest was me speculating how a girl with her character would evolve and react.

Norm: Themes of poverty, addiction, and family secrets are central to Ridley Speaks. How do you balance such heavy themes with hope and resilience in your writing?

Kirk: Well, Ridley speaks to that. I agonized over some scenes, and yes, shed a few tears.

But that mantra, Some people are too soft to live in this world... is real and present when you have experience with that region, and people must be able to overcome depravity or else life is just a waste of effort.

Norm:  Ridley’s journey to California begins with optimism but quickly descends into hardship. What message did you hope to convey through her struggles in Nashville?

Kirk: To be tough. To be resilient. To understand that your hopes are yours to keep, not to be taken away by others or circumstances.

Norm: Blaize Speaks is portrayed as a fierce yet deeply flawed mother. How did you approach writing such a multifaceted character?

Kirk: I knew that she would have once been an innocent girl, as all little children are, but that she had been assaulted by a system that had stolen her ability to love overtly.

And yet she cares, she just has difficulty showing it, while also fighting to protect herself from further harm.

She is also incredibly smart. Her descent from innocence, what I call the spark, is well known to her but she feels she has no alternative if she is to look after the people she cares about, mainly her children and Joss.

Norm: What challenges did you face in weaving vignettes from Ridley’s past into the present-day narrative?

Kirk: Continuity errors. Good grief, that was tough, and Priscilla (52,000 words as of today) is even harder.

Also determining where Ridley’s mind was so that the flashbacks would fit both plot wise and emotionally. 

Norm: The #MeToo movement is echoed in the novel's depiction of exploitation. How much did current events influence the themes of Ridley Speaks?

Kirk: Every one of the books explores a social inequity in our society, and this was Ridley’s inequity to confront. The #MeToo movement gave Ridley her voice and determination.

Norm: Ridley’s poetry and songwriting play a significant role in her survival and identity. How did you approach writing her creative works, and do they reflect your own views on art and expression?

Kirk: Uhm...I enjoy good poetry but can’t tell you why it’s good. I was so afraid that what I wrote was terrible that I begged my editor to be honest with me:

If the stuff was terrible, please don’t let me humiliate myself. But this was crucial for Ridley because this was how she could express herself honestly without baring herself to others.

It was the same with her music, which is why she didn’t like to perform for others.

Norm: Your writing has been praised for its wit and grit. How do you achieve that balance in your prose?

Kirk: Dark moment, light moment. There is some disturbing stuff going on in Ridley’s world, so there had to be a comic balance otherwise readers would become too depressed.

It helps that I know some really eccentric people whom I have been able to draw from, notwithstanding Willie Tailor.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and your novels?

Kirk: My Website, my Amazon page, or GoodReads.

Norm: Can we expect more from the Speaks Saga in the future, or do you have other projects on the horizon?

Kirk: I am working on Priscilla now. I plan one more novel in the Saga, The Family Speaks, although my editor would like me to extend it further.

I think five novels will end it, though. I have another AT thru-hike I want to start on, and a new standalone novel that popped into my head just today.

Norm: As we wind up our interview, what advice would you give to aspiring authors looking to tackle challenging subjects in their work?

Kirk: Be as honest and authentic as your vocabulary will allow, and try to give your readers a way to avert their eyes during the worst parts.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of Ridley Speaks.