Featured Interview With Aaron Volner
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a huge nerd, and also a librarian, which probably makes me even nerdier. A tendency to get lost inside my own head in worlds of my own design is a quirk I’ve had all my life. Hopefully, others find them as interesting as I do. I was raised in various places across Wyoming and North Dakota and now live in south-west Wyoming. I keep two aquariums of fish (including a gorgeous betta named Sunfire) and I have an adorable puppy named Andy who is 3/4 Shih-Tzu and 1/4 Red Heeler.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been fascinated with books since before I can remember. Some of the earliest memories I have are of books, and specifically my parents reading them to me. My dad was great at voices in books like “‘Stop’, said the Elephant, ‘I’m going to sneeze!'”, a title which I still proclaim to be the greatest picture book ever written.
I started writing in middle school after reading “The Eye of the World” by Robert Jordan. My first book was a novel that was suspiciously similar to Star Wars. I later set aside that effort for more original projects.
I knew almost right away that this was what I wanted to do with my life and started working toward producing something that would instill in others the same sense of joy and wonder that I experienced when reading my favorite fantasy titles.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Some of my favorite authors include Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, Lindsay Schopfer and Jim Butcher. If you haven’t already guessed by now, my absolute favorite genre to read is fantasy.
I’m inspired by too many things to really list in an interview like this, as one can find inspiration in just about every book and every nook and cranny of the universe around us. All you have to do is be open to seeing it when it happens to be right in front of you. Which it often is.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Chronicles of the Roc Rider” is a story about Tanin Stormrush, one of the last roc riders, who has finally found the man who murdered his wife after a year of hunting. When he confronts the killer his roc, Zera, is poisoned, and he learns that the murder was only a single move in a larger game. With innocent victims getting caught in the crossfire, Tanin must overcome his own grief to save Zera. But in doing so, he might lose the one chance he has to put his wife’s spirit to rest.
For those who don’t know, a roc is a giant raptor, based on the mythical elephant hunting bird of the same name out of middle eastern legend. Tanin is part of an ancient and proud tradition of warriors who tame the rocs and ride them into battle, but one that has been diminishing for some time.
Tanin is a flawed hero and doesn’t always know himself as well as he thinks he does. I believe readers find him easy to relate to for that reason. He started out a significantly more flawed and emotionally broken character than he ended up being in the final book. I realized as I was writing it that a man that broken wouldn’t be able to maintain the trust need with his animal to train and ride a roc, and so Tanin had to change to make the story believable. His relationship with Zera is a really important part of the book, both in terms of the story itself and its audience appeal, so I had to make sure he was the right character for the job.
I worked on this book alongside several others for a few years before finally deciding that I needed to get down to just one project so that I could get something out and get it in front of readers. “Chronicles of the Roc Rider” was the book I selected, and things went pretty quickly after that.
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