Date Published: July 3, 2020
Publisher: Skyland Press
Incarnate Number Seven, a cybernetically enhanced young woman with no memories and only a basic operating system, awakens to a devastated world painted in blood, desperation, and genocide. Guided only by a moody artificial intelligence program and scattered digital memories into the past, Seven must traverse the perilous Gateway region, fighting past its savage inhabitants and monsters to learn who she was and what happened to her world. Maybe, if she’s lucky, she’ll even save what’s left of humanity in the process…
Is There a
Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
The
Aria of Galvanize is a post-apocalyptic adventure with a lot of
cyberpunk elements, following a young woman who also happens to be a cyborg,
Incarnate Number Seven. While I’ve tried to make the series exciting and
entertaining, I’ve also tried to give a lot of depth to the characters and the wasteland
they inhabit, The Gateway. Some of the themes address issues pertaining to
societal collapse, the brutality of human nature, and the decay of time. However,
I’d say the primary message in the novel involves creating a sense of meaning,
even amidst the background of a dark and terrifying world. Despite going
through a lot of terrifying experiences and struggles, Seven chooses to keep
going and fighting for the things she cares most about. She could, and maybe
even should give up, but she doesn’t. Deep down, she knows what and who she’s
fighting for.
Is there
anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I find the
hardest part of writing the series to be trying to ensuring that the big
picture of the novels is going the direction I want while keeping the small
moment-to-moment action and details immersive and engaging! If I focus too much
on the big picture narrative it’s easy for a specific subplot to drag on or
lose focus, but if I focus too much on a specific subplot it’s easy to lose the
integration of the entire story! I’ve gotten better at this since I first
started writing, and I work very hard to ensure that every word is necessary to
the story and that in the end all of these subplots and challenges will all
come together!
How many
books have you written and which is your favorite?
The Aria of Galvanize is my debut novel, so that
makes it my favorite by default! But I currently plan for the book to be the
first of a series of four novels that detail Incarnate Seven’s mysteries and
adventures in the Gateway wasteland. I suspect that even when I’m done with the
series, however, that this first novel (AoG) may still be my favorite because I
feel it’s like looking through a window into a vast wide and mysterious world. Even
when I’m done with the AoG series, I will likely continue to write other novels
set in the Gateway universe!
If You had the
chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
This is such a great question! I’m a big fan of Rosa Salazar.
I could see Salazar being a great Incarnate Seven, she really has a feistiness to
her that I think exists at Seven’s core. She’d also be entertaining to watch when
fighting monsters and brutal humans in the wasteland since a petite, young
woman isn’t exactly who you’d expect to see fighting such battles. That’s
really who Seven is, someone who shouldn’t be able to survive these battles,
yet she does so over and over again!
When did
you begin writing?
I’ve been writing ever since I was in middle school, when I used to write
and read brief fiction stories with my friends. Now I’m a dad with two kids, so
it feels like I’ve been writing most of my life! But I didn’t really get to be
a strong writer (if I can be classified as such!) until I found an incredible
writing mentor who taught me how to refine my skills. My advice to people who
want to write: seek out good mentorship, and if a mentor shreds your work with
red ink, be grateful for the incredible opportunity to learn and improve (even
when constructive criticism stings!!).
How long
did it take to complete your first book?
It took my approximately one full year to write AoG, and then
another few months to edit and revise multiple times. I’ve had to spend a lot
of time mapping out plot developments, building new worlds, and setting paths
for character development over the course of the book. Despite being a lot of
work, it was also a lot of fun and I hope other readers enjoy the story as much
as I enjoyed writing it!
Did you
have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
I’d
have to say J.R.R. Tolkien has been the most inspiring to me in terms of my writing
process. Even though I don’t read much fantasy these days, when I first read
Tolkien’s work I was so inspired by the level of world building, epic plot, and
amazing cast of characters he created. Although I don’t read as much fantasy
these days, I’ve tried to integrate these same facets into post-apocalyptic
writing, building both collapse and pre-collapse worlds, new types of wasteland
cities, and integrating technology with a fallen society.
What is your
favorite part of the writing process?
Believe
it or not, but revision is actually my favorite part of the process! Getting a
rough first draft on paper is exciting but also very difficult. Revising, in
contrast, is like painting the fine details of a picture- you have the bigger
vision and foundation there before you, but now you can focus on giving all the
amazing details that really make the story and world come alive!
Describe
your latest book in 4 words.
I would describe The Aria of Galvanize as follows: Cyborg
girl shoots monsters!
Can you
share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your
writing?
Although The Aria of Galvanize was written to
be a self-contained novel, I knew that I would need to include another 2-3 sequels
to bring the story to full completion. The next up is The
Aria of Galvanize: Destiny, which will continue to follow Seven and her
friends as they fight to survive in a series of post-apocalyptic battle royal
war games. I am in the editing stage of the novel and expect to make it
available in early 2021 to advance readers. I am also working on a spin off
prequel novel following one of the characters from the book, Sorena, in her youth
experiences as a Hired Gun mercenary trying to survive in the brutal
Gateway. I hope to have this briefer novel, Berserk: Before
Galvanize, available by the end of the year. For more updates, be sure to visit my
website at www.wilderpage.com!
About the Author
Wilder Page loves science fiction, cyberpunk, dystopian, and post-apocalyptic worlds. Especially those with stories where the personal stakes are high, and the costs of failure are very real. But he also believes in the triumph of the human spirit, and whether the future will be grim or bright, well… that’s a choice each of us has to make for ourselves. When Wilder’s not writing or daydreaming he spends the rest of his time running, traveling with his wife and best friend, or playing video games with his two amazing little kiddos!
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Twitter: wilder_page
Instagram: wilder_page
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