Sunday, June 15, 2014

Interview & Giveaway: Aaron Galvin

Salted is Aaron Galvin's debut novel. He first cut his chops writing original stand-up comedy routines at age thirteen. His early works paid off years later when he co-wrote and executive produced the 2013 award-winning indie feature film, Wedding Bells & Shotgun Shells.
He is also an accomplished actor. Aaron has worked in Hollywood blockbusters, (Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers), and starred in dozens of indie films.
Aaron is a proud member of SCBWI. He lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter.

Favorite reads?

The Stand by Stephen King
The Lord of The Rings & The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
A Song of Ice & Fire series by George R.R. Martin
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
I could keep going. Haha. ;)

Inspirations for the book?

My mom.
I had written a different book that received numerous rejections and was moping around her one day because of it. She told me to suck it up. Write something new. For about an hour she gave me various prompts.
“Wizards!” she’d say. 
“Harry Potter,” I’d reply.
“Vampires! Werewolves!”
“Twilight, Mom.”
Finally, she said, “How about mermaids?”
I didn’t have an answer for that. This was back in 2009 when I admittedly hadn’t been reading much at the time. Too busy chasing my other dream, acting. Anyway, I couldn’t think of any mermaid books at the time. The only response I could come back with was that mermaids were for girls. And what guy wanted to be seen reading about mermaids anyway? They weren’t cool!
Then Mom said something I’ll never forget. “Find a way to make them cool.”
That changed everything. I’m a pretty competitive person. Suddenly I had a challenge. How could I make mermaids cool for guys like me? How could I make them different? 
Salted is the result of that. It took me five years to reach this point, but I like to think I accomplished Mom’s challenge. Readers will decide if that’s true.

Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?

Actually, I didn’t. Acting was my first love. I’ve always told stories though. My mom would tell you I was quite the little liar as a kid. I like to think it was the characters in my head finding their way out into the world. Now, I’ve learned to put their voices to paper so I don’t seem like such a crazy person. 

Any Pet Peeves?

I hate horn honkers. It has to be one of the most annoying sounds in the world.

Chocolate or Peanut Butter?

Reese’s cups! Best of both worlds. ;)

The weirdest thing you've ever done?

WWE wrestling was huge when I was a freshman in high school. My buddy and I often parodied SNL skits for pep sessions since I was a weakling who would’ve been smashed on the gridiron.
One time, we opted to do a wrestling skit. I played the wrestler Goldberg. Keep in mind this guy was around 250+ pounds of muscle and his uniform was nothing but a speedo. Anyway, I played my part. Walked out in front of my entire high school wearing nothing but a speedo…all 103 pounds of me.
And I rocked it. ;)


Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?

First, I love this question! Yes, yes, yes. If there is one thing I need to enter my writing zone, (outside of coffee), it’s music. I have a ridiculous number of music hours in my library, but I’ll give you a few at the top of the list for Salted.
·      Harry Surrenders – Alexandre Desplat – Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part II
·      Concerning Hobbits – Hans Zimmer – LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring
·      Vespertilio – James Newton Howard – Batman Begins
·      Life – Harry Gregson-Williams – Prometheus
·      London – James Newton Howard – Blood Diamond

Do you need anything to write? 

Music + coffee.

How long do you write on any average day?

It depends on the day. When I’m on Daddy Day Care, I’m not able to write long, or much, maybe 1,000 words.
This past weekend, however, my wife and daughter went to visit family.  With no one around and all quiet in the house, I locked in. Wrote nearly all of both days and into the nights. I knocked out 12,000 words. I like to joke with my wife she should visit family more often.

Give us the number one reason to read your book.

It features a unique twist on both traditional Selkie and mermaid folklore. You don’t even have to take my word for it. Check out the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Author Info:
Website/Blog: www.aarongalvin.com


Buy Links



Life isn’t better under the sea.

Lenny Dolan is all too familiar with this reality. A Selkie slave in the realm beneath the waves, he has no choice when charged with leading a crew ashore to capture an elusive runaway. If unsuccessful, the loved ones kept behind will pay for his failure with their lives.

But when their target leads Lenny and his crew to deeper, darker secrets, the Selkies are faced with a moral dilemma. Secure their own freedom at the expense of others, or return empty-handed to face the grisly consequences?

How Lenny and his crew answer the question will teach them the harshest truth of all. Only through the loss of innocence does one become Salted.

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