In an effort to introduce my readers to other authors and their work, every week I run an Author Spotlight, sharing information about an author, their work, and how they go about writing their books.
A.R. Weston is an American author and Army veteran born in Houston, Texas, and raised in La Grange, Kentucky. He joined the U.S. Army at 18, following in the footsteps of both his grandfathers. He served as a Fire Direction Specialist in Field Artillery, an experience that strengthened his values of service, duty, and patriotism and continues to influence his writing.
A.R. earned a master’s degree in Homeland Security with a focus on Counterterrorism from the American Military University. Drawing from his military experience, education, and imagination, he writes stories blending action, adventure, mystery, suspense, humor, and heart.
Outside of writing, A.R. is passionate about fitness, enjoys working on cars, and treasures time with his family. He met his wife while serving in the military and is a devoted husband and proud father of three children and a follower of Jesus, A.R. strives to live by faith, family, honor, integrity, and loyalty. Through his writing, he hopes to entertain readers, make them smile, and tell memorable stories filled with courage, hope, and the enduring spirit of service.
A conversation with A.R.
When did you decide to become an author and why?
In the spring of 2015, shortly after reading a story to my young children. As I read, I found myself changing parts of the story, trying to make it funnier and more entertaining. My daughter would giggle and my son would smile. Later that night, I told my wife I was going to write a children’s book. My motivation was also personal. Growing up, I never enjoyed reading, and wanted something different for my children. I wanted them to discover how much fun a good story could be. That philosophy still drives my writing today: always seek to entertain first. I want people to genuinely enjoy my stories, laugh when appropriate, and escape from everyday life for a while. As my children have grown, my storytelling has grown with them, expanding from children’s books into stories written for older audiences.
How long have you been writing, and what was your first book?
I’ve been writing for more than eleven years. My first book was The Ballerina and the Bear: Sandcastle Mayhem, a children’s story about a brother who destroys his sister’s sandcastle during a day at the beach. At its heart, it is a story about family, mistakes, and forgiveness, lessons that can be difficult to learn at any age.
The title is especially meaningful because “Ballerina” and “Bear” came from nicknames for my children. That personal connection made the book a fitting beginning to my writing career. What started as a desire to create stories for my children would enjoy ultimately became something much bigger.
What genres do you write in?
My writing has evolved considerably since I began with children’s books. I still enjoy writing stories for younger readers, but my work has expanded into comedy, action and adventure, and more serious speculative fiction.
Comedy remains an important part of my writing. I enjoy creating ridiculous situations, memorable characters, and stories designed simply to make readers laugh, which explains my young-adult novel series, Tank Thornstone. I have even written a joke book, Men Don’t Just Exist, They Exaggerate, bringing me back to the humor that helped inspire my earliest storytelling.
On the more serious side, I also draw from my academic and professional background, which influenced The Last Candlemaker. The novel explores societal oppression, social unrest, government power, and the conditions that can allow totalitarianism to emerge. The genre may change, but the goal remains the same: tell a story worth reading.
How many books do you have out?
Six currently. Each book represents a different part of my life as a writer, but they all trace back to the same reason I started writing in the first place: I want readers to enjoy the time they spend inside one of my stories.
Are you trade published, independent, or a combination?
I’m an independent author. Being independent gives me the freedom to tell the stories I want to tell and to move between genres without feeling confined to a genre.
What is your writing style? Pantser, plotter, or something else?
I begin with an outline and know the major direction of the story, but leave plenty of room for the unexpected. Sometimes a scene or idea appears that is simply too good to ignore (mainly regarding comedic moments), and when that happens, I let it change the trajectory of the book.
There have been more mornings than I can count when I got up early because a scene was already playing out in my head and demanding to be written. The outline keeps me moving toward the larger story, but the journey between those major points is often much less predictable.
Do you write more than one book at a time?
Two books at once is my maximum bandwidth for writing. I have settled into a rhythm that allows me to work on two very different types of stories simultaneously. One is typically a comedy-driven action and adventure novel, while the other tackles more serious subject matter. For example, right now I am writing the second action adventure comedy, Tank Thornstone: The Secrets of Uluru, and a more serious political fiction novel titled The Mayor’s Butler.
How much research is involved in your writing?
The amount of research depends heavily on the book. The Last Candlemaker, for example, required considerable research because I knew virtually nothing about candlemaking when I began. The craft plays an important role in the story, and I wanted the descriptions of the candlemaking process to feel authentic.
At the same time, I’m writing fiction, not a technical manual. I freely uses creative license when the story or the larger allegory requires it. My goal is to establish enough real-world accuracy to make the fictional world believable while still giving myself the freedom to tell the story the way it needs to be told.
Where do you write?
My favorite writing spot is the recliner in my bedroom. Since my time in the military, I’ve dealt with difficulty sleeping. Writing has become a productive escape during those restless hours. Instead of lying awake with my mind running, I can get out of bed, sit down in the recliner, and put that energy into a story.
Do you use programs such as ProWritingAid or Grammarly?
No, I don’t rely on writing programs. I am fortunate to have something considerably more valuable, a trusted editor (my mother) in the family who is spectacular at grammar. I send her chapter drafts, and she provides feedback on what works, what does not, and where something needs to be clarified.
That human feedback is important. An editor can do more than identify a technical mistake; she can recognize when an idea is not landing properly, when a sentence does not communicate what I intended, or when a reader may need more information.
How do you promote your books?
I enjoy promoting my books in person at farmers’ markets, festivals, and similar events. There is something different about meeting readers face-to-face, talking about books, and watching someone discover a story for the first time. I’ve experimented with Facebook and Amazon advertising, but word of mouth has been my strongest form of promotion.
What are your short and long term writing goals?
In the short term, I want to keep writing, keep improving, and keep putting stories into the hands of readers who enjoy them. Writing is something deeply personal for me. It gives my mind somewhere productive to go, particularly during the nights when sleep does not come easily. What started as an escape has grown into something I would gladly spend my life doing.
After leaving the military, I built a career in corporate America, but writing is where my passion continues to pull me. My long term goal is simple: I would love to make a living writing. If given the opportunity to spend my days creating stories, building worlds, making readers laugh, and occasionally making them think a little differently about the world around them, that is exactly what I would choose to do.
What advice would you give to new authors or someone who wants to become an author?
Don’t worry if you do not have a full story in your head. Start writing, and you can fill in the pieces later.
Any other comments that might be interesting or useful to readers?
I believe a good book can change the world. I love and have a passion for serving others. It’s an honor for others to read my work and hear what they thought of the story.
You can visit A.R.’s website at www.arweston.com and learn more about him at his Amazon author’s page, https://www.amazon.com/stores/A.R.-Weston/author/B0F3TZ39CQ
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Did you know that you can find all of my books and sign up for my free author’s newsletter on my website at www.nickrussellbooks.com?
And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. When we saw this fuzzy fellow in a parking lot the other day, he didn’t seem all that bad to me.
Thought For The Day – I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me. – Ray Bradbury
