St. Vital’s Souter a natural storyteller

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This article was published 16/11/2020 (854 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ryan Souter loves telling stories.

The St. Vital resident recently released his first novel, which is titled Little Devil Inside.

Described as a psychological suspense thriller, the self-published novel is available on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing and in paperback.

Without giving too much away, the story follows protagonist John Marvin from the quiet town of Island Cove — a Grade 12 student who is described as “a socially awkward outcast.”

Marvin’s world is turned upside down when a new girl arrives in town, and after a sudden tragedy occurs in his life, he’s “forced to find a heartfelt, human connection,” according to Souter’s website.

“With an unflinching, human desire for acceptance, John finds his life spinning out of control, taking others with him and leaving the quiet town of Island Cove shattered forever,” it reads.

Souter, who works in the film industry, told the Lance his main character has had to deal with bullying, which forms part of the main narrative of the book.

“He’s not a bad guy, but he’s not necessarily a good one, either,” Souter, 41, said.

“He’s a flawed hero. I’m hoping readers can sympathize with him to some extent.”

Noting that writing his first novel was a learning curve that he enjoyed, the Selkirk native said there are similarities between working in movies and writing a novel.

“I love writing and storytelling. If you write every day, it’s easier, because you keep the flow going and maintain a regular momentum. It’s been a learning experience,” he said.

“When you find your voice, that’s when the game changes.”

Souter said he’s currently working on a second novel — “a totally different idea” — which he hopes to release next winter.

“Because I come from a movie background, I write novels like I write movies — with a beginning, middle and end. There are strong comparisons between the structural breakdown of both. At the end of the day, it’s storytelling — whether it’s on the screen or the page.”

In 2013, Souter wrote, directed and starred in Swimming the Dream, a feature-length film about a young man whose goal was to perform the first-ever synchronized swimming live-action play.

Go online at www.ryansouter.ca for more information.