Aaron N. Hall's Blog, page 2

Addicted to social media? Read some ebooks.

“I wish I had more time to read, I just don’t.”

You don’t have time to read, huh? You sure about that? If you’re really confident about that, I’m gonna challenge you to do something.

Most phones now will tell you how much screen time you’re getting and what apps you’re using every day. Go into the settings on your phone and check your daily usage. What do you think you’ll find?

I wish I could be there to see your jaw drop when you see how much time you’re probably spending on social med...

Good news… Rings of Power is awesome so far

Ooohh boy. Remember when Amazon announced that they were making a Lord of the Rings TV series?

To put it lightly, the reaction was mixed. Some were stoked for a new addition to the Tolkien universe. Some decried the acquisition and accused Amazon of scrambling for a Game of Thrones killer. They were probably right with that second one… but could they do it well?

For years, those who followed the series’ production either bit their nails nervously or threw up their hands in exasperation. On...

Thor: Love and Thunder is typical Taika Waititi fun

This was probably the only Marvel thing I was excited about this year.

Most of you who follow this blog know that my relationship with Marvel kind of fizzled out after the Infinity Saga. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Marvel, we just… drifted apart. We didn’t grow together. They seemed fixed on doing things the same old way, and frankly, the relationship just became stale. So it was time for me to move on.

But when you get Taika Waititi involved, that creates a different story. ...

Lightyear is a smorgasbord of missed opportunities

I love Toy Story. Like, top three movie of all time. Hands down. Not only is it a massive technical achievement, but it’s also top-shelf storytelling. Pixar set the world on fire when they dropped it in 1995, and the studio would produce hit after hit for decades to come.

So how did we end up with this?

It’s hard for me to articulate the length of my frustrations with Lightyear. First off, it feels like a cash grab from Disney—capitalizing on a beloved property that’s existed for nearly th...

No one asked for Top Gun: Maverick, but I’m glad we got it

Sometimes I can be a story snob. Okay, I can be a story snob a lot. But that doesn’t mean that I won’t appreciate a good summer action flick every once in a while. You know, the kind of film that isn’t trying to say anything particularly deep in stirring, but just gives me a fun thrill that leaves me with a smile on my face.

Top Gun: Maverick accomplished that.

I tried watching the original Top Gun. Ironically, it was on a flight home from vacation. I got about twenty minutes into it befor...

My next book will be free for everyone. Here’s why.

Guys, marketing a book is hard. Like, really hard. I studied public relations in college and most of my professional career has been in marketing. I’ve been around the marketing block a time or two, helping make millions of dollars for some companies, so I kind of know how things are done.

But marketing books? Sheesh. That stuff is hard.

Sometimes you just gotta be a Costco. You know their free samples? With the nice old ladies standing at the end of aisles giving you little nuggets of gra...

The importance of beta readers

Sometimes you’ve got an awesome idea. More than likely, you’ll have a good idea that needs a bit of work.

I didn’t start using beta readers for my books until my second novel, and boy am I glad I did.

The truth is no author is an island. No matter how much I’d love to take on every aspect of production myself, I just can’t. My scope is limited. I know that an idea or a story will sound awesome in my own head, and I submit that they usually are, but my stories always become much better when...

Well, my first fantasy trilogy is done.

Today is April 2nd, 2022. That means Awakened, the third installment in The Wevlian Chronicles, is now on Amazon. And that means every book in my fantasy trilogy is live. Published. Done.

I have mixed feelings.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel great about this accomplishment. It’s been fifteen years in the making. I originally started writing Foreordained when I was a freshman in high school, then worked on it for seven years before I published it at age twenty-two. Now, at age thirty, Awakened ...

What I Knew He Could Be is a brief but thoughtful tale of forgiveness

I didn’t know what to expect when producer Sky Crystal reached out to me with an advance screening copy of What I Knew He Could Be. All I knew was that it was a short film produced somewhere near Atlanta. I knew nothing about the plot, the writing, or the people involved.

That meant I wasn’t prepared for how thoughtful it would be.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say that WIKHCB is absolutely worth the 17-minute run time. It’s a short story about forgiveness, change, and accepta...

The Batman is more noir, less superhero

It’s brooding. It’s moody. It’s heavily-stylized. No, it’s not Twilight. It’s actually a good movie—it’s The Batman.

It’s been two years since Bruce Wayne donned the mask and cape, and Gotham has only gotten worse. What’s more, there’s another justice-hungry vigilante named the Riddler that’s on a conquest to uncover Gotham’s elite for what they really are: dirty cops and corrupted politicians. What we see unfold in The Batman is our hero unfolding the clues that eventually lead to The Riddle...