Author Interview with Award-Winning Author Richard R. Becker Discussing His Debut Novel Third Wheel

CALLING ALL READERS to check out my newest author interview with award-winning author Richard R. Becker.

Last week, I had the privilege of sitting down with Richard R. Becker to talk about his debut novel, his short story collections, his writing process, his upcoming projects, and more!

Watch our full author interview on YouTube or check it out in the link below

More about his Short Story Collections

In my author interview with Richard R. Becker, we talk all about his short story collections and how he got into writing in the first place.

After moving to Las Vegas, NV, when he was a kid and moving out of state for college, Richard came back to Vegas as an adult to start his own copywriting business. In his work life, he's grown a successful business, Copywrite, Ink, over the past twenty years, started a successful blog, and also taught at UNLV for 20 years before retiring from teaching in 2020.

After decades of helping other people bring their stories to life, Richard was inspired to start writing some of his own stories. Since learning about Stefan Bucher's Daily Monster where he creates an inking or design of a monster daily to share with his audience, Richard decided to use a similar technique to help him get into the practice of daily creative writing.

Every week, Richard would start a short story on Monday and finish it up the following Sunday to post on his blog. His growing readership helped him stay accountable to his writing goal, and after writing one story a week for fifty weeks straight, he was able to put together his first short story collection, 50 States.

Learn more about 50 States:

"An Idaho farmer who aches for absolution after a tragedy is given one more chance at redemption. Two runaways cross paths in a Tennessee bus station with only one ticket between them. A family sees looters racing toward their home as they escape an Oregon wildfire. A young couple takes a reckless turn off a state highway in Utah and find themselves in a nightmarish government biohazard area.

These and 46 more shorts make up an anthology that will surprise readers with each new thought-provoking story as they skip across different genres, moods, and states of mind. Together, they provide a character-driven sampling of the American experience over the last 60 years — the kind and the cruel, the heroic and criminal — in unpredictable and suspenseful ways.

50 States is a debut collection of short stories that captures the human condition and how perception shapes destiny. The book spans several literary genres, with each short story set in a different state across America. It broke into the top 100 bestsellers for literary fiction short stories on Amazon for three consecutive months. It also won first place in the ABR Book Excellence Awards, Spring 2022 BookFest Awards, 2023 Book Excellence Awards, and was a finalist in the IAN Book of the Year Awards.

The author continues to receive high praise from editorial reviewers and interest from a growing community of readers who follow the author's work."

Following this method again, Richard was able to come up with his second short story collection and companion piece to 50 States called Ten Threads

More about Ten Threads:

"An Idaho farmer who earns a second chance at life finds that the past has a hard time letting him go. A young girl navigates funeral-goers, family, and the unusual circumstances of her grandmother’s death in Pennsylvania. A risk-averse young man must make a bold move after stumbling into a nightmarish government biohazard. An aging alcoholic vigilante is asked to find common ground with a teenager in a secret witness protection program.

These and six more short stories continue and intersect with 50 States, the debut anthology that surprised readers with 50 thought-provoking stories across different genres. Together, these new stories stand on their own and expand upon a growing body of work that takes place across the American landscape.

Ten Threads is a brisk 125-page companion to Richard R. Becker’s award-winning debut, 50 States. It is presented as a Kindle exclusive, a glimpse into his next anthology and future novel."

Ten Threads is exclusively available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, so don't forget to check it out! Read his short story collections 50 States and Ten Threads on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Richard-R-Becker/author/B097Z2JL3P?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

More About His Award-Winning Novel, Third Wheel

Within his short story collections, Richard started a story featuring a teenager named Brady Wilks called "Third Wheel." This story quickly turned into the first chapter of his award-winning debut YA thriller, Third Wheel.

Inspired by events in his childhood, Brady Wilks moves to Las Vegas from the Midwest, having to start over and attend a new school. This coming-of-age novel takes twists and turns as it delves deeper into Brady's social circle, home life, and the tricky situations he finds himself in.

Want to learn more?

Brady Wilks thought he'd found a new home in the pre-boomtown hours of Las Vegas, 1982, but instead he finds himself in a precarious situation, struggling to belong and find his identity. Outcast as a teenage transplant from the Midwest, Brady forges a brotherly bond with an older teenage neighbor, Mick, and his friend, Brett. But when Brett moves away, Mick invites a new kid into their pack, and Brady soon discovers his choices have consequences that threaten the lives of those he cares about.

Desolate and gritty, Third Wheel is a triumphant debut novel by Richard R. Becker, and Brady Wilks is a remarkable transformative protagonist. It received more than a dozen 5-star editorial reviews and earned a finalist award in the 2023 Global Book Awards. Readers who enjoyed The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton will love Third Wheel. The five-time award-winning author continues to receive high praise and interest from a growing community of readers who follow his work."

Interested in reading “Third Wheel”? Check it out here: https://www.copywriteink.com/third-wheel-by-richard-r.-becker.html

What's next for Richard R. Becker?

Richard has been busy networking and getting his books into bookstores in Texas, Utah, and Nevada. In our author interview, we talked more about indie bookstores, book signings, and his table at the Las Vegas Book Festival coming up in October.

Since the release and promotion of Third Wheel is taking up a lot of his time, Richard is taking a short break from writing before diving into his second novel, a psychological thriller, which is currently in its beginning stages.

Follow Richard on social media to keep up with his indie author journey and don't forget to watch our full author interview!

Learn more about Richard R. Becker, where you can follow him on social media, and his copywriting company Copywrite, Ink here: https://www.copywriteink.com/author-richard-r.-becker.html

Check out his blog: http://www.richardrbecker.com/

Hope you enjoyed your stay at The Poet's Corner. Thanks for reading and come back next week for another author interview! For daily writing and author content, follow me @thepoetscorner_ on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube :))