Tell us about Veil.
Veil is a story I started developing over a seven-year period. It struck me a long time ago that nearly everyone at some point in their life has wondered what it would be like to be someone else or how they would look through someone else’s eyes. I started wondering how that could be made possible and what would happen to our world if that were made possible. For years, thinking about the concepts and impact of Veil became almost an obsession.

What genre is it?
Because of the technology behind Veil, I would say the main genre would have to be Science Fiction. However, the story is in no way limited to that genre and I’d argue that Science Fiction is simply the backbone of a story whose various organs include some thriller, some suspense, some romance, some metaphysics, some mystery, some dystopia, some speculation, even some LGBTQ.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
Readers with a dark or dry sense of humour, readers who aren’t easily offended, readers who relish in strong and dynamic characters, readers who can work through some initial complexity in order to enter a world that poses some fascinating and provocative possibilities.

Complete this sentence for us: if you like _____________, you will love Veil.
The thought of Isaac Asimov, Nina Simone, George Carlin, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ken Wilber, and Louis CK all camping in the woods together and eating a sheet of acid, after which they discuss the nature of the universe and the weirdness of reality and existence until they forget what they were talking about and have all somehow ended up naked, but then Betty White shows up getting a piggyback ride from Sigourney Weaver while eating string cheese…

What has been the toughest part of producing Veil – writing, editing or marketing?
Marketing. Marketing marketing marketing. I believe in Veil to the point where I know, in the right hands, it could go incredibly far. My job is to help the book grow legs and make it out into the world. As any independent author knows, there is no higher wall than getting discovered. My marketing approach is based on the fact that my profit is not in dollars; it is in readership.

Veil has a beautiful and intriguing cover. Is there a story behind it?
I’m glad you asked about that. The makeup for the cover was done by my childhood friend, Megan Wunder, who is a freelance makeup artist based in Las Vegas. She also coordinated the model and the photographer, Misha Grace and Jenna Thall.

Megan knew the concept of the book and had a basic idea of my vision for the cover. I trust her talent in the greatest sense and wouldn’t have put it in anyone else’s hands; she is more like my doppelganger than merely my friend. What she and her team ended up producing went beyond anything I could’ve imagined or expected. I can only hope the story contained in the book lives up to the cover. I can’t wait to work with the three of them again and see what they come up with next. I would like to see the concept become iconic and synonymous with the New Veil World series and those three artists.

You have a second and third book planned for this series. Are you stopping at three?
The main story of what I hope to accomplish with the New Veil World series will stop at three books. There are three stages to the full arc of the story and by the end of the third book there literally won’t be anywhere else for the story to go. Each book will inhabit the same universe but each will be completely different and break open the universe in entirely different ways. However, that being said, there is room for other books (likely novellas) related to each of the main books in the series. One serial novella already planned and in the works is titled, “They Never See The Guy In The Wheelchair Coming.” Folks will have to read Veil to understand the title of that book but it will consist of journal entries by one of Veil’s main characters, Brock Elsbeth.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
First and foremost, I’m a father. That is my main role in life. My son comes first. Always.

I’m defined by my relationships, and they are the most important things I have going for me. Most of the character names came from people I know or who inspire me.

I’m painfully in love and if it’s possible to love someone any greater, I never want to find out. I would burst at the seams and go crazy.

I’m a jackass. I’ve done a lot of stupid, horrible, and unforgiveable things in my life. I’ve done things I’ve never told anyone about and likely never will. I’m vulgar and apparently often offensive, and most of the time I’m unapologetic.

I’m the epitome of a mama’s boy. I think the cord is still attached.
If you combine all the main characters in Veil, you get me.

Have you got a site where readers can keep up with your work?
http://www.newveilworld.com

Where can people buy your books?
Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, local booksellers. Am I supposed to provide links? This is why I’m a marketing fail I guess: laziness.

(ED: Don’t worry, Aaron, we’ll supply the links: Amazon – US, UK – Barnes and Noble. We’ll also mention that you’ve got a Kickstarter project to fund an audiobook for Veil.)

What’s next?
Next is the second stage of the New Veil World series: After Veil.

If you mean what’s next as in what’s after the New Veil World series, then I have absolutely no idea. The story of all three books is the story I want to tell. I guess you could call it a philosophy wrapped in fiction, if you can call it that without sounding insufferably pretentious. I don’t know where I can go from there, I guess I’ll have to wait and see. It will be interesting to see where my mind goes after I get these three books out. It will free up a lot of mental energy once I purge the entire story. I still obsessively think about the ideas behind the book(s).