5 Question Interview With Aaron Galvin

Author: 
Aaron Galvin Author Picture:
 
3 Other Books By Author: 
- Salted
- Taken With A Grain Of Salt
- Salem's Vengeance
Book In Question:  
Taken With A Grain Of Salt
 
Book Cover:

Goodreads Description:
Anyone can be taken - a simple truth for Salt folk, a stark reality for innocent teens Garrett Weaver and Kellen Winstel. Kidnapped by Selkie slave catchers and dragged into the realm beneath the waves, both teens must adapt to their new surroundings if they hope to see the shore again. Yet even if they escape their captors, both will need to embrace their fears. For darker things than Selkies lurk in the Salted depths and not all of them have pure intentions for the innocent ones brought down into their watery world.

INTERVIEW

1. Who is your favourite character and who was the most fun to write in Taken with a grain of salt?

Oi. It’s tough to narrow down my favourite because I like most of them for different reasons. I’d lean toward Lenny though. He might seem jaded, but I love his toughness and inner struggle. Plus, he’s a wise guy.


2. What other projects do you have planned? bookish and non bookish?

I’m currently writing the second book in my Vengeance trilogy about the Salem witch trials. I like to bounce back and forth between my two series to keep things fresh.

As for non-bookish plans, it’s my hope to create investor packets for the upcoming year and obtain funding for a film adaptation of Salem’s Vengeance. It’s probably a crazy pipe dream to believe I can pull something together that soon, but, as I always say, “Dream big or go home.”


3. What inspired you to invent the world of the Salt?

My mom.
I had written a different book that received numerous rejections from agents and publishers. Naturally, I moped 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 suggestion. Not one to give in easily, I tried the argument that mermaids were for girls and, come on, what guy wants to be seen reading mermaid books? They weren’t cool!
Then Mom said something I’ll never forget. “Find a way to make them cool…Find a way to make mermaids cool so that guys like you will want to read about them.”
That changed everything. I’m a pretty competitive person. Suddenly I had a challenge. How could I make mermaids interesting for guys like me? How could I make them different? Unique? 
My Salt series is the result. I like to think I accomplished Mom’s challenge of making mermaids cool for guys to read about. Readers will decide if that’s true.


4. If you were washed up on a desert island which three book characters (any book!) would you most like with you and why?

1) Dumbledore from Harry Potter. He could rescue me/bring us back to the mainland whenever we wanted. Plus, I think it’d be cool just to talk with him.
2) Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia. I always wondered what the Pevensie children must have felt standing next to him, or how cool it would be to run my fingers through his mane. Plus, he’d make me feel safe no matter where I was.
3) Arwen from The Lord of The Rings. If I’m stranded on a desert island, might as well have something pretty to look at. It doesn’t hurt that she can hunt too. Also, I’ve always wanted to meet an elf.


5. What inspired you to become a writer and have you got any tips for any of my readers who are aiming to become writers themselves.

I love that you asked about inspiration directly after the ‘pick three characters/deserted island’ question above because *they* are my inspiration. Theirs are the stories I loved growing up, and still love today. I want to see if I can imagine and write worlds and characters as diverse and wonderful as those before me to continue the bond between storyteller and reader.

As for tips, I think most authors will tell aspiring writers to both read as much as possible and also write something everyday. Both are certainly relevant and important. Something else I always tell those I speak with about writing is to let the voices in your head breathe life into your characters. When you hear a voice whispering about a story, engage it. Have that conversation with the anonymous voice and see where it wants to go. Yes, if anyone saw you they might think you’re crazy, (maybe all of us writers are), but if you can’t converse with that voice, or picture yourself journeying alongside them, why should your readers?

You have to *go there*.