Six Elementals Author Interviews will introduce prospective readers to some of the best writers in their genre you may, or may not, have heard of, via a series of six questions. I encourage you to check out the work of these phenomenal creatives! Links to their websites and purchase links will always appear, accompanying the interview. Check them out!
This is a distinct pleasure, in that I have an incredibly talented sci-fi author join me: the amazing
A.R. Mirabal! A.R's currently published works include: Allegory of the End (newly titled Into the Great Void).
P.L.: So honoured to be able to interview you A.R.! You are one of the most wonderful people in the Writing Community, and someone that I very much look up to, as both a person and an author! And of course, as a marvellous booktuber, who strives to promote the works of others! Thanks again for joining Six Elementals Interviews!
I'm a big fan of your writing, after reading Allegory of the End (now Into the Great Void), as you know! It was an outstanding book!
Your book was extremely compelling, with some very difficult themes, handled extremely sensitively and compassionately. Loss, betrayal, violence, drug use, and more. Can you tell readers who haven't yet read your incredible book about some of those themes, and why you chose to write about them in a sci-fi novel?
A.R.: There was a quote I read that changed my entire outlook on how art is created and consumed. "You're not selling a product, you're selling an emotion." When you find a book that stays with you, a book that you can't stop thinking about, it isn't because the author used he replied instead of he said, it's because the author struck an emotional cord. Humans are emotional creatures, we like our art to make us feel something. For as much as I loved jamming the story in with as much humor, world-building, and far-off technologies as possible, I knew that my characters and their journeys were the heart that made the text come alive.
When first creating the world and characters of my book, I looked to my favorite shows/books/movies for inspiration. I studied what were the emotions I felt while consuming them, then cherry-picked the ones I wanted to weave into my story. Like in real life, betrayal stings the most when it comes from someone/something that is seemingly loyal. Loss weighs heavier on the heart when you lose someone/something that you seemingly can't live without. So, I weaved together a story that drags my characters through the same emotional pitfalls we all experience, that way their climb up the mountain at the end is that much sweeter, and gives the reader hope that they'll eventually conquer whatever demons plague their lives.
When a reader says they love one character but hate another, it shows me that I've created two strong characters—what scares me is a reader saying they're indifferent about one of my characters.
P.L.: Well, I’d say you definitely accomplished the mission. Your characters truly stuck with me. Who are some of your favorite authors, and their novels, and why do you enjoy them so much? Have any of them inspired your own writing?
A.R.: Isaac Asimov (The Last Question), Arthur C. Clarke (10 Billion Names of God/2001: A Space Odyssey), Frank Herbert (Dune Series), Philip K. Dick (Do Androids Dreams of Electric Sheep?), Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series).
To me, these legends make up the Mount Rushmore of Sci-Fi Writing. The way they blended religion, myth, and history into their stories of alien societies, future dystopias, and space travel is what inspired me to one day pick up the pen myself. While all these greats have had an undeniable influence on my writing, I would have to say that Frank Herbert and Douglas Adams have made the deepest impact on me. The humor, wit, and imagination of Douglas Adams is something I will forever strive toward. Frank Herbert's world-building (or in his case, universe-building) is second to none, and will forever inspire me to reach higher.
P.L.: Those are some iconic authors you mention. How would you classify your work? Is it dystopian sci-fi? Or something else? Why?
A.R.: I would classify my work as a Dystopian Science Fiction Fantasy. While the typical dystopian story shows a society that is obviously corrupt beyond repair, my story's dystopia is much more subtle. My hope/intention was that after reading the first couple of chapters, readers would want to live in my world, then slowly as the bigger picture is revealed, the corruption becomes much more apparent. I did this to mimic the world we currently live in, where corruption is all around us, but we're too distracted with work/our personal lives to do anything about it.
P.L.: Will you stick to the sci-fi genre or write in other genres in the future?
A.R.: I think Sci-Fi will be my genre forever. Will I write/create stories in the future that will have a greater emphasis on romance or even horror? Definitely, but I think all of my stories will have at least a sprinkling of sci-fi mixed into them—it's ingrained in me!
P.L.: We are looking forward to reading a lot of great sci-fi books from you in the future! Can you tell us a bit please, if possible, about what projects you are currently working on?
A.R.: I am currently re-releasing my book Allegory of the End with a new cover, and title (Into the Great Void) as I finish writing/editing my sequel--Through the Great Void. This year I also plan to start attending more book fairs/conventions, and have my FIRST one scheduled for March 18th in PROVIDENCE, RI if anyone reading this is interested.
P.L.: Best of luck with your first book fair! How have you found the writing community on social media? Do you believe being on social media as an author is critical to success?
A.R.: I wouldn't be where I am today without the writing community on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Not only do I believe that being on social media as an author is critical to success, I would argue that in the current state of the industry, it's impossible to succeed without it. We need to learn from one another, create communities, attract readers, and the only way to effectively do that (in my opinion) is through social media.
P.L: A.R., I have truly enjoyed our chat and I really appreciate you joining me on Six Elementals Interviews! Thank you so much!
Connect with A.R. here:
INSTAGRAM - @ar.mirabal
TIKTOK - @ar.mirabal
TWITTER - @a_r_mirabal
Buy A.R.’s books here:
AMAZON - https://www.amazon.com/Allegory-End-Death-Order-Book-ebook/dp/B08ZSZRXZ4
GOODREADS - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58402703-allegory-of-the-end
BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/allegory-of-the-end-ar-mirabal/1140795230
MY WEBSITE (50% OFF SALE) - www.neotino.net/store/books
This is a distinct pleasure, in that I have an incredibly talented sci-fi author join me: the amazing
A.R. Mirabal! A.R's currently published works include: Allegory of the End (newly titled Into the Great Void).
P.L.: So honoured to be able to interview you A.R.! You are one of the most wonderful people in the Writing Community, and someone that I very much look up to, as both a person and an author! And of course, as a marvellous booktuber, who strives to promote the works of others! Thanks again for joining Six Elementals Interviews!
I'm a big fan of your writing, after reading Allegory of the End (now Into the Great Void), as you know! It was an outstanding book!
Your book was extremely compelling, with some very difficult themes, handled extremely sensitively and compassionately. Loss, betrayal, violence, drug use, and more. Can you tell readers who haven't yet read your incredible book about some of those themes, and why you chose to write about them in a sci-fi novel?
A.R.: There was a quote I read that changed my entire outlook on how art is created and consumed. "You're not selling a product, you're selling an emotion." When you find a book that stays with you, a book that you can't stop thinking about, it isn't because the author used he replied instead of he said, it's because the author struck an emotional cord. Humans are emotional creatures, we like our art to make us feel something. For as much as I loved jamming the story in with as much humor, world-building, and far-off technologies as possible, I knew that my characters and their journeys were the heart that made the text come alive.
When first creating the world and characters of my book, I looked to my favorite shows/books/movies for inspiration. I studied what were the emotions I felt while consuming them, then cherry-picked the ones I wanted to weave into my story. Like in real life, betrayal stings the most when it comes from someone/something that is seemingly loyal. Loss weighs heavier on the heart when you lose someone/something that you seemingly can't live without. So, I weaved together a story that drags my characters through the same emotional pitfalls we all experience, that way their climb up the mountain at the end is that much sweeter, and gives the reader hope that they'll eventually conquer whatever demons plague their lives.
When a reader says they love one character but hate another, it shows me that I've created two strong characters—what scares me is a reader saying they're indifferent about one of my characters.
P.L.: Well, I’d say you definitely accomplished the mission. Your characters truly stuck with me. Who are some of your favorite authors, and their novels, and why do you enjoy them so much? Have any of them inspired your own writing?
A.R.: Isaac Asimov (The Last Question), Arthur C. Clarke (10 Billion Names of God/2001: A Space Odyssey), Frank Herbert (Dune Series), Philip K. Dick (Do Androids Dreams of Electric Sheep?), Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series).
To me, these legends make up the Mount Rushmore of Sci-Fi Writing. The way they blended religion, myth, and history into their stories of alien societies, future dystopias, and space travel is what inspired me to one day pick up the pen myself. While all these greats have had an undeniable influence on my writing, I would have to say that Frank Herbert and Douglas Adams have made the deepest impact on me. The humor, wit, and imagination of Douglas Adams is something I will forever strive toward. Frank Herbert's world-building (or in his case, universe-building) is second to none, and will forever inspire me to reach higher.
P.L.: Those are some iconic authors you mention. How would you classify your work? Is it dystopian sci-fi? Or something else? Why?
A.R.: I would classify my work as a Dystopian Science Fiction Fantasy. While the typical dystopian story shows a society that is obviously corrupt beyond repair, my story's dystopia is much more subtle. My hope/intention was that after reading the first couple of chapters, readers would want to live in my world, then slowly as the bigger picture is revealed, the corruption becomes much more apparent. I did this to mimic the world we currently live in, where corruption is all around us, but we're too distracted with work/our personal lives to do anything about it.
P.L.: Will you stick to the sci-fi genre or write in other genres in the future?
A.R.: I think Sci-Fi will be my genre forever. Will I write/create stories in the future that will have a greater emphasis on romance or even horror? Definitely, but I think all of my stories will have at least a sprinkling of sci-fi mixed into them—it's ingrained in me!
P.L.: We are looking forward to reading a lot of great sci-fi books from you in the future! Can you tell us a bit please, if possible, about what projects you are currently working on?
A.R.: I am currently re-releasing my book Allegory of the End with a new cover, and title (Into the Great Void) as I finish writing/editing my sequel--Through the Great Void. This year I also plan to start attending more book fairs/conventions, and have my FIRST one scheduled for March 18th in PROVIDENCE, RI if anyone reading this is interested.
P.L.: Best of luck with your first book fair! How have you found the writing community on social media? Do you believe being on social media as an author is critical to success?
A.R.: I wouldn't be where I am today without the writing community on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Not only do I believe that being on social media as an author is critical to success, I would argue that in the current state of the industry, it's impossible to succeed without it. We need to learn from one another, create communities, attract readers, and the only way to effectively do that (in my opinion) is through social media.
P.L: A.R., I have truly enjoyed our chat and I really appreciate you joining me on Six Elementals Interviews! Thank you so much!
Connect with A.R. here:
INSTAGRAM - @ar.mirabal
TIKTOK - @ar.mirabal
TWITTER - @a_r_mirabal
Buy A.R.’s books here:
AMAZON - https://www.amazon.com/Allegory-End-Death-Order-Book-ebook/dp/B08ZSZRXZ4
GOODREADS - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58402703-allegory-of-the-end
BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/allegory-of-the-end-ar-mirabal/1140795230
MY WEBSITE (50% OFF SALE) - www.neotino.net/store/books
