Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

EP 413 - Coming Home to Your Found Family with Aaron Fors

May 2, 2025

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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 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