Tellest:<\/strong> Greetings, Aaron.\u00a0 I want to thank you for taking time out of what must be a busy schedule to chat with me about your wonderful books and the harsh yet rich world in which they take place.\u00a0 I\u2019m excited to show readers who may not have had the chance to explore your works what Argana looks like, how it came to be, and how you came to dream it up.<\/p>\n Aaron Jackson: <\/strong>Excited to talk with you about it. I\u2019ve had a lot of fun looking through the Tellest site, I can tell there is a lot of passion and hard work that went into it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Thank you Aaron!\u00a0 I really appreciate it.\u00a0 And I could say the same about your website, but those would be spoilers\u2014we\u2019ll definitely touch on that again shortly.<\/p>\n My first interview question always revolves around the inspiration that began your writing journey.\u00a0 Every great epic begins with an important step, and I\u2019m interested in finding out about yours.\u00a0 When you were growing up, was there a particular author or story in the fantasy genre that stood out to you as the one that captivated you?<\/p>\n AJ: <\/strong>The journey has been a long but fun one. I never actually expected I would write a full book, let alone three. The project started out as just jotting down characters, locations, and a system of magic, like a D&D campaign with no intentions of making a book out of it. After I continued to flesh it out, the story just started falling into place, so I committed. However, I did write a story in elementary school called \u2018The Liquid Dragon\u2019 which won first place in a story competition, which of course is a pretty big deal, so maybe my path was already laid out a long time ago.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been reading fantasy books for as long as I can remember and ones that stick out to me the most are the DragonLance series. The old-school fantasy books are always some of the most fun.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> There\u2019s something about the Dragonlance shared universe that certainly has a way of spawning new worldbuilders.\u00a0 That world is also one that is under constant threat, although it hasn\u2019t quite been bled as dry as your world has been.\u00a0 In any case though, would you say that there were some hints of Dragonlance that made their way into your writing?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: There are some aspects of the storytelling that did, but it is less high fantasy than DragonLance. The difference between good and evil is also less distinct, especially in the races of the world and the main characters.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Was the greyer look at the characters intentional, or was it something that became natural as you wrote the stories?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: I tried to avoid some of the common themes like the righteous hero vs evil villain. When characters are cast like this, the story becomes more predictable in my opinion. Characters respond less to a situation and just act how they normally would. In the Cataclysm books, there are still a few characters that certainly fall on either end of the scale of good or evil, but most are somewhere in the middle and move around on the scale along their journey.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Let\u2019s get right into it and find out more about Argana, the Blasted Lands, and the Cataclysm.\u00a0 What made you decide to write a story about a world already hammered by terrible disaster, and how does it affect the tales you tell?<\/p>\n Additionally, each of your chapters is preceded by flash fiction that gives greater context about life before and after the event that decimated the world.\u00a0 How does this impact the reader\u2019s experience?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n AJ: <\/strong>I\u2019ve always liked the concept of a world changing event in books. It creates a fresh start for the story and removes the need for a ton of background information. I feel stories can get bogged down when a reader must keep track of extensive history, lineage, or houses, so I decided to start my story with a brutal event and remove a lot of that clutter. The short stories I wrote before each chapter gives some important background info and a glimpse into the world prior to the Cataclysm, but in a more fun and unique way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> With something like this preceding the events of the book, do you ever think about one-upping yourself in some ways, and putting an even worse catastrophe in front of your characters?\u00a0 Or are these stories more character studies with less at stake because of how much Argana has already been through?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: The Cataclysm was long enough ago that none of the main characters were alive when it happened. While the main cast may live in a world forever changed, they get to experience their own unique journeys without comparison to such a monumental event. Without giving away any spoilers, I was once given some very good advice about the structure of a trilogy. For conflict: book one \u2013 city, book two \u2013 country, book three \u2013 world. Therefore, readers can expect a crescendo of events where the stakes at the end of the series could be just as impactful as the Cataclysm was all those years ago.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> I love that sort of sense of presence for the character journey, and I\u2019ve sort of unconsciously adopted that premise as well.\u00a0 There\u2019s something about expanding your heroes\u2019 points of view and showing just how far they\u2019ve come.\u00a0 In a lot of ways, it\u2019s like leveling your characters even in a situation like this where readers are experiencing it alongside them.<\/p>\n With that in mind, was it difficult giving them higher stakes, or was it something that happened organically?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: I never had the ending in mind when I started the books, which looking back, was both good and bad. The story was a natural progression of the characters and the world around them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Your third book has recently come out, and you released each of these books one after the other very quickly.\u00a0 Have you been planning a quick set of launches for these for a while, or are you a writing phenom who can deliver content immeasurably fast?<\/p>\n AO: <\/strong>These books have been in the works for a very long time. The first two books were originally one that I had to split in half because over the decade it took to write it ended up getting too long\u2026 After I was done with the first two, I knew it needed to be a trilogy, so I grinded it out and finished the last one in about a year and released them all within a month of each other.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> For marketing purposes, you probably did the best thing you possibly could be launching these so close together.\u00a0 Have you seen any impact by releasing them in such quick succession?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: Feedback has been great so far. I did the right thing to release them quickly to keep momentum up.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n T:<\/strong> For upcoming books, are you planning on trying to keep up the same momentum, or are you going to sort of dial things back, collect your work, and then release in rapid succession again when you\u2019re ready?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: It\u2019s hard to say, but at this point, with work already out there, I would likely release a book once I finish it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> On your website, there is a tremendous amount of art content that helps readers to immerse themselves in Argana.\u00a0 How do you go about amassing that content?\u00a0 Do you partner with anyone in particular?\u00a0 Have you considered putting together an art book cataloging all that great art?<\/p>\n AJ: <\/strong>The concept art on my website is all AI generated. I know AI art is a very touchy subject these days, and I completely understand why. But I think if used correctly, it can be a very powerful tool for storytelling. After hiring artists for the book covers and the hand-drawn illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, there was no way I could feasibly continue to explore Argana through those mediums from a cost perspective. AI art not only let me bring the story to another level and let readers visualize the locations and characters, but it was a ton of fun to experiment with and kept me motivated throughout the writing process, especially during the editing phase.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n T:<\/strong> I like to almost think of it as a toll that one pays to play with that sort of toolset.\u00a0 You\u2019re clearly interested in working with artists to get the best that you can when it comes to your more commercial-facing items like the covers and the illustrations, but when it comes to concept art, that\u2019s the piece that you spend time developing.\u00a0 And in some ways, utilizing and training the AI to get you what you\u2019re looking for is almost an art form of its own.<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: That is a great way to put it. AI can be a very engaging and constructive process. You can put in a prompt and get thirty iterations that are useless, and then on the 31st<\/sup> try, it\u2019s exactly what you imagined. All we can do is try to be responsible using the tool, because it\u2019s not going anywhere.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Have you considered using AI for things outside of art?\u00a0 For instance, would you use it to develop story threads for other aspects of your world?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: Unlikely for any sort of storytelling. The process of creating ideas and writing them down are the fun parts for me so I wouldn\u2019t want to outsource it. Editing on the other hand\u2026 maybe.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Though you\u2019ve expressed yourself with these three books, as an artist you\u2019re always learning and improving.\u00a0 What were some of the biggest ways you\u2019ve surprised yourself with your story or your narrative skills throughout your journey?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: Self-doubt always rears its ugly head, so the fact that I have had so much positive feedback from The Cataclysm is the most surprising and validating part of the journey.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Have you already found your first superfans?\u00a0 Who is your biggest cheerleader on a sort of adventure like this?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: The most surprising fans of my books were from friends who had previously never been interested in the fantasy genre or read any of the classics. They\u2019ve read each installment in the Cataclysm series a few times and were always a great source of motivation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> With the third book in your series released now, what\u2019s next for your world?\u00a0 Do you have plans to extend things beyond the trilogy?\u00a0 Are you going off on side missions, so to speak?\u00a0 Or is there something completely new that you are going to explore?<\/p>\n AJ: <\/strong>I definitely plan to continue exploring the world of Argana, but The Cataclysm series and the events in the book are complete. I have many more ideas floating around for follow up books and have started working on them already. I may be biased, but I really like the magic system in the series and there is still a lot than can be done with it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Without expecting you to share too much, are we moving forward in the timeline, or are we taking a step to the side or backward?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: This would be a few generations in the future, possibly relations of the main characters, but would be standalone. Excited to start the process again!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n T<\/strong>: You mentioned your magic system earlier.\u00a0 What is it about Argana\u2019s magic that sets it aside from other fantasy, and how did you come up with it?<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: I tried to make the magic system based loosely on physics. Everything revolves around energy or the absence of it, light, dark, cold, hot, or even sound. The total energy of a system changes in different environments. Mages channel that energy and that manipulation can be very taxing on the body. This creates limits on mages and gives structure to what spells can be used in different situations. I think it\u2019s a good mix that doesn\u2019t make magic overpowered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> If someone wanted to know more about Aaron Jackson and Argana, where would they go?\u00a0 Do you have a website, or do you recommend people find you on a specific social media channel?<\/p>\n AJ: <\/strong>The author website is about the extent of my online presence.\u00a0 www.aaronjacksonauthor.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Aaron, I wanted to thank you for taking the time out to speak with me about your world and your process.\u00a0 It was very interesting to see the periphery of what makes you tick, and I\u2019m very excited to see what comes next for you!<\/p>\n AJ<\/strong>: It\u2019s been fun chatting with you. Thanks for the opportunity to share my story!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T:<\/strong> Once again, I\u2019d like to thank Aaron for spending time talking with me and leading me through the process of creating his book and his world.\u00a0 You can see just how passionate about what he\u2019s crafted here, and that should definitely be appreciated by his readers and fans.\u00a0 If you\u2019re interested in reading his completed trilogy, go ahead and start with the first book. Check out The Cataclysm (The Cataclysm Series Book 1)<\/em> on Amazon<\/a> today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Welcome travelers.\u00a0 Last week on the Tellest site we presented the work of Aaron Jackson, an author who just recently published the last part of his epic trilogy, aptly called The Cataclysm Series, as it takes place in a broken world.\u00a0 Yet despite that, it still comes across as rich, deep, and beautiful.\u00a0 In today\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[463,145,350,462],"tags":[3322,3333,3321,303,3335,3320,3334],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Featured-Interview-with-Aaron-Jackson.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-8jG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31972"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31972"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31986,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31972\/revisions\/31986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Fight-Scene.jpg\")
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