Who exactly is this so-called author "Aaron Hodges"?
An interview with the author, by the author...
Hey, stop right there! Who do you think you are, going around calling yourself an author! What makes you think you can get away with that?
Well, sir, I’m glad you asked! As it turns out, I get asked that quite a bit. In fact, the first question a lot of people ask me after finding out an author is - have you published any books…
Yeah, I have, 25 actual novels, actually. It kinda goes with the territory?
In all seriousness though, its funny now thinking back to when I first published my first novel, Stormwielder, in 2015. Back then I barely even considered eBooks when I was going through the process of selfpublishing, and I certainly didn’t consider myself an author yet! It took years of work and several bestsellers before I could comfortably introduce myself as an author - instead of my old profession as an Environmental Scientist. It probably wasn’t until my third year (and tenth novel, Oathbreaker) that I just dropped any kind of limiter to my introductions and called myself a fully fledge author.
Very well then, in that case, do you like to chase the squirrel?
Ah…kinda odd question but I’ll roll with it. No, I’m really a one squirrel kinda guy. If the squirrel is a metaphor for books and ideas. It is, isn’t it? God I hope so. Yeah, I usually like to grab hold of an idea and characters and a world and run with it until the end. That’s why my first five years of writing, I wrote five separate series. Lately I have branched out slightly, picking up a couple different series at the same time as I branched out into other genres, but I’m now bringing that back in and trying to focus on one series at a time again. I feel I write better stories and more believable characters that way.
Okay, but do you have a favourite character to write?
Phew, finally, a normal question. Yeah, I love characters with spunk! Women that aren’t afraid to punch a man in the nose if they’re missbehaving and men with wit and confidence. I don’t like perfection from my characters - no one can ever do everything themselves, and we all have our flaws and make mistakes, and I want my characters to be the same.
Please describe your writing process?
No.
Damnit, thwarted again. I’ll get your secret formula sometime Mr Hodges!
Not so fast, sir, now I have some questions for you!
Touche
What do you enjoy most about fantasy?
Well, I most enjoy getting to explore the possibilities of a world with magic, how it would change the way we behave, what people might be like with certain differences in history. And especially, what would things be like if long ago, the bad guys won and shaped the world in their image.
And have you been able to incorporate your previous experience from your job or life into your writing?
And now you’ve struck on my secret! You see, I’m a reverse Isekai. I was transported to your world from a fantasy realm, and now I write about my past adventurers as a way of coping with the share boredom of your supposed ‘real world’.
Sounds like someone needs a trip to the loony bin…
You’ll never take me alive!
Don’t forget to check out Aaron’s real fictional work here on Substack!
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