Author Spotlight: Nicholas J. Ripley

Grimdark horror with a bit a sci/fi

This month I am placing the spotlight on author, artist, and musician Nicholas J. Ripley.

I met Nicholas online. He’s quite active on the author chat for Indie Reads, an bookstore for independent authors where both he and I list our work. Since connecting, I have taken some time to read some of his work, check out his art, and listen to his band, the Futilitarian Librarians. If you’ve checked out the playlists accompanying my Nekonikon Punk series, you’ll likely not be surprised that I very much enjoyed their vibe.

In fact, that dark vibe carries through all of Ripley’s art. He explores the origins of that and much more in our interview:

SD: Welcome to Nicholas J. Ripley, let’s dive right into it. First question: What got you into writing?

NJR: I’ve always created stories for as long as I can remember. This being said, there was an English teacher in 6th grade who used to have us write short stories all the time. It was here that I truly got the writing bug and wrote my first story Minotaur, it was a short horror story about, well, a minotaur attacking and eating people. From there I wrote at least half a million short stories but didn’t write my first book until after the loss of a family member at age 19. This was when I wrote the first drafts of A Winter for Doves.

SD: Are there particular themes or motifs that you find yourself coming back to time and again?

NJR: Grief and trauma tend to be recurring motifs in my work. The bedrock of everything I write is horror, so I think that in a lot of ways, to make the horror genuine, I tend to pull from some very emotional places. I have also noticed that a lot of my antagonists tend to seem like they’re everywhere and are omnipotent shapeshifters which I suspect could be due to some social anxiety on my part.

SD: How do you get started on a new project or writing session? Any rituals or routines?

NJR: Projects of mine tend to usually be based on stories I came up with in childhood. This being said, dreams play a heavy role in new ideas for projects. I always love getting a nightmare with some bizarre imagery or creature, they always make for the most interesting stories. I hate realistic nightmares because I find them unusable. From there, research is usually done pretty extensively, and finding the right music for the piece is essential. Playlists are everything to the actual writing process. I have a future book that is extremely loosely based off that minotaur short story I wrote when I was younger, but I struggled coming up with ideas for it until I created a playlist with some 90s industrial music. Now the ideas are flowing.

In terms of actual writing, usually I just turn on music that fits the scene and go. Not too much more of an actual process to speak of.

SD: What's the most unusual thing you've researched for a writing piece?

NJR: I’ve been finding with my standalone horror stories, what I research is pretty strange. With Project Suncloud content, I have a drawing reference folder of diseases and all sorts of nasty wounds/cadavers for the brainless creatures, but that’s about as bad as it gets.

For my next book Aberration, I did very extensive research on mental facilities for one chapter in particular. It was very important to try to accurately represent what it would be like as a patient, so I researched some fairly dark things in that regard.

Most unusual stuff I’ve looked up would have to go to Mino so far, though. From the occult, to Sumerian deities, ancient torture devices all the way to BDSM, autopsies, and echidna penises for the monster design, its going to be a very wild ride getting into that book.

SD: Have you ever surprised yourself with your own story twist or turn?

NJR: Absolutely. All the time. For those that read Project Suncloud: Commander Li was not supposed to have as big of a role as she wound up having and Aylen’s character was not supposed to have as dramatic of a shift in personality.

Also, spoiler for my upcoming book Aberration: there’s a monologue a character says that made me actually cry, which is rare.

SD: Describe your writing space.

NJR: My writing space is more or less anywhere I can write due to the fact I usually write on my phone these days. My art desk, though, is a mess of comic books, a keyboard I never play, a million collectible action figures and a bunch of random little sketches I’ve done on sticky pads. My office is in a state of chaos more often than not.

SD: What attracts you to sci/fi and horror?

NJR: So, horror is probably what attracts me more often. I watched Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow and Alien at way too young an age and I think that has had a permanent effect on my brain chemistry. I love being scared, I love monsters and creatures, I love practical effect gore in horror movies, I even love how campy and off the wall horror stories can be at times. Something about how dark and brutal those stories can be sometimes feels more real than most fiction. I’m a known cynic, though.

With sci/fi, I would say it was almost an accidental marriage. I’ve never been a huge fan of the space opera. There was actually a point in time where I hated Star Wars. (I’ve since changed my mind) What I loved was always more along the lines of dystopian fiction or sci/fi horror. Fahrenheit 451 is still my favorite book of all time, followed closely by 1984. My favorite sci/fi movie of all time is probably either Alien, The Thing, or Total Recall (Arnold version). I think it’s because dystopian sci/fi generally is darker than space operas that it tends to catch my attention. Even my favorite properties with space travel are more along the lines of horror like Event Horizon. The future can be very scary. When I discovered grimdark fantasy, before I knew Warhammer 40K existed, I kind of wanted to make a grimdark sci/fi story. That was when I began dusting off my old ideas from childhood and started drafting Project Suncloud. I wanted to make something about a science fiction war that was the anti-Star Wars. Eventually I fell in love with world-building and it became a living breathing organism that is the most expansive thing I ever intend to write.

SD: Who should read your work?

NJR: Definitely fans of darker fiction. My stuff can get pretty bleak at times. I’ve had mostly horror readers read my work so I actually would love to hear some thoughts from sci/fi readers and grimdark fantasy readers on Project Suncloud.

SD: I see that you are also into making your own music and art. Tell me about some works you're most proud of.

NJR: For music, that would have to go with Futilitarian Librarians’ latest album: “My Undead Girlfriend”. I had a lot of free reign on that album and actually have a co-producing credit as well as writing credits. It’s my favorite thing FL has released so far. This current lineup of musicians in the band is also the tightest, which only makes me more excited for the next record.

For art, there’s a piece I’ve drawn of Aylen being eaten alive by a horde of Brainless that I did a few years back. Even as I improve my skills, that is still my favorite piece I’ve drawn so far. I feel like it encapsulates what “A Winter for Doves” really is at its heart. Plus it took me roughly two weeks to finish that piece. Definitely one of my more complex art pieces.

SD: I’m a punk fan, partial to Bad Brains, Dead Kennedys, & Bad Religion. I’m also a huge 90’s alt rock fan. Would I like Futilitarian Librarians?

NJR: I love all those bands. ESPECIALLY Dead Kennedys.

I would hope so. We definitely have a bit more of a pop-punk/emo sound, especially with “My Undead Girlfriend”. That being said, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins are two of my biggest influences and favorite bands of all time so fingers crossed! I’m definitely more of a grunge-head than a pop-punk fan.
*SD note- I checked them out, they’re pretty good!

SD: Thanks for taking the time today. Before we wrap up, any socials or sites you’d like to share?

NJR: I can be found at:

@nickjripleyofficial on Instagram

Ripleyjnick on X/Twitter

I also write film reviews for https://www.filmsnobreviews.com/

My band can be found on spotify here:

And finally, my official website is: https://www.nicholasjripley.com/