Ryan W Bradley's Guide to Books & Booze

Time to grab a book and get tipsy!

Books & Booze is a new mini-series of sorts here on TNBBC that will post every Friday in October. The participating authors were challenged to make up their own drinks, name and all, or create a drink list for their characters and/or readers using drinks that already exist. 

HOW TO DRINK WITH RYAN W. BRADLEY

So, you want to drink like a writer? Maybe like a fictional character? Sometimes the two aren’t so different from one another. I’ve certainly got more than my fair share of crazy booze related stories. There have been times I should have died, but I survived, and the reason I did was so that I could share my boozy wisdom with others. Personally, I have a lot of favorite drinks. Pretty much all hard alcohol, though I won’t drink tequila anymore because bad things happen when I do. Like wake up in a gutter bad. I also love wine and champagne, but *gasp* I don’t like beer. Except maybe Guinness, and even then I’m going to want it as part of an Irish Car Bomb.

Let’s say you’re sitting down to read something I wrote. OH MY GOSH, I’m so flattered! Seriously! Oh, and you want a drink to go with it? Consider me your sommelier. Here’s some suggested pairings for all my books and chapbooks.

AQUARIUM (Thunderclap! Press)

My first chapbook of poetry is split between confessional and more humorous/surreal pieces. There’s a dichotomy to it. For this one you want to be drinking something that is not just one thing. This is RWB Poetry 101. Break out the Rum and Coke. For bonus points my favorite rum is Captain Morgan’s Tattoo (which is delicious by itself, too).

PRIZE WINNERS (Artistically Declined Press)

My first collection of short stories is a torrent of intimate moments. Every story is about sex and how sex dictates interpersonal relationships. If there were ever a get drunk and f**k the next person you see book this is probably it. Don’t expect things to work out, but sometimes you need experiences in life, so you deal with the fallout later. So, just this once, go ahead and break out some Tequila shots.

MILE ZERO (Maverick Duck Press)

My second chapbook of poetry is poems about Alaska, from my childhood to working in the Arctic Circle. Alaskans like their booze. Construction in the Arctic is a cold, burly, unforgettable experience. It’s also simple and blunt. Grab a bottle of Jack Daniels and start chugging.

CODE FOR FAILURE (Black Coffee Press)

My debut novel is a torrid ride of debauchery, much of it booze induced, and based on my time as a gas station attendant. There is a ton of liquor consumed and always something different. You’re gonna blackout and you’re gonna wake up next to a stranger. If you’re prone to hangovers make sure you’ve got aspirin in your pocket. Now start lining up the Irish Car Bombs. That’s a pint glass of Guinness with a shot of half-Irish Cream, half-Irish Whiskey dropped into the glass and then chugged. Now repeat.

YOU ARE JAGUAR (Artistically Declined Press)

For a collaborative poetry collection you’ve got to wonder where this can go. The poems are steeped in surrealism and searches for answers. The world is an illusion. Find yourself a bottle of Absinthe and look out for the jungle cats.

CRUSHING ON A GHOST (Maverick Duck Press)

My third poetry chapbook comes out in December and is full of love poems directed at fictional spectres. If there is a way to make love to ghosts I’m convinced they’ve got a taste for the bubbly. Put the champagne on ice and curl up in bed while you wait for the ghosts to rise from the pages.

THE WAITING TIDE (Concepción Books)

My first full-length poetry collection is due in February and is an homage to Pablo Neruda’s famous collection of love poems, The Captain’s Verses. If you don’t think poetry can be sexy you haven’t been reading any good poetry. This book brings the sexy. It brings the ocean, the waves, and the moonlight. Get ready to sip some Mai Tai’s and make love in the sand.

Author Ryan W. Bradley jokingly calls himself a "blue collar renaissance man". He's pumped gas, changed oil, worked in a mechanic's shop, painted houses, done construction in the Arctic Circle, and has worked as a shipping and receiving coordinator for a university bookstore. Oh yeah, and he runs the very impressive, very indie Artistically Declined Press, which was featured here on Indie Spotlight.