Estelle Ryan

I wrote a bio of Estelle for an older site of mine that no longer exists. Figured I would help you guys out and post it here.

Estelle Ryan is an author from South Africa that writes mystery novels. Even though it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a South African writer, Estelle eventually abandoned the continent’s diverse cultures and natural beauty to travel the world in her adult years.
 
A trip to Europe at 16 changed everything for the author, fueling her insatiable desire to explore new continents and cultures. She also wrote for several international magazines. Although readers know Estelle primarily for her fiction.
 
The author knew from an early age that fiction was her calling. She was in Grade 4 when a teacher asked her to tell the class a story. Estelle did not disappoint. She asked her classmates to imagine a world where aliens landed in her backyard the previous night before regaling them with the stories they told her and the conversations she had with her extraterrestrial visitors.
 
The experience stayed with the author because her storytelling skills impressed the teacher. She was sure Estelle would earn her living as a writer of children’s stories in the future. She told the author as much.
 
The teacher’s prediction was only partially true because children’s stories did not fit Estelle’s sensibilities. She pivoted into mysteries because the genre has always fascinated her. She was an avid mystery reader from a young age. Additionally, puzzles and complex plots appeal to her.
 
Surprisingly, that alien story she told her class in Grade 4 spoke volumes about Estelle’s interests because science fiction is the only other significant genre she consumes besides crime fiction.
 
But she can’t imagine manifesting the same creativity her favorite science fiction writers have shown. The author doesn’t know how they can build entire universes and civilizations from nothing.
 
For Estelle, mysteries are a better fit. Interestingly, she began her career by writing romance novels for a South African publishing firm. It was a taxing job because she wrote the books in Afrikaans.
 
Because it was not her first language, finding the correct words to express herself in Afrikaans was a significant challenge. It did not help matters that Afrikaans was more limited than English. In the time it took her to pen seven short romance novels, Estelle grew to respect romance writers because the books they write are light and silly enough for casual readers to enjoy.
 
And yet, they still offer plenty of emotional engagement. Sadly for the author, romance was not her cup of tea. So she abandoned the genre and turned her attention to the Genevieve Lenard books.
 
The author is proud of the series because the protagonist is on the autism spectrum. Estelle doesn’t have autism, and neither do her friends and family members. Nonetheless, readers have repeatedly praised the author for her portrayal of Genevieve’s condition.
 
They think the heroine is relatable and compelling. They also appreciate the effort she makes to overcome her weaknesses.
 
Best Estelle Ryan Books
The author is a self-proclaimed coffeeshopaholic. In fact, she has written many books in coffee shops. Estelle’s best novels include:
 
1). The Gauguin Connection
Genevieve Lenard liked her routine. Even though she was a renowned nonverbal communication expert, her high functioning Autism made the insurance investigator’s life quite difficult.
 
As such, she was far from amused when a favor took a chaotic turn. Genevieve was supposed to investigate a young artist’s murder. The last thing she expected was for the case to destroy her predictable routine, forcing Genevieve to confront everything from unwanted social interactions to meaningful friendships and a deadly killer.
 
2). The Dante Connection
Friendships were not Genevieve Lenard’s thing. She was most comfortable working alone and putting her autistic single-mindedness to demanding tasks, such as finding stolen works of art and deciphering clues.
 
Therefore, the doctor couldn’t overlook the betrayal she had suffered at the hands of her so-called friends. Her only objective now was to disappear into her work. But then Francine showed up at her door asking for help.
 
Genevieve couldn’t ignore the beaten and bloodied hacker. So she went out on a limb. The investigator decided to team up with her friends to help Francine. But the case is far from easy.
 
Genevieve’s decisions and actions will claim many lives unless she finds the courage to face and overcome her fears.