Ryan’s Note:  Hi Everyone!  For those of you actually interested in the behind the scenes here at Waterstone, we have big news today!  Our company is growing.

When I started Waterstone last year, it was intended to be more than just my own books.  My goal was to create a home for the type of fiction that I enjoy, fiction that is exciting and moving.

I recently hired Bryce Allen, a fellow writer I met through my own experiences with martial arts.  He’s been working on a fantasy series that I think is really, really cool.  But as he’ll mention below, he’s a new father focused on raising a gorgeous little girl.  It provided an opportunity for him to join my one-person team.  Although he’ll be doing a number of odds and ends, in general he’s helping me with the administrative side of the business and keeping me on task.  This should allow me to spend more time doing what I love:  writing stories.  I’ve asked him to introduce himself.

Hey everyone, my name is Bryce Allen, and I have the honor of being Waterstone Media’s first employee! I will be helping with a variety of awesome projects that Ryan has in store for Waterstone Media’s future. I wanted to take a second and introduce myself to you all.

I enjoy long walks on moonlit beaches and working out every day…. Sorry, wrong blog!

Let’s get the basics out of the way. I am 27 years old and live in the Twin Cities with my beautiful girlfriend and our baby girl. I am new to the father thing, but I learn something new every day. Family life is definitely my priority right now.

I grew up in small-town Minnesota. I made all the mischief I could in High School, and somehow ended up in college. I made my way through college by arresting shoplifters for a major retailer. It provided its fair share of adrenaline rushes, but also exposed me to lifestyles I’d never experienced in my hometown.

I attended college for about six years. I was lucky enough to spend some time in France. We studied and documented Roman ruins, and it was amazing.  When I returned, I juggled different majors until I settled on political science. By some bizarre twist of fate, I actually earned a degree.

Armed with my shiny new piece of paper I set forth into the world, ready to earn millions of dollars… That didn’t immediately work, as you may have guessed.

These days, I have two primary interests: martial arts and writing.

I have been training in Shotokan Karate for roughly 15 years. It has been a major part of my life as far back as I can remember. The only thing I enjoy more than doing karate, is teaching karate. As soon as my instructor allowed it I began instructing. I currently hold a Nidan (2nd degree black belt) rank in Shotokan. Paired with my martial arts experience, fitness has been a priority in my life. I am constantly looking for new workouts to research and perfect.

Writing has also been an important part of my life. Throughout my childhood, my passion for telling stories grew. I would write for the joy of it, rarely showing anyone my work. However, as I entered college, that passion faded a little. Pressure from my peers to make money and avoid the arts contributed to my writing hiatus. I allowed myself to dismiss the art of storytelling altogether.

That is when Ryan came along. He helped to reignite my passion for writing awesome stories. Under his mentorship, I am currently working on a series of my own. This is also part of my work here at Waterstone Media.

In addition to writing books for Waterstone, I will be doing research for future projects, helping manage the administrative side of the business, and grooming Ryan’s cats. I consider myself a bit of a renaissance man.

I’ll be doing odds and ends around here, but if you have any questions, please let me know down in the comments!

Bryce