The Author Interviews, Round 3: #2: Bryan Aiello

Twitter is a fantastic place to meet new people, and it was yesterday that I met Bryan Aiello, who agreed to let me pick his brains about writing and reading. His answers are honest but short, so I've included all of them in one post for your convenience. If you would like to support Bryan, follow him on social media and get chatting about his work.Tell us a little about yourself - Perhaps something not many people know?I'm a U.S. Army Vet living in New York City. I graduated from the University of South Florida. I'm the father of twins. I was in a play in college once. It was the worst experience of my life. I went from fantasizing about being an actor to never wanting to do it again.What made you want to become a writer?I have always been a storyteller and love to make people laugh.Million dollar question, are you working on another book?Of course!Los Amigos is currently a novella in first draft form. At 15k words I call it a modern Mexican fairy tale. Its an urban noir story about revenge and striving to be more then you are allowed to be. I will be returning to this story after I finish my first draft of the Greek from Nowhere. It will end up a lot longer.TGFN is a science fiction story about a war vet and a geneticist who gets stuck thousands of light years from earth on a space station facing a sentient tech that is deciding whether to kill them or not. I think there is 80k worth of story here and I am halfway done writing itI also am in the early stages of a story I am calling the King of Thebes. I am attempting to tell the lost sophocles tragedy of Liaus Rex. Its at 30k right now and I think it will end up being a battle story between Liaus and Kreon where Kreon ends up his slave and Jocasta's his bride.Have you written any other books that are not published?I am have collected my short science fiction stories and my short fantasy into two separate books and will be publishing them soon. I’m still working on which titles to include.What do you think about the ebook revolution?I think traditional publishing is dying. There have been lots of abuses there and I am not sad to see it go. I like a future where the artist is not beholden to a brick and mortar establishment. The only negative is the slush pile that once got weeded through on a publisher's desk but is now readable competition.What is your advice to Indie Authors? On writing? Marketing?I struggle with marketing. My current marketing strategy is to write more. Always be writing to paraphrase the cliche. I think writer's block is just the physical manifestation of laziness and a word count doesn't grow itself.Do you still write? If so, what does your typical day look like?I wake at 2am, write for three hours and aim for a thousand words. I get my wife and kids up and out to work and school, come home, nap and then work on short stuff in the afternoon.What is your writing style?I write in third person omniscient and enjoy short punchy sentences. I like to think my style is very similar to noir in that my settings are dangerous, the outlook is bleak and the character struggling with personal demons.Pen or type writer or computer?Computer. Google Docs actually.Do you write alone or in public?Alone and first thing in the morning. I love the hush of approaching dawn and a steaming cup of fresh coffee.Music or silence?Music. I discovered that music written for gaming is intended to help players be focused. So I listen to a lot of gaming soundtracks.Do you set goals of certain number of words a week or just when inspiration strikes?At a very minimum I aim for 350 words on each project I work on during the day. I prefer more and usually won't stop writing until I have run out of time.What tactics do you have when writing? (For example: outline or just write)I am the boxer type. Meaning I have an idea and I beat it into shape by going over and over and over it.I never outline, but I also never stop thinking about where I am and what comes next naturally.I prefer to have an ending place in mind, though; an anchor to pull me towards the end of the story.What has your experience been like as an new Indie Author? Bruises, Highlights, and lessons?Love is not guaranteed, but can be earned. I want to tell a good story and hope to find an audience that wishes to read my story.What have you put most of your effort into regarding writing?The editorial process.How did you get connected with so many authors for your interviews?Twitter is amazing for connected like minded people.What is/are your book(s) about?My story is about a nigerian, who escaped his gang war infested country and winds up in West Atlanta working for drug dealers as muscle.It’s an old story:He falls in love with the wrong girl. Loses fifty thousand dollars earmarked for a drug buy. Chases her home to the appalachian mountains while he is being chased by the dudes who had been expecting to be selling some drugs and instead owe money to the wrong people.I also explore the collateral damage of addiction and ignorance in the face of a dangerous world.Does your book have a lesson? Moral?Don’t do drugs, don’t look for quick easy ways to get rich and never try to escape your past.What is your favourite part of your current book?In TGFM I have this ancient planet size A.I. who calls himself the Dark Universe. He started this whole novel.If you were running the 100 yard dash with a new writer. What writing, publishing wisdom would you bestow upon him/her before you reached the 100 yards?Write everyday.Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?I am the puppet master.If you could spend time with a character from your book who would it be? And what would you do during that day?Major is the Nigerian former child soldier. I feel like he has the best story. I would like to hear his wisdom on how to get up in the morning when you are weighed down by tons of guilt and a bleak future as an unregistered illegal alien in a world that wants you to do only one thing, be a warrior.What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?Mistakes matter. Clean prose will beat a great story any day.What has been the best compliment?I made my mom cry once with a two line poem. Thats when I realized I could affect people with my words.What is something memorable you have heard from your readers/fans?I like the word wow. I love when someone needs to comment so bad and all they can say is wow.What book have you read that has most influenced your life?Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceFactotumWho is your favourite author and why?Bukowski, because he beat the keys to his typewriter like life beat the shit out of him.What is the most amusing thing that has ever happened to you?Sentience. The awareness of looming death is the funniest thing ever.Do you have any hidden or uncommon talents?I am an undiagnosed engineer with no math skills who solves problems through trial and error.What gives you inspiration for your book(s)?I love images for inspiration.Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?I consider everything fodder for fiction.Could you tell us a bit about your most recent book and why it is a must-read?I think the most redeeming aspect of my novel is my characters. I dig deep into what they are and what made them that way. It's how my imagination works.What do you love most about the writing process?The page and word count.Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?I wrote a first person love story and when I was done I recognized so much of myself in the protagonist. It did not work out for the guy, just like things don't always work out for me.What is the biggest surprise that you experienced after becoming a writer?I am not alone. So many writers are out there trying to do the same thing as me, find an audience and the time to tell stories. The struggle is real for so many.Tell us a little about your plans for the future. Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?I would like to see myself working on team orientated projects, like film, graphic novels, or video games as well as pushing towards finishing more works.Favourite fiction book?The one I currently can't put down. Best feeling ever to be fully engaged with a book.Favourite non-fiction book?Freakanomics and any autobiography.Which of your books do you like the best?It is always the one I am currently working on/ finishedWhere can we find you online?Twitter @bryaielloDetinationwrite.wordpress.comReddit /u/voyage_of_RoadkillAny website or resources that have been helpful to you as a writer?Maybe it’s too simple of an answer, but Google and Wikipedia are invaluable to me.Have you thought about joining with another author to write a book?Not a book. Other mediums most definitely.If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?The complete works of Shakespeare. The Bard has eternal life.Do you consider yourself to be a successful writer? If so, why? If not, what would make you successful?You have to write to be a writer. I am good at that part of it.What genre do you consider your books to be? Have you considered writing in another genre?I write noir/crime, and fantasy/science fictionWhat do your friends and family think of your writing? Are they supportive?My wife is my first reader on everything. She is my family.Planner or pantser?Pantser?Do you do book tours?I would, I love to travel.What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?Money. He is a murdering psychopath looking to advance in life through pure brutality.What would the main character in your book have to say about you?'2am really?'Who is the most famous person you have ever met?I talked to Zach Braff on the phone once when working for Amazon.com. I gave him a fifty dollar discount just because I was a fan.If you could write about anyone fiction/non-fiction who would you write about?I like the idea of people being ordained into a position by a God. So kings or pontiffs are very interesting to me.Do you have any writing-related qualifications?I did my undergrad work in Creative writing/English literature.You are living in the world from your latest novel. Where are you? What is it like?I think Atlanta Georgia and Huntington West Virginia are hard places to call home. Both are honor cultures. Fight to survive places. The biggest meanest Alpha dog does the best.You are your most recent protagonist. Who are you? What is the first thing you do?I am a Greek guy from Queens who is severely injured in a battle on the border of Mexico and Texas. I have positronic parts in my brain and left lung and my left arm and leg are completely replaced with robotics.My name is George Malakos.The first thing I do is look out the glass domed top of the space station I call home and marvel at the fact I get to live in space.Where do you get your ideas?The ether.Why do you write?I feel it in my soul, a yearning to make something, build something, describe how life feels.How do you deal with bad reviews, rejection and criticism?Work harder.What do you find difficult about writing?Commas.Do you ever outsource (editing and cover design) your work?I am my only employee.What is your opinion on the indie vs traditional publishing argument?I think traditional publishing is struggling in an internet dominated world. Amazon rules the rooast and has the right idea going forward.Talk us through your creative process from start to finish.I write without hesitation and then go back and edit. I am constantly tinkering with the story. I could be three hundred pages in and go back and edit the first fifty because of an idea that strikes me. I also want to tell many stories and view my current effort as a burden standing in my way of the next one.What advice would you give to aspiring writers?Write everyday and never use writer's block as excuse. Study craft. Study marketing. Read everything.Give us your top three book marketing/ promotion tips.Write on social mediaBlogEngage wherever possibleWould you agree a good book must withstand more than one read?No, there are too many books to read to ever re-read something.What do you look for when shopping on Amazon for a Kindle book? Are any of them more important to you than others?I use Reddit as a first stop in my book shopping. I watch for suggestions on topics I find interesting.Do you have a favourite genre to read?Astronaut autobiographies, these people are superhumanWhat would it take for you to leave a book review?Lots of inspiration.After downloading book one of a series for free or discounted on Amazon, do you ever go back and pay more for book two? If not, why?I will if I loved the first one.Do you ever visit an author's website? If so, what do you look at?Always. I look for examples of marketing and how they engage.If an author offered you a free book, would you sign up to their mailing list?Sure, but I am currently reading like 75 books and things tend to get lost easily.Do you ever enter giveaways and/ or order signed copies?No.Do you use a bookmark or fold the pages?Ereader only.Are you more likely to buy a book if there are various formats available?Only ereader format.What are the biggest giveaways that a book is self-published?Cover?How do you go about world building? Do you make a map and if so, how?I think the best fodder for fiction is reality. The rules that govern the world I live in should govern the world I intend to build.What additional material or goodies go into your novels?I strive for as much reality as I can muster mister.What is your favourite distributor for Indies? Amazon, Nook etc…I don't think I have a favorite distributor yetThank you to Bryan for taking the time to answer 80 writing and reading questions! If you would like to contact him, please do so on the provided social media links in the interview. You can also support him by purchasing a copy of one of his books (as seen throughout the interview). My free book is also available via the link below.As always if you need help or clarification you can also get in touch with me. We all wish Bryan the very best with his writing.E. Rachael Hardcastle