Page Created: 06/19/25. Last Updated: 07/04/25.
R.R. VIRDI
ONLINE
Website: <https://www.rrvirdi.com/>
SOCIAL MEDIA
Bluesky <https://bsky.app/profile/rrvirdi.bsky.social>
FaceBook <https://www.facebook.com/rrvirdi/>
Instagram <https://www.facebook.com/rrvirdi/>
Twitter / X <https://x.com/rrvirdi>
YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/@rrvirdi1693>
Meeting Date: June 14, 2025.
Meeting Site: Zoom Video Conference.
Attendance: 26.
Meeting Program: Talk / Q & A w/fantasy / science fiction writer.
Notes:
Six people attended the post-meeting Virtual Diner Run. They discussed the movies, How to Train Your Dragon, Ballerina (John Wick franchise), Thunderbolts*, and Wicked, as well as the television shows Foundation and Murderbot.
Newsletter Account:
The following account is reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 2025 Philip J De Parto:
The June 14, 2026 General Meeting of the Science Fiction Association of Bergen County was held by zoom video conference. Fantasy author R.R. Virdi was our speaker.
Mr Virdi is a hybrid author, with some of his titles published by Tor Books and others self-published. He feels this is the sweet spot for Author's as each platform offers certain advantages and having a foot in each offers him the most exposure. He has written urban fantasy, epic fantasy, and science fiction space opera.
Our guest is from the Indian sub-continent and is a second-generation American. He horrified his parents by rejecting his culture's recipe for success, school with an advanced degree leading to a career as a dictor, lawyer, or other professional. Instead he dropped out of college and became an automobile mechanic (prompting a digression about cars with John Upton), writing between oil changes.
Ronnie's (R.R.) first book, GRAVE BEGINNINGS, was a work of pure passion and attracted a bit of notice in indie publishing circles,but it was his follow up book, GRAVE MEASURES, that moved him into the big time. The urban fantasy was nominated for DragonCon's Dragon Award and got him at the dias with couldn't-be-nicer superstars like Jim Butcher and Patrcia Briggs. The series continued with GRAVE DEALINGS (novel) and Grave Gambles (short story).
Another Dragon Award nominee, DANGEROUS WAYS, and six other novels followed, as well as a smattering of shorter works, including the Nebula Award novelette nominee, Messengers, which was co-authored with Yudhanjaya Wijeratne.
Mr Virdi rattled off a batch of books and authors which influenced him or whom he recommends: THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho, Glen Cook's Black Company novels, MUSHROOM BLUES by Adrian M Gibson, David Grann's THE WAGER, THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY by Maureen Murdock, Eric S Nyand's Halo Books, J R R Tolkien (especially the Silmarillion), and the works of Gene Wolfe (but you need to work to understand what is going on).
Our guest talked about his writing methodology. He is a pantser, not a plotter, and tries to write 2000 words per day. Depending on the work, it can take three to eighteen months to write a book. He studied detective novels to learn pacing. He watched Jim Butcher videos about writing. The most important things in writing are persistance and luck. While he never actually participated in NaNoWriMo, the concept inspired him.
R.R. discovered indie publishing as he was writing his first book and got in just as Amazon self-publishing was taking off. The flood-the-market theory of writing started in 2015; he has seen a lot of writers burn out trying to keep up that pace. He dislikes publishing trends. What typically happens is that some writes something new which establishes a trend. A batch of mainstream sf writers quickly hop on the bandwagon, which is soon deemed to be over saturated, leaving later-arriving minority writers with interesting and unique takes on the concept shut out.
Here is an assortment of comments our speaker made I found of interest. AI should be called Artificial Stupidity; it is diminishing our ability to do critical thinking. Rock music and Metal are now becoming big overseas. Instagram is filled with anti-Indian hatred. The Portugese had a massive slave trade in old-world Indians.
Mr Virdi had interesting things to say about mythology, particularly Indian mythology, which is much broader than the commonly-known Hindu mythology.
Meeting Notes:
PERSONAL
Born in Arlington, Virginia
Montessori School
Big gamer & manga fan growing up.
Parents wanted him to get degrees and become a profession - doctor, lawyer, etc.
Mother reads SF/fantasy. Bonded over George R R Martin.
College drop out
Did automotive repair @ 18
Also drove a cab when drug dealers would flag a cab to do a deal
Sold parts to build your own computer
Suffers depression
Worked on writing in between oil changes
Second generation Sikh
Two younger sisters
Bi-cultural
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
AI is diminishing our ability to do critical thinking.
AI is Artificial Stupidity.
Rock music and Metal now becoming big overseas
Decolonizing India is hard
Lots of anti-Indian hatred on Instagram
In India actors are traditionally considered barely better than sex workers
WRITING
Never did NaNoWriMo, but the idea inspired him.
Discovered indie publishing while writing his first book.
Got in just as Amazon self-pub was taking off.
The flood the market theory of writing started in 2015
Lots of writers burned out
Learned from online Jim Butcher videos about writing.
Study Detective Novels to learn pacing.
Tries to write 2000 words/day
Pantser, not plotter
Most important things in writing are persistence and luck
Takes 3 - 18 months to write a book
Tor.com - massive success in India.
Dislikes trends. Someone comes up with one. Market gets oversaturated and abandoned before other-culture writers can put their spin on things.
Wrote his LitRPG book on a dare.
Had dinner with a friend and since-let-go editor Christopher Morgan of Tor Books @ 2019 DragonCon.
Original agent was Joshua Bilmes.
Kishotenketsu Asian storytelling structure.
Wrote screenplay on spec
CONVENTIONS
First convention was Awesome Con. Met John Harkness who showed him the convention ropes.
Dragon Con reached out to him because he was a nominee for Dragon Award.
RavenCon, a literary SF convention, also reached out to him.
The difference between the two was a giant party vs a small hug.
Cutting back on his convention attending.
BOOKS & PUBLISHING
Hybrid Author. Both Traditional and Indie published.
You have more control with indie. Lots of places for things to go astray in traditional publishing
Teaching Master Class in Writing through University of Oslo
Currently working on a video game he can't say anything about.
Working on two comic books
.....Urban Fantasy
Originally did his own covers. A fan wrote to him. Your covers suck. Let's find a way to use me.
Dangerous Ways..........Dragon Award nominee. Sales boost allowed him to eke out a living as a writer
Grave Beginnings..........Pure passion
Grave Measures.........Dragon Award nominee
Grave Dealings..........Bad time in his life - Job loss, death, break up
.....LitRPG Fantasy
Monster Slayer Online
.....Virtual World Fantasy
Goblin King
Beast Queen
.....Epic Fantasy, Tor Books
The First Binding..........A love letter to tropes & storytelling
The Doors of Midnight..........Rite of Passage. Older storytelling techniques written in oral tradition.
.....Space Western / SciFi
The Star Shepard
.....Nebula Award Nominated Novelette
Messengers (co-authored with Yudhanjaya Wijeratne)
EDITORS & AGENTS
Connected with editors John Helfers (BattleTech/Shadow Run) and Chris Morgan (formerly at Tor).
First agent was Joshua Bilmes.
Current Tor Books editor is Stephanie Stein. Indie editor is Michelle Dunbar.
WOULD LIKE TO
Write a lightweight romance or rom-com
Script for Studio Ghibli
LIKES, INFLUENCES, & RECOMMENDATIONS
Loves Tolkien, especially The Silmarillion
Gene Wolfe, you need to work to understand what is happening
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Glen Cook, The Black Company
Eric S Nyland, Halo Books
Adrian M Gibson, Mushroom Blues
Maureen Murdock, The Heroine's Journey
David Grann, The Wager
MYTHOLOGY
Talked about cross-cultural myth diffusion
Lots of other mythic traditions besides Hindu in Indian sub-continent
Jataka Tales (Indian)
Vladimir Propp, Russian Fairy Tales & Folk Tales
Indian folk tales anthology - anti-caste anthology
MISCELLANEOUS
Portuguese slave trade in old-world Indians