Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
Exclusive Interview with
Aaron Ryan
When did you start writing?
In 1982, in 2nd grade. My teacher issued an assignment to write novellas, and the little author in me was born!
What makes writing your passion?
I absolutely love the escapism of it, the adventure, the story craft, the world-building, the character development... all of it!
How long have you been writing?
Formally since the early 90's, but my creative pursuits took a lot of deviations into different focuses. I only just returned to writing in 2017.
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
Euphoria. Couldn't believe I actually did it. I subsequently unpublished it because the time wasn't right and who was I to put out an autobiography anyway?!?! But each time is a colossal joy and delight.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
They have a lot of heart. I pride myself on moral centers and human issues 'plaguing' the central protagonists.
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
Scammers and AI-slop creators. Full stop.
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
I usually will take a solid detour off the fiction highway and pursue a nonfiction book for a while, until my fingers, brain and heart are reminded that they can in fact do this, at which point I'll resume writing whatever WIP I'm consumed by at the time.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
Escapism. Creating worlds. Creating characters. Making memories.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
SLOW THE HECK DOWN.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
Yes. I always take them with a grain of salt. Someone could love my book because my name is Aaron, while someone else could hate my book because my name is Aaron. You never know. Ultimately, who cares? You can't please everyone, nor should you try.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Gratitude that they (hopefully) read the entire book all the way through!
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Yes, some drama, some fright, some horror.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
Cameron "Jet" Shipley is the protagonist of the "Dissonance" alien invasion saga, and he's a cynic and a bit snarky. I'm not saying that he's my doppelganger but... *checks notes* he's my doppelganger.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
YES. I reverse engineer my books and design my covers first. I like to have an alluring image to shoot for, and a captivating cover helps motivate me to write a great story, and make the story as captivating as the cover. The cover will doubtless process through a few iterations and be different at publishing stage than it was at creation, but it does help me to reverse engineer my stories and follow that trajectory. People do still judge a book by its cover.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
YES. I love meeting them at vendor markets and craft fairs, talking with them in my group, interacting with them over email etc.
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
It's such a delight. I know they're appreciating the story, and that means the world to me. I love my stories. I love my characters. And I want my readers to love them too.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
J.R.R. Tolkien, because..... J.R.R. Tolkien.
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
See above answer.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
Yes, most of my early ones, especially books like Dissonance Volume Zero: Revelation. There is SO much amateurish writing in there, and I over use the word 'looked' (even though many of those instances were intentional because that's the whole point of the story.
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
See above answer. OH MAN if I could have written The Lord of the Rings...
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
Get a clue. Seriously. You threw the baby out with the bathwater and got hung up over the word 'fills' when it should have been 'hills.' So? Have some grace. You have no idea how much heart and soul we've poured into our characters, our story, their lives, the narrative, the stakes, the beating heart of the novel. It takes time, and we willing sacrificed of our time in order to bring all of that to life. What have YOU created? What have YOU slaved over? Surely you can appreciate hard work and determination to see something through? Ultimately, these are our 'babies,' and you're attacking and besmirching our 'babies'.... and we might just turn into mama and papa bears as a result.
What would you say to your readers?
I hope these stories motivate you to continue reading. I hope they provided you incredible escapism and a sense of adventure, and I hope you're motivated to read more works by Author Aaron Ryan.
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I'm (proudly) an award-winning and bestselling IMDb-listed multi-genre Christian author, speaker and voice actor who lives in Washington with my wife and two sons, along with Macy the dog, Winston & Tibbles the cats, and. finch named Fry. When I was in second grade, I was tasked with writing a novella. And thus, The Electric Boy was born: a simple story full of intrigue, fantasy, and 7-year-old wits that electrified my desire to write. From that point forward, I evolved into a creative soul that desired to create. In my lifetime I've been an author, voiceover artist, wedding videographer, stage performer, musician, producer, rock/pop artist, executive assistant, service manager, paperboy, CSR, poet, tech support, worship leader, and more. The diversity of my life experiences gives me a unique approach to business, life, ministry, faith, and entertainment. My favorite author by far is J.R.R. Tolkien, but I also enjoy Suzanne Collins, James S.A. Corey, Michael Crichton, Marie Lu, Madeleine L’Engle, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, C.S. Lewis, Stephen King and Dave Barry.
What is your day job if you have one?
Full time voice actor and *cough cough* uh, teller of dad-jokes...
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
Free time? What's that? I'm a daddy of 10 and 7 year old boys. Please define 'free time,' those two words sound like they should mean something to me.
I enjoy church, movies, the arts, media, music, performing, poetry, and being a daddy.
Did you have a happy childhood?
Yes! I did. Full of learning, growth, imagination, and fun.
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
Reading and plunging into The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings at such a young age, and being asked to write a novella in 2nd grade.
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
Yes. An autobiography, a deleted 300+ page thriller, a book on poetry, and, uh, *cough cough* a fantastic epic adventure about a little guy with hairy feet who comes across a powerful ring that makes him invisible and he has to destroy it in a volcano and all the while some scary black riders and a shriveled and emaciated guy who keeps saying 'my precious' are chasing him, but he has a faithful friend by his side and there's a wizard and *cough cough* I wrote the whole thing and then *cough cough* it was *cough cough* stolen...
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
I really think we lack empathy and it needs to be taught SO much more. Kids (and adults!) need to reach beyond ourselves and truly TRY to understand those around us. The point is with social media we've become ANTI-social, and we're insular and selfish. We need to focus on community, and that only happens with empathy. And kids need to READ! SO MUCH! Reading unlocks learning.
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
1. To have 27,963 more wishes.
2. That my books would sell like hotcakes and be made into movies.
3. That my sons would grow up to adulthood knowing that they are fiercely loved and utterly valuable.
What is your favorite music?
I'm eclectic! Alanis Morissette, For King and Country, Beatles, Gavin DeGraw, Michael Jackson, country music, pop music, rock music.
Share a secret with us 🙂
But... *checks notes* then it wouldn't be a secret.... Hmm....