September's Author of the Month & Interveiw

Hello everyone! I would like to present a new feature that I will be doing every month. Author of the Month, this will consist of a post that includes an interview with the chosen author, along with featuring them in my sidebar for that entire month. 

I already have authors lined up till January 2016. If you are an author that is interested in participating in this you can head over to my Contact page and shoot me an email. 

I hope you guys are excited, because I am very excited to be sharing this. I have already done some interviews with the authors and it's been a lot of fun getting to see their responses and opinions back. 

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September's author is Aaron Galvin.

About the Author

Aaron Galvin cut his chops writing stand-up comedy routines at age thirteen. His early works paid off years later when he co-wrote and executive produced the award-winning indie feature film, Wedding Bells & Shotgun Shells.

He is also an accomplished actor. Aaron has worked in everything from Hollywood blockbusters, (Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, and Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers), to starring in dozens of indie films and commercials.

Aaron is a native Hoosier, graduate of Ball State University, and a proud member of SCBWI. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and daughters.

He currently has two series out, The Salt Series, and the Vengeance Trilogy; which will be finishing up in September. 

 
You can get in touch with him on :

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ His Website ~ 


The Interview

I would just like to start off by giving a huge thanks to Aaron Galvin for agreeing to be my first Author of the Month. I greatly appreciate it. 

Question 1: What first inspired you to write?

Aaron:  Reading the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Stephen King, and a thousand others who taught me it was truly possible to be transported into other worlds.

Question 2: Who are some authors you admire the most?

Aaron: There's really too many to mention. Growing up it would have to be Tolkien, Lewis, Dickens, the Brother's Grimm. Stephen King. In later years it's been Rowling, GRRM, and Hugh Howey.

Question 3: Where did the idea for your Salt Series come from?

Aaron: Salted is about a crew of Selkie slave catchers who go ashore hunting an elusive runaway only to discover a deeper, darker secret. It also features a new twist/take on mermaids.

The idea to write about mermaids actually came from my mom.

I had written a different book that received numerous rejections. Naturally, I was moping about it. Mom told me to suck it up. Write something new. For about an hour, she gave me various prompts.

“Wizards!” she’d say.

“Yeah…” I’d reply. “Not sure if you know, Mom, but there is this series called Harry Potter…”

“Vampires! Werewolves!”

“Twilight, Mom.”

Finally, she said, “How about mermaids?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. This was back in 2009 when I admittedly hadn’t been reading much. Too busy chasing my dream of becoming an actor. Anyway, I couldn’t think of any mermaid books at the time. The only response I could come back with was that mermaids were for girls. And really what guy wanted to be seen reading about mermaids? They weren’t cool!

Then Mom said something I’ll never forget. “Find a way to make them cool.”

That changed everything. I’m a pretty competitive person. Suddenly I had a challenge. How could I make mermaids cool for guys like me? How could I make them different?

Salted is the result of that. I like to think I accomplished Mom’s challenge. Readers will decide if that’s true.

 Question 4: What about the Salem Witch trials made you want to set a book around it?

Aaron: I’ve yet to find anyone who isn’t intrigued by the Salem trials. There’s just so much mystery and intrigue there. You really could approach the subject from a number of different angles. I’ve heard and seen a number of shows and books about the Salem trials, but hadn’t heard of anything that happened after the trials ended and revealed the fallout. I also hadn’t ever heard the ergot theory posited by Linnda R. Caporeal before. Again, there was so much to play with from a fictional perspective that I had to dive in and find out where the story would take me. It’s been a fascinating trip and I’m excited to find out what readers think of the trilogy’s conclusion.

Question 5: Between your Salt series or the Vengeance Trilogy, which did you enjoy writing the most?

Aaron: It’s tough to say because I’m not finished with the Salt series. They’re also very different; the Salt series is fantasy and told from multiple POVs, while the Vengeance Trilogy is historical thriller/horror and told from first person. It’s really apples and oranges. At the time of this writing, I would say it’s Vengeance Trilogy because it’s finished. Ha. That said, I’m excited to see what else the Salt has in store.

Question 6: Who is your favourite character in your Salt series, and then in your Vengeance Trilogy?

Aaron: Lenny’s probably my favourite in the Salt series because he’s hardened, but also how much of a ‘grey’ character he is.

In the Vengeance Trilogy, I’d probably say Priest. There’s something about the scariest guy in the room is the one who doesn’t say anything. I also love Bishop though, just because he can say anything and get away it.

Question 7: What does your writing cave look like? Is it bright and inviting or dark and secluded?

Aaron: Dark and secluded, for sure. There’s often anywhere between 4-8 cups with varying heights of water and/or coffee in them, a pile of non-fiction books, and then quotes posted on the wall in front of me to keep me motivated.

Question 8: Between acting and writing, which do you enjoy more?

Aaron: I need both in my life. I’m really weird that way. There’s this stereotypical writer side of me that likes to be left alone, but if I stay there too long I go crazy. Then there’s the stereotypical actor side, which wants to jump on a stage and put on a show.

I dunno how my wife puts up with me. That woman’s a saint.

Questions 9: While writing, what is a certain food or drink you require?

Aaron: Coffee. I usually have to make a fresh pot to help me get in the zone.

Questions 10: What is one piece of advice you would give to beginning writers?

Aaron: Two things. 1) Don’t be afraid to fail and 2) write the books you want to read. There’s a quote I love that goes  ‘What other people think of me is none of my business’. I love that because there’s always going to be someone out there waiting to rip your work apart, but if you’re writing what you love and what you would want to read, then it doesn’t matter.

And that concludes my first interview for my very first Author of the Month. Thanks again Aaron for being my September author.

 Purchase any of Aaron Galvin's book's here:

~ Personalized on his Website ~ Amazon ~