Hello everyone! Aidan here. I’ve recently released my third novel, The Memory Incident, a 208 page tale of Victor O’Malley and the consequences of his strange dream about the death of a boy known as Daniel Karter. I’m extremely excited for this one and I can’t wait for you all to read it!
In the meantime, I figured that I’d answer some questions!
(mild spoilers ahead, nothing too major!)
How long did it take you to write?
Well, in terms of straightforward writing, it was around four-ish months, mostly during my freshman semester of college. The idea was in gestation for a while though, and I think I’d written a little bit during the summer after I’d finished Blood and the Stars: Volume One.
What gave you the idea for the story?
A lot of things really. I wanted to do something more grounded after Blood and the Stars, to sort of give me more of a variety in what I write. I was also thinking about doing something that’s more standalone, more cinematic as opposed to the long form series style. Ironically enough, I’ve actually got a few ideas in mind for a continuation now, but we’ll have to see if I actually write that!
I’ve also been thinking a lot about the story potential of dreams and memories. There’s a lot of media that depicts characters receiving other people’s memories and I wanted to explore the ramifications of what would happen if a normal janitor got a dead kid’s memory.
Where did the cover come from?
Funnily enough, the cover was actually a photo that I took when I was coming back home from a job I was working back during my senior year of High School. I fiddled around with it and I thought it looked pretty cool.
It actually did sort of help me develop the story as well. The opening incident and a certain plot device that I don’t want to spoil here developed based off that. I had a lot of random ideas bouncing around in my head and this sort of helped stabilize it just a little.
How did the story develop and change overtime?
It really did develop a lot. I knew starting off that there’d be the memories and it would mean disastrous consequences for the town, but I didn’t know the exact sequence and order of events. I had a rough idea for certain characters, but a lot didn’t really click until I’d gotten the ending down.
What’s funny is that at one point, I was considering abandoning this story and using the concept for an entirely new one. Big Finish was having its Paul Spragg Competition and I thought it might be neat to incorporate it when I decided to try and enter. But I eventually decided to not use the plotline and just make up something new. Funnily enough, I didn’t win, so I might as well have just put it in!
As was seen in your Blood and the Stars series, death, violence, and a lot of darker themes are featured in your story. Is that your style?
Pretty much. I like to think that as an artist, I’m not holding back. I hope that people can see that it makes the work more authentic, less sterilized. I like to think that I’m defying the puritanism that’s censored so many artists back in the day. It’s why I chose to put in a sex scene, even though it’s not that type of book, because I want to get the audience to get a sense of humanity and honesty from the story.
Your main protagonist in The Memory Incident is an Irish-American. In Blood and the Stars, one common ethnic group often mentioned are “Irish-Germans”. Is there a reason you tend to focus on Ireland, despite being American?
Well, I wouldn’t say that I focus on it, rather that it’s an occasional theme. If you look at other parts of my work, there are quite a few stories that don’t have any Irish characters (think 10,000 Dawns: Aesthetic or WARSONG: The Phantom).
Admittedly, I do have a fascination with the country for a couple reasons. I do have some ancestry from several generations back, and I like to think that they’re inspiring me. Granted, I know the trope of the “idiotic American pretending to be Irish”, so I try and do my research before blathering on.
I also think that, in this age of American dominance in the media, that making my characters come from other places is sort of a duty of mine. The US tends to dominate movies and TV shows and the Irish are barely in any. So I figured that it would help my work stand out.
That being said, I do write other characters than just Irish! (laughs) I actually tend to prefer fictional ethnicities more, because then I can make some shit up and not get embarrassed when I get something wrong. But I will still be writing characters from Earth’s many different cultures in my works, and of course occasionally Ireland. Hopefully I can visit the place one day, I’ve got a colleague there and I’ve always wanted to check it out.
Your latest releases (Blood and the Stars: Volume Two, The Memory Incident), have all been self-published. Will that be the trend going forward?
Kind of. I’m still going to be doing plenty of work with Arcbeatle Press and I’m actively looking for work with publishing houses and film studios. But I will be doing quite a bit of self-publishing, and it’ll probably be a major part of my career.
The thing about self-publishing is, it’s incredibly liberating as an artist. I don’t have to worry about some shitty shareholders who only care about money or being stuck to a deadline. It allows me to be free and put forward the vision that I have in my head. It’s sort of a pure form of art, in a way.
That’s not always a good thing, admittedly. A good editor is always appreciated and you get more publicity with a team. But it is pure and in this age of consumerism and money worship, I like to think that it represents a stand against that.
You mentioned looking into film studios?
Yep! I’m not just a novelist; I’m fully up for writing movies or TV shows. As a matter of fact, I’m working on a short film right now for my university’s film club. Keep an eye on my socials for that…
What’s your next book going to be?
It’s going to be very different from my previous two, yet similar in a way. I’ve got an artist ready, but I still need to work on the manuscript. One thing I will say is that it’s not going to be set in our world or a universe where our world exists. You can probably expect that around early to mid 2023.
Do you have a title?
Yep! It’s called…The Raw Apocalypse.
You can buy The Memory Incident below:
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