This Week’s Feature Author Interview with
Aislinn Kearns
Hi Aislinn Kearns, welcome to the Indie Publishing Group website. Introduce yourself to us. Tell everyone who you are, where you’re from, what do you enjoy doing, hobbies and interests.
Hi! I’m Aislinn Kearns. I’m an Aussie girl who recently came home after a two-year period in Qatar. I enjoy reading, writing, traveling, watching action movies (particularly if they have a romance!), and fantasizing about my future cottage in a forest (complete with roaring fire and a dog!).
When did you start writing and why?
I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid. It was always something I wanted to pursue, so a few years ago I started seriously making steps towards publishing.
Which is your favorite book you have written and what gave you the idea for it?
My favorite book is my most recent release, Dangerous Victor. Scarred heroes are a trope I’ve always loved, so it was fantastic to be able to explore my own version of it.
Although it’s book 3 in the Soldiering On series, it was actually the first book I had planned out. I already knew that I wanted to do a series about wounded veterans, and Zack (the hero of Dangerous Victor) was the first clear character I envisaged. Ultimately, though, I decided to start the series a little earlier and with a different story.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
I use words from the NATO alphabet in all my titles in the Soldiering On series. I just played around with some different combinations until I found one that fit. Even as I was writing it, I was tossing up between two different names, but ultimately decided on Dangerous Victor.
Who helped you with the cover? Or did your design it yourself? What was your inspiration for your cover design?
For the Soldiering On series, I work in partnership with my cover designer. I knew I wanted matching covers for the whole series, so we experimented with a few different designs until we found one I liked. Since then, we’ve used that template for all the books in the series, so they are clearly a set.
What are some of the themes of your story?
My books are all about military heroes, their strengths, and their vulnerabilities. Overcoming hardships and continuing on. They are about finding a romantic partner that makes you the best version of yourself and having the courage to love that person. And they are also about cool explosions and gunfights! Haha.
What’s your process when you sit down and decide to start writing a book? What is your process and do you have a system?
I generally have to take some time before I start writing to get the broad strokes of the story. Thinking time, which often means wasting a lot of time on the internet while my subconscious sorts things out.
Then, when I start writing, it’s usually with a vague idea of the characters and an opening scene, and then I go from there. I’ll often have an idea of what the big turning points of the story will be, but I won’t necessarily know how they get there. I’m often pretty flexible in my writing.
For the book I’m working on now, I tried to spend longer on the outlining process and go into more detail, so as to cut down on the editing time later.
Who are some of your favorite characters and why?
The fan favorites are clearly Duncan and Mandy. I think they’re good answers! But I do have a very soft spot for Zack in Dangerous Victor.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
An impossible question to answer! I’ll stick to romantic suspense since that’s my genre: Suzanne Brockmann (when a reviewer recently compared my books to hers I just about died with happiness!), Jayne Ann Krentz, some of Linda Howard’s work, and J.M. Madden’s early Lost and Found books.
Have you got anything you’re working on now?
Currently working on book 4 in the Soldiering On series!
If you could have any super powers what would they be?
Either to stop time or to be able to create my own little bubble that didn’t let any sound or other distractions through. I’d be so productive!
If you could travel to any location in the world where would you go?
The Scottish Highlands have been at the top of my list for a very long time, so probably there.
Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?
Super rich would be nice, but I won’t push my luck!
Thanks so much for taking the time to do an author interview. Take a minute and Aislinn Kearns out on the links below. Aislinn Kearns’s book, Dangerous Victor: (Soldiering On #3), is available now on Amazon!
Aislinn Kearns Blog
3 Responses
Thanks for having me!
No worries at all Aislinn! Was our pleasure.
Great interview, Aislinn, it’s interesting that you say Scotland is top of your visiting wishlist, it’s on mine (nowhere near the top) but given how close to it I live, I still haven’t gone there. I really should make the effort once I’ve got some money together.