D Murphy Ryan – Romance Author
Love despite the scars
Romance Writers of America® 2018 Golden Heart® Award Finalist ~
Out of the Shadows
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Thrilling, Sultry Romance
This 2018 Golden Heart® Finalist has lived her life in chapters. One of five siblings, she grew up writing in the suburbs of Philadelphia – a city of neighborhoods, that is home to some of the most unique characters that ever lived. And while its sports teams epitomize the word “underdog”, Philadelphia’s music, art, and food are world-class, setting it apart from many others. The spirit of Philadelphia infuses its residents, even well outside the city. So, no matter how many times their sports teams choke in the clinch, Philadelphians never say die. D Murphy Ryan internalized that spirit, learning to overcome adversity and push on against all odds.
Being shy made her a natural observer, and when she couldn’t connect or felt uncomfortable in the real world, she created a realm of her own. When life kicked her around, she’d write. Stories of anguish or magic, creepy tales of horror or heart-warming fables of redemption, they’d pour from her pen, cramping her hand and staining her fingers as she filled notebook upon notebook, endless snippets and character studies and experiments in atmosphere. The personalities she encountered came to life on the page. And in those stories, no matter how dire their circumstance, they nearly always found their Happily Ever After.
Waitressing forced her out of her shell – a little, and a stint as a photographer’s assistant pushed her further as she traveled across the U.S. and encountered other artists, some famous (Six degrees of Kevin Bacon anyone?) some not so well known. She even went to Prague to help establish a studio in the early 90’s where she had to learn how to communicate without language. Returning home and believing that education was critical for everyone, she embarked on a brief but satisfying stint as a Montessori teacher and worked with illiterate adults as a volunteer until the program lost funding, teaching them to read and write so that they could better their circumstances. At loose ends, and still teaching by day, her love of music and singing drove her onstage where she performed semi-professionally throughout the Philadelphia region. Dreams of pushing on and making it in opera or Broadway filled her head, but marriage and children altered her path.
Now, bouncing plot bunnies off her two teenage sons and long-suffering husband, she’s at last embracing the one dream she never thought she’d be brave enough to attempt: Author. The pages of her life created the fodder for this latest chapter, resulting in multiple completed novels including the Golden Heart® finaling Out of the Shadows, and the Contemporary Romance Writers’ finaling novels The Kiss, Jackass, and Bastard.
The air and fields and waterways, the people, tastes, and textures of Philadelphia may have served to imbue D Murphy Ryan with an inner strength and character that impacts all aspects of her life, it is that tendency to watch and observe, learned as a shy young girl, that makes the characters she creates come to life. Relaying their tales and providing that Happily Ever After is as natural to her as breathing – and if one or two is an underdog, or a heartbroken Flyers fan, well, art does have a way of imitating life.
Books in the Works
Out of the Shadows (Contemporary) 2018 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Finalist
Beauty meets Beast…
Alex Callahan, the owner of a popular West Philadelphia bar, has been unable to interact normally with her world since being raped the year before, but she’s shocked out of her shell when burn victim Noah Chamberlain inadvertently saves her from another assault. Though uncomfortable in his skin, Noah’s quick action spurs a chain of events that pushes them out of their respective shadows, finding love despite their scars.
The Kiss (Romance with Suspenseful Elements) Contemporary Romance Writers 2018 Stiletto® Contest Finalist
Targeted because of a kiss
Fed up with being a pawn to her parent’s ambitions, Sam Davis escapes to Mexico for some fun in the sun and self-discovery. But after sharing a smoking hot kiss with sex US Marshal, Dylan Maloney, she finds herself targeted by the human traffickers he’s hunting, inadvertently discovering a strength and fortitude – and love – she never dreamed she’d find.
Profane Siblings Trilogy (Contemporary)
Book One: Heart’s Deception
The best revenge is love.
Dane, a self-made millionaire, targets the stepdaughter of his father’s enemy as the lynchpin of his plot to drive the father who abandoned him out of business, only he didn’t count on Kat being so damn appealing or that being with her would open an aching desire for more within his black heart. But when outside forces threaten Kat’s safety, Dane is forced to choose between his revenge and love.
Book Two: Heart’s Redemption; Bastard Contemporary Romance Writers 2019 Stiletto® Contest finalist
Even lost souls can be redeemed. Handsome and successful, James Preston is the toast of the town and one of the most sought-after cyber-security experts in the world. Yet when a drunken and unremembered kiss pushes his childhood best friend’s carefully crafted image off a cliff, he forces himself to pretend to a life-long romance with the only woman he’s ever loved. Ally, now world-famous actress Allison Tremaine and no better able to remember that kiss than James, finds herself locked in a pretend relationship with the man who destroyed her world as a teenager after literally saving her life as children. Both deeply wounded, they struggle against the love that proximity brings to the surface. But a stalker intent on destroying both of them pushes them to realize that no matter the obstacle, honesty and love can conquer all.
Book Three: Heart’s Desire; Asshole
Masking his love. Billionaire Bruce Carmichael keeps the world at bay with an insouciant smile and a mercurial personality. Trapped for years by his father’s machinations, he bides his time, awaiting his moment to strike and win back his business and self-esteem, but before he can, he’s kidnapped by Nigel Simpson, the Secret Intelligence Service agent charged with thwarting a plot to destroy the world economy. Together they blunder through a dark wood filled with lies and deceit, and in the end, unmask an unexpected love.
Deception (Romantic Suspense)
She won a date with a billionaire. Now she’s on the run.
Driven to succeed in a man’s world, Erin Toomey has no time for anything frivolous, especially Joe Bailey. But after winning “the date of a lifetime” makes her the target of Mayan terrorists, Erin and Joe are thrust into a dark world of deception with roots in both their pasts, and struggle to thwart a plot against the United States.
Plus Working Titles:
Seven Wonders (Contemporary) A woman with a death sentence. A man hiding from scandal. A love to rival the Seven Wonders.
The Dupe (Contemporary) An embittered writer of a divorce blog meets the woman of his dreams on a flight from hell and is forced to re-evaluate his perceptions of women and relationships.
Midnight Bright (Contemporary) An emotionally crippled Rocker steps in to assist a pregnant artistic agent but soon realizes he must face his demons or lose his career and the love of his life.
Arabesque (Contemporary Series) A spontaneous dance in the surf at dawn on a world-famous photographer’s beach begins a whirling dance of love for a tight-knit group of friends.
Philadelphia Stories (“Short” Contemporary Stories) A collection of stories ranging from that of a disenchanted woman who inadvertently finds a new lease on life when she’s “rescued” by a handsome stranger after her husband abandons her at a concert, to a second chance love story about two driven, but like-minded souls who reunite in the Starlight.
Vespa (Fantasy Romance) She feeds off the energy of humans to survive. He was born to destroy her kind. But when a maniac seeks to control the powers of the Vespa for his own ends, they must unite to save their world.
Dinner with Strangers (Contemporary) An innocent encounter with a woman at an airport completely alters a millionaire’s outlook on life and love, forcing him to re-examine his lifestyle and choices to win the love of the one woman he can’t live without.
The Billboard (Contemporary) A man secretly in love with his business partner is prompted by a woman on a billboard to go after what he wants.
Wild Harmony (Contemporary) After his fiancée dumps him for his “best” friend, Adam Wagner drives the long way home. But an encounter with Mary Kate, famous songstress M-Kay, stranded by a flat on a dark stretch of country road, turns fateful when he accidentally leaves a pair of priceless cufflinks on the hood of her car. Accused of theft due to a sordid past, Adam returns, intent on saving her from jail – but in the end, love saves them both.
Short Stories
Swiss Miss (Contemporary) Two teenage boys from different backgrounds forge an unlikely friendship tinged with attraction which comes to a head after they find themselves snowed in at a mountain retreat.
The Sweater (Fantasy/Horror) A man unwittingly becomes the victim of species of women that prey on human men, but vows to win his freedom.