NG: Welcome to my December blog, Ray. I’m excited to introduce you, your books and your amazing experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, Vermont’s Long Trail, and parts of the Continental Divide Trail.

NG: Do you hike alone? If so, does that stimulate ideas for your books?

RKA: I didn’t plan to hike a long-distance trail with a friend. I started the trail alone, but met fellow hikers along the way. I usually finished alone because I wanted to go at my own pace and not feel obligated to others. Yes, I had lots of time to think about stories and plots.

NG: What’s the most challenging trail you’ve hiked? The most dangerous? The most fun?

RKA: The most challenging for me was The Continental Divide trail. It was the longest – over 3000 miles and it was poorly marked. I got lost a lot and didn’t finish. Not many hikers were out there so I have to say that, for me, it was the most dangerous, as I hiked alone. The Pacific Crest Trail was the most fun and the easiest for me. Wide paths and very well marked for hikers.

NG: Tell us how your hiking and writing are linked.

RKA: For my three hiking thrillers, I take the reader in my footsteps. I use my journals but the bad-guy plots are made up. The settings are authentic. But my imagination roams.

NG: The protagonist in your thriller series, Karl “AWOL” Bergman, is also a hiker. Tell us a bit about him.

RKA: Former military. Has a drinking problem when he is not hiking. Not the greatest husband, but he has good intentions and a good heart. He tries to be better.

NG: In the first book in this thriller series, THE TRAIL, Karl faces a serial killer. The second book, SIERRA, challenges Karl to outsmart a Mexican drug cartel. The third, DIVIDE, involves echo-terrorism. Where do you get your ideas? Fellow hikers? News stories? Online research?

RKA: For The Trail (Appalachian Trail novel) I felt vulnerable hiking in pre-storm conditions, and the thought occurred: How would I defend myself from a fugitive out here on the trail? That was the seed for a plot. I went on from there and took some notes for an eventual story, which turned into a book. For the other trail thrillers, it was easy to come up with drug-runners out west.

NG: You’ve recently taken to writing speculative fiction. Your new novel, LIFT: The Rise of M-L-M, debuting in 2024, tells the story of a future where the annihilation of our species is imminent and only mathematicians, music, and a common language can save us. How did you come up with this idea?

RKA: I’ve been interested in music, math, and languages all my life—but I’m not a professional in these disciplines. Just wanted to tell a story—in this case a dystopian fantasy — about people highly skilled in these professions. Turns out that this story applies to our times, as the world of late is running amok.

NG: You and your wife, Nancy, have three kids. What do they think of your writing career?

RKA: Well, they don’t genuflect before me (LOL) but they are big supporters. I get encouragement from them.

NG: Tell us about your recent trip to Australia and New Zealand. Did you come up with any ideas for a novel while you were there? Any photos you’d like to share?

RKA: I tried to rest from writing while I traveled. One person found out I was a writer and told one other traveler, but I kept a low profile. There are some Facebook photos. My wife, Nancy, plans to do a scrapbook of our trip.

NG: Finally, tell us one surprising thing about yourself that most people don’t know.

RKA: I’m an avid chess player.

NG: Thanks so much for sharing your story, Ray. Where can we buy your books, Ray?

RK: All my books are available on Amazon or can be ordered in any bookstore. Link below: 

The Divide by Ray K Anderson

or visit my website www.RayKAnderson.com