A conversation with Tanya Chapman about love, legacy, and the stories her husband left behind.
Ralph Chapman wore many titles in his life—Forensic Officer, gamer, strategist, storyteller—but the most important, by far, was husband and father. He passed away in January 2023, leaving behind a family who loved him deeply—and stories that still have so much to say.
With quiet persistence and a mind trained in logic, Ralph made his mark both in the real world and on the page. His books, rich in tactical thinking and emotional depth, reflect the duality of a man who could investigate violent crime by day and build entire worlds of science fiction and fantasy by night.
Today, thanks to his wife Tanya and the support of AuthorsHQ, Ralph’s stories are reaching the readers he always hoped for. His work continues through a growing legacy—one defined not only by storytelling but also by family, passion, and the quiet heroism of seeing a dream through.
I spoke with Tanya about their life together, Ralph’s writing journey, and what it means to shepherd his books into the world now that he’s gone.
From Gaming Pods to Gondolas
Tanya and Ralph’s story began somewhere fitting: a simulation gaming center called Virtual World in Pasadena. “It was a place where you could pilot vehicles in Battletech or Red Planet,” Tanya recalls. It was more than a shared interest—it was a foundation. A meeting point of imagination and intellect that would define their relationship for decades to come.
“We met through a love of games, really. Ralph was a strategist—always thinking five moves ahead. But he also loved the thrill of competition, the teamwork, the camaraderie that came with online and tabletop gaming. That sense of shared purpose—it carried over into everything he did, including our marriage.”
At home, Ralph was a man of rituals and fandoms: World of Warcraft raids with his guild, comic books and sci-fi paperbacks, and anime nights with the family. “He would help around the house and occasionally make dinner, but most days he’d log on to play with his guild or watch anime with us,” Tanya says. “He loved stories. Whether he was watching them, reading them, or building them from scratch, stories were his escape and his expression.”
Their marriage thrived on both routine and adventure. Tanya reflects on one particularly cherished anniversary—an escape to Las Vegas where they wandered shops, floated through the Venetian on a gondola, and laughed through a Blue Man Group performance. “It was the kind of memory that stays with you,” she says. “It wasn’t flashy. It was just… us. Time together, without distractions. Ralph had a very grounded sense of joy. He appreciated the little things.”
A Forensic Mind with a Story to Tell
Ralph spent over 20 years as a forensic officer, working for the City of Pasadena and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. While he rarely brought the darker parts of his job home, that experience quietly informed his writing. “About a third of his work was dealing with dead bodies,” Tanya says. “Not too much you want to bring home.” But the precision, the logic, the meticulous attention to detail—it’s all there in his fiction.
“He had a mind for puzzles,” Tanya says. “He could look at a case file and see the connections instantly. That’s part of what made him such a good gamer, too. He didn’t just see what was in front of him—he saw the structure behind it. The mechanics. That’s how he approached storytelling, too.”
It took years before Ralph felt ready to write. “He talked about it all the time,” Tanya says. “But he didn’t believe his writing skills were strong enough.” Eventually, with encouragement from his family and a recommendation to try a writing program, Ralph sat down to create. What followed were rich, layered stories filled with heart, action, and unmistakable traces of the man who wrote them.
Rise of Hercules: From Game Nights to Galactic War
Though The Dwarf, The Dead and the FBI was Ralph’s first published novel, it was his sci-fi trilogy—Gamers vs. Aliens—that had long occupied his imagination. The first book in the series, Rise of Hercules, is packed with strategic battle scenes, alien threats, and deeply human stakes. At its core is Tom, a widowed father and former forensics expert—reflective, perhaps, of Ralph himself.
“He had them all planned out in his head,” Tanya says. “The fourth book was more of a bonus, but he loved trilogies. That was how he structured his thoughts—beginning, middle, end. He believed in complete arcs.”
Ralph’s own experiences in online gaming gave life to the world of Hercules. “Tom leads a raid in-game—that’s Ralph,” Tanya laughs. “He used to lead raids in World of Warcraft and was called Darth Vader for his ability to recruit.”
The tactical elements, the mecha battles, the sense of camaraderie between players—all of it is rooted in Ralph’s gaming life and his love for science fiction.
“There’s so much of him in that book,” she says. “The way characters talk to each other, the way the stakes rise slowly and then all at once. He really cared about building a believable world, even if it had aliens and AIs. He wanted the decisions characters made to feel real.”
Tanya remembers watching him sketch out battleships and alien tech, researching tactics, flipping through war history books. “He’d be on the internet looking up the most random stuff,” she says. “He really cared about getting it right.”
The Dwarf, The Dead and the FBI: A Reflection of Real Life
While Hercules had Ralph’s heart, The Dwarf, The Dead and the FBI is perhaps his most personal work. A supernatural crime thriller, it draws heavily from his forensic experience while weaving in the eerie and otherworldly. “He loved horror and sci-fi, and when you mix that with your job, you can come up with interesting stuff,” Tanya says.
One of the central characters in the book is a Little Person. Ralph, inspired in part by Game of Thrones, took care to research dwarfism and ensure the portrayal was respectful. “We talked about it a lot,” Tanya recalls. “He wanted to make sure it came across the right way.”
“The Dwarf was a chance for Ralph to explore a different kind of justice,” Tanya says. “What happens when the legal system can’t do what needs to be done? What if the dead want more than closure? What if they want retribution?”
The book walks a delicate line between realism and myth, between criminal process and supernatural vengeance.
Originally written after the Hercules trilogy, The Dwarf was published first as a standalone experiment—testing the waters of indie publishing. With help from AuthorsHQ and guidance from editor Theodora Bryant, Tanya and Ralph navigated formatting, cover design, and the complex process of publishing through Amazon. The response was encouraging—and the path forward became clear.
Rise of the Hercules
Now, with Ralph gone, Tanya has taken on the role of guardian and curator of his stories. The remaining two books in the Hercules trilogy are written and in the process of being edited. “There are times I have to reread a section to make sure I’m staying true to his vision,” Tanya admits. “And I still complain to him about not being able to ask what he meant.”
Fortunately, she isn’t doing it alone. “My kids are behind this. My family is happy to see that we are getting them published.”
With editing by Theodora Bryant and full publishing support from AuthorsHQ—including cover design, formatting, and distribution—Ralph’s work is in trusted hands.
And that’s part of the story, too. AuthorsHQ isn’t just about publishing—it’s about people. About honoring a voice and making sure it’s heard. Tanya’s story is a reminder of how powerful that mission can be.
“Publishing isn’t just about sales,” she says. “It’s about respect. For the writer, for the story, for the readers. Ralph put so much of himself into these books. I’m just trying to help that part of him live on.”
More Than Just Stories
If there’s one theme that runs through all of Ralph’s books, it’s this: family. Whether it’s the spectral justice-seekers in The Dwarf or the scrappy warriors in Rise of Hercules, Ralph’s characters are defined by their loyalty, love, and fierce protection of the people they care about.
“Even in The Dwarf, you see that,” Tanya says. “Family is important. He was quiet about it, but he lived for us. It shows in every page.”
As for Ralph himself? If he could see his books in readers’ hands now, Tanya thinks he’d be a little unsure, a little modest—but proud. “He would be skeptical,” she says. “But happy.”
That’s what these stories are about. Not just mecha and mystery. They’re about remembering. About legacy. And about a man who built worlds to share with the people he loved most.
Read Ralph’s Work
The Dwarf, The Dead and the FBI
A supernatural crime thriller grounded in Ralph’s real-life forensic experience, where justice doesn’t end with death.
→ Buy it now on Amazon
Rise of Hercules (Coming Soon)
The first book in Ralph’s Gamers vs. Aliens sci-fi trilogy—where strategy, family, and alien warfare collide.
→ Buy it now on Amazon
Interested in publishing your own book?
Visit AuthorsHQ.com to learn how we support indie authors with professional editing, formatting, and design—just like we did for Ralph’s legacy.
