Aaron Ryan - Post Apocalyptic Dystopian Alien Invasion Series

Aaron Ryan lives in Washington with his wife and two sons, along with Macy the dog, Winston the cat, and Merry & Pippin, the finches.  He is the author of the "Dissonance" series, several business books on multimedia production penned under a pseudonym, as well as a previous fictional novel, "The Omega Room."  Aaron has always had a passion for storytelling.  When he was in second grade, he was tasked with writing a creative assignment: a fictional book. And thus, “The Electric Boy” was born: a simple novella full of intrigue, fantasy, and 7-year-old wits that electrified Aaron’s desire to write. From that point forward, Aaron evolved into a creative soul that desired to create. As our Author of the Day, he tells us all about his book, Dissonance Volume Zero.

Please give us a short introduction to what Dissonance Volume Zero is about.

Dissonance Volume Zero: Revelation is the origin story, the prequel, to the “Dissonance” trilogy I penned. The aliens invaded our world on June 6, 2026. Yet the original trilogy takes place 16 years after that, in 2042. So Dissonance Volume Zero: Revelation dives back to life before the invasion, showing what it was like before they came. And then, you see the pure pandemonium and chaos that ensues following the attacks…life inside the blockade…news reports of tragedies all around the globe… You follow the lives of the protagonist, Andrew Shipley, his wife Melissa, and their children Cameron (6), Sissy (5), and Rutty (2). Cameron is the original protagonist of the “Dissonance” series beginning in Dissonance Volume I: Reality.

Dissonance Volume Zero - Revelation is a prequel to your bestselling Dissonance trilogy. What motivated you to write this prequel, and how does it set the stage for the events in the trilogy?

When I finished with Dissonance Volume III: Renegade, I knew I just wasn’t done. I didn’t feel released to move on to a different manuscript or focus. I was still too wrapped up in promoting this one, and fleshing out the story. And if the invasion happens in 2026, but the trilogy is set in 2042, well, there’s a LOT of backstory to explore: 16 years worth! So I felt it befitting for me to return to Earth in 2042 and start detailing what happened.

The book features a unique take on an alien invasion where humanity is paralyzed by telepathic aliens. What inspired this concept?

Honestly, as a child I was terrified of the Claymation Medusa in 1981’s “Clash of the Titans.” Terrified me. I knew I wanted something like that. So I fleshed out a creature that had a telepathic ability to not necessarily turn us to stone, but to telephatically immobilize us, allowing it to eat at its leisure. I don’t know what’s worse: not being able to fight back, or feeling every agonizing bite. You definitely can’t lock eyes with a gorgon.

Andrew Shipley is thrust into an extraordinary nightmare. Tell us more about him - what makes him tick?

He’s an ordinary man. A firefighter from Blue Spring KY. He works there, he’s an honest hardworking firefighter and EMT who delights in his family, attends church, maintains great relationships with friends, and loves to play with his kids. There’s an overwhelming sadness as they are forced to relocate from their precious home, and have to live underground in this Blockade to keep them safe from these things…overall, it’s debilitating, and deflating. But somehow, his good attitude and perseverance endures, and he does what it takes to protect his wife and children, and to keep their spirits up.

You mentioned that you wrote this prequel in just three weeks. How did you maintain such a rapid pace?

I do that. I did Dissonance Volume I: Reality in 3 weeks as well. It’s just hammering it out at all times and at all costs, anytime I’m available and able. I work from home in voiceovers, but the VO business has been slow which has allowed me to write so much so often. And my wife is a professional editor, so I’m able to have that all done in house. I don’t like delays. 😊

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Secret? Haha. I don’t know if they’re secret, but I sing, I provide voiceovers, I write poetry, I run a multimedia business, and I can cross my eyes. Does that last one count?

The aliens are a formidable threat. How did you create and develop their characteristics and motivations, and what role do they play in shaping the story’s conflict?

Well, as I mentioned Clash of the Titans’ Medusa had a big formative role to play in that. At first, however, I called them ‘druids’ as I wasn’t sure where I was going with the series. But they bore too stark of a resemblance to a cross between Nazgul (Lord of the Rings) and Dementors (Harry Potter), and I didn’t want that. I needed something unique and utterly terrifying. Neither Nazgul nor Dementors eat you…although Dementors will suck your spirit away…but I just needed something that consumes. I think, as a species, we generally don’t like being consumed.

Themes of survival and resilience are central to the story. Why did you find this important to write about?

Isn’t that the best plot? How do we make it out of here? How do we survive in the face of such incredible odds stacked against us? How do we fight back against an alien species that you can’t even look at? How do we keep so quiet that they won’t hear us? However, when the odds are stacked so high, you have to have some kind of Achilles Heel, and, without revealing any spoilers, you do see that slowly taking shape and coming to the aid of humanity in the quadrilogy.

How does Dissonance Volume Zero - Revelation integrate with the rest of the Dissonance series?

It’s a prequel, so it’s a successive precursor, haha. It’s a follow-up, but it’s an origin story. That’s what the coupling of those two words mean of course. I love reading them in that way, too, just FYI: I don’t want to read the prequel and THEN the trilogy. It’s so much more refreshing to read it in 2042 and then go back to 2026 because certain celebrated characters are alive again. People are young and healthy before everything turns to crap. You get to experience the breath of fresh air. I love prequels released after the originals.

Did you include any foreshadowing or Easter eggs in the prequel that readers familiar with the trilogy might recognize?

I love this question. I took GREAT pains, when I wrote the prequel, to incorporate things that I had hit on in the trilogy. Things that Cameron, in the trilogy, alluded to, or things that he (or others) referenced as having happened somewhere between 2026 and 2042. I made sure to cover those. That made for a congruent timeline that fit with the original narrative. That was important to me. So if anything struck you in the trilogy as memorable having to do with the past, you’ll see that addressed in the prequel. I really love how it turned out because it keeps the consistency and the truth in the storytelling.

You’ve cited J.R.R. Tolkien and others as your favorite authors. How have these authors influenced your work, particularly in the Dissonance series?

Let’s just say that any Tolkien purists out there MIGHT come across certain phrases or ways in which I’ve worded something that might stir their memory to something Rings-related. Ultimately, I am DEEPLY inspired by The Lord of the Rings: it’s the first creative work that stirred embers in me of creativity, and I love how descriptive he was in his world-building. I tried to be equally descriptive, close to his level in dialogue sculpting, or in certain narratives, etc.. I’ll have fallen dreadfully short, that’s for certain, when all is said and done and if they’re ever stacked side by side. After all, he’s J.R.R. Tolkien. But I did seek to pay homage to him as far as some of the influences in my writing style in places.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I’m off and on. I’m a voiceover artist, so I audition > come back and write > do marketing > audition > record a voiceover job > come back and write > do marketing > audition > come back and write > marketing. Rinse and repeat.

What are you working on right now?

Thank you for asking! I’m really excited. It’s the sequel!  I just published the second prequel to my “Dissonance” series, entitled “Dissonance Volume Up: Rising.”  This follows moments after “Dissonance Volume Zero: Revelation” concludes, and literally drops you off moments before “Dissonance Volume I: Reality” begins.  So that bridges the gap nicely.  But I have to confess that I did leave the door open slightly at the end of “Dissonance Volume III: Renegade”, and that has now allowed me to write a sequel, called “Dissonance Volume IV: Relentless.”  I’m very excited about this!  I’ve had a few readers clamoring for more, so this should satiate them and provide more opportunities for familiar characters to resurface.  I’m very excited to bring them back!  This is my world, and I’m grateful to be stepping into it once more.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

Thank you! They can visit www.authoraaronryan.com for my author website, https://dot.cards/authoraaronryan for my social media profiles and pages, and of course https://www.dissonancetheseries.com for the entire Dissonance trilogy/quadrilogy. Those who buy a book from me directly receive it signed, along with a pen and a bookmark.