Interview with Aaron Hodges

Thank you for answering some questions for us.

Tell us about your latest novel or project:

My latest project is my Legend of the Gods series. It explores a world where the Gods have abandoned mankind, leaving them alone to fight amongst themselves. A hundred years after their departure, magic is outlawed and the lands have been conquered by a single emperor. The main character, Alana, is forced to flee her home city when her brother manifests with magic – or face never seeing him again. It follows their adventures and various people they meet as they flee the law.

What got you started writing?

I’ve always loved writing, so its not so much what got me started as what made me stop! I actually wrote my first book between high school and university – but it was terrible and I gave up halfway through rewriting it. I only picked that novel up again maybe five years later when I was travelling the world and had the time to go over it again. After three months of rewriting, I published Stormwielder on Amazon, and things just kind of took off from there!

What challenges did you face when you first started writing?

Just getting the words out, getting into a schedule, that’s the biggest challenge. I started by setting myself a target of 1000 words a day, every day. That really helped me keep going when I was struggling through my second novel. These days, my goal is 5000 words!

Do you ever get the opportunity to travel for your writing? Either to market or to research.

Haha no although there are conferences and things I could go too. But I do get to travel as much as I like BECAUSE of my writing! I haven’t really lived anywhere for longer than 4 months since I published Stormwielder 2 years ago – but I’ve visited 50 odd countries!

Who in your life is your greatest cheerleader or support in your writing?

It’s varied through the years, but if I’m honest, the only consistent one has been myself! I have plenty of friends and family who’ve helped along the way, but at the end of the day its me putting the boot in and forcing myself to write every day that’s kept me going.

Well, that, and coffee.

What is it like writing in New Zealand that would be different if you lived anywhere else?

Haha we have a lot of beautiful landscapes and an adventurous spirit as a people – that’s definitely helped!

Where do you get your ideas? Is there anything about New Zealand that has inspired you to write?

I get my ideas from the most random things. Little experiences during my travels, landscapes I’ve seen, bars I’ve visited, people I’ve met. When things go wrong, when things go right – its all fodder for my pages!

What advice would you give for other writers in New Zealand?

Go ahead and try self-publishing. It’s not cake walk, but its certainly better than waiting for one of the big five publishers to find you all the way down in little old NZ! Plus you’ll get to keep waaay more of your royalties and retain complete control over your books 😉

Do you get to network or meet up with other New Zealand authors?

I know a few, but we don’t meet up to often since I’m not in the country much at all!

What was the first thing you did after your first book was published?

Caught a flight to Guatemala!

There must be a story behind that.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you handle the good and the bad ones?

I do. The bad ones used to be a bit off-putting, but now I kind of just have a good chuckle. I know enough people have read and enjoyed my books for me not to worry too much about the odd sour egg! And the good ones are always great motivation to keep writing!

It seems like everything has Easter Eggs (surprise reference to your other work) do you have any Easter Eggs in your books?

My latest series is actually set a century after my first fantasy trilogy, so it has LOTS of easter eggs to the prior series!

How long does it take you to write a book? Do you have any secrets to productivity?

I can usually get a new novel with between 50k-90k words out in about three months. The only secret is to write as consistently as you can, and find a system of editing that works for you!

Do you have any writing rituals?

Coffee…

How important do you think marketing is for authors today?

Marketing is EVERYTHING. Its one of the hardest parts too, there’s so many things to learn. Newsletters, amazon ads, facebook ads, bookbub, discounting etc. I’ve been helping a friend publish her first book, and just realising how much I’ve picked up in the last two years that she now has to learn!

Many authors have a word or a phrase they automatically use too often. Do you have one?

Suddenly. My English teacher in high school picked this one up and I STILL do it – fortunately I’ve also trained myself to look out for it while editing now though!

What quirk or trope of your genre do you like or dislike?

I really don’t like it when everything is all tied up in a happy little bow at the end of the series, with very little collateral damage or loss. Or when a character is faced with an impossible choice – and then finds a way out without truly having to make the hard choice.

Often writers get to approach some serious subjects. Which serious subject are you most proud to have written about or was the hardest to write about?

There’s plenty of references to Trump and the destruction of America in my dystopian series, I found that quite fun. A lot of what the books deal with is actually a result of the kind of 1984/double think he’s been propagating too, which is a little more serious. And of course, the entire series is an exploration of human emotion – from PTSD to survivors guilt to brain washing, my poor characters get to experience it all!

Thank you for sharing some of your own story with us and good luck with your next project.