In this interview Mark interviews author, actor, and narrator Aaron Fors about numerous aspects of his creative life.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.

During their interview Mark and Aaron talk about:

• Recently hanging out at Superstars Writing Seminars
• Aaron's creative life as an author, an actor, and a voice talent/narrator
• How Aaron started acting when he was eight years old, and his supportive father who took a "sure, let's do this" approach when Aaron's older siblings talked about wanting to get into acting
• Aaron's first scene doing a dark-themed dramatic monologue and how he fell in love with acting
• The list Aaron created at the age of 5 which included being a famous actor, a rock star, President of the United States, and a basketball star
• Being a voracious reader from an early age, with his favorite authors being Stephen King, William Shakespeare and Isaac Asimov
• Latching on to "found family" style stories from science-fiction disguised as "bad ass robot movies"
• Wanting to be a part of sharing stories that help remind people who feel alone or outcast that there's a place for them
• Being a guest star on a lot of cop, doctor, and lawyer shows on TV and having to have read hundreds of scripts - and how that has played a role in studying story
• Getting into writing books because of his sister C L Fors and her husband Jason Crawford suggesting it
• How writing stories and novels felt a lot like "coming home"
• The natural symbiotic relationship between performers of story and creators of story
• Some of the fundamental storytelling aspects that translate well from screenplays to narrative fiction, such as the "camera's focus" on the relevant details in a scene
• How having a healthy relationship with rejection as an actor has been helpful to Aaron in his role as a writer
• Having 17 auditions in person in a single day driving from 6 AM until midnight to get to the various offices and studios
• The concept of when you are doing an audition you're actually performing in front of an audience that's right there in the room (even if that audience is one or two or just a few people) - and that you're actually getting to do your job - you got to entertain
• Aaron's story "Best Foot Forward" which appeared in the anthology Weird Wilderness edited by Lisa Mangum
• The first two full length novel manuscripts that Aaron has written
• Aaron's work doing voice-over performances in various different categories
• How the industry for doing voice-over and narrator roles changed during the pandemic which allowed for a lot more work-from-home-studio opportunities
• The way that the narrator themselves add a layer of artistry to the manuscript they are reading
• The fact that Aaron is a dialectologist who studied in Masterclasses with Robert Easton
• And more . . .

After the interview Mark makes an offer to his patrons for getting a chance to work with Aaron and also reflects on three different things that Aaron mentioned.

Links of Interest:

• Aaron Fors Website
• EP 411 - Small Acts of Kindness in Every Little Thing with Janice Landry
• Draft2Digital Self Publishing Insiders (May 1, 2025) - Creating Your Community of Superfans with Rachel Rener (YouTube)
• Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link)
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
• Mark's YouTube channel
• Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
• Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Aaron Fors is a passionate actor, dialectologist, writer, and all around performer. He is a weaver of stories, with threads of magic, science, wonder, and love. He is a collector of information, skills, and wisdom. He also crafts with his hands, leather-working and woodworking. His two cats and wife (honorary third cat) love him very much, and are spoiled by his cooking. He does all the things. Want a thing done? He can probably do it. You can find Aaron online at www.aaronfors.com

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0