All about the novel Isolating Contact

Who is Ash Remington

Hey gang. I’m Ash, debut author of “Isolating Contact” which is the first entry in a series of commercial, sci-fi, political thrillers. As a fan of storytelling, I’m seeking to interject a fresh perspective and provide a unique brand of fast-paced novels that challenge the repetitiveness of the current market. First and foremost, I want to entertain you. It’s my position that reading should be fun and that you should never stumble upon a paragraph where skimming is an option. You can glean whatever message suits you from the themes of my stories, but at the end of the book, I hope you had a good time.

What is Isolating Contact about?

The truth has never set anyone free

It’s 2032 and mankind is quite proud of themselves. Nuclear weapons have been destroyed and humans have earned their first contact moment. There’s peace with the mysterious alien visitors right up until the portal connecting their two worlds becomes operational, and only hours later, all Hell breaks loose.

Interview

What inspires your writing? 

When I wrote my debut novel, “Isolating Contact,” I was inspired to craft a story that I hadn’t seen done before. I wanted to give readers something unique that wasn’t beholden to genre or typical tropes. I want my readers to pick up my books having no clue what to expect and being genuinely shocked by where the story goes.

What drew you to writing? 

The challenge. Every author or anyone trying to become an author knows what a daunting task it is to find success. It’s not enough to write a great story with compelling characters. You have to learn how to query, format, market, etc etc. I like the idea of staring down a task that has a 1% chance of success, especially when anyone rolls their eyes when I decide to take it on.

How did you choose which character to center the story around? 

For my first book, it was always going to be Emilia. She had the clearest and most impactful arc of any of my mains, and I found her story the most interesting to explore.

What was your process for writing your books? 

I’m a major plotter. I like to know where I’m going before I start trying to get there.

I want to dream up 3-4 huge moments in the story that will turn the reader upside down, and then craft the structure around those moments. Doing this through multi-POV requires a ton of attention to who narrates what in order to maintain mystery and still give enough breadcrumbs for the reader to follow.

On top of that, I write character profiles with backstory to give them depth in my own mind. This helps me find their voice and define the best possible arc for them to experience.

What is your approach to world and character building? 

A world that feels real, fleshed-out, and detailed is paramount to an immersive reading experience. However, nobody wants to read page after page of info dumping.

Every author wants to show off how much thought we put into developing our world, but there’s a thousand ways to fumble delivering that information. I try to bury most of it in exposition that comes off as natural dialogue, and the rest in action. It’s difficult to refrain from spelling everything out, but I try to trust the intelligence of my readers to piece things together.

Character building is much easier. It starts in their profile and comes to life on the pages. There’s action, dialogue, and inner narration available as tools to exposing character. Once I really know who my characters are as people, I kind of feel like I’m acting as them while writing their POV.

Did you have a favorite moment in the book to write? 

Absolutely! The entirety of chapter 8 from “Isolating Contact,” is my favorite piece of writing I’ve ever done. You’ve got these two characters who can barely tolerate each other, and they’re stuck together in a high-pressure situation. There’s this odd friendship bonding that plays out where they discover depths to their supposed enemy, and even though they couldn’t be any more different, they’re also very similar.

I’ll take this question one step further. I also have a least favorite moment to write. There’s a pivotal emotional sequence in the third act of “Addictive Contact,” that is gut wrenching and personal. It’s the most important scene of the book, and I actually put it off until I had written everything else before I tackled it. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but it had to be done. Even revisiting it in editing was difficult.

Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why? 

There are little bits of me in a lot of characters.Alexis’ brash attitude, potty mouth, distrust of the system, and panic attacks. Malik’s religious upbringing and family life are similar to how I was raised. Then there’s Emilia, and while it’s embarrassing to admit the similarities, they absolutely exist. More than I’d care to admit.

Has writing and publishing a book changed the way you see yourself? 

Nah. I’m still the same old neurotic maniac. That said, experiencing some positive sentiments from readers feeds the egomaniac inside of me. I need to keep that in check if I’m going to write anything impactful. I’m much better off with spite and self-doubt to fuel my creativity.

Are there any books or authors who have inspired you to write? 

This is so embarrassing to admit, but I’m not a big reader. Pathetic, right? Most of my inspiration has come from films, which is a huge passion of mine. I adore the snappy dialogue from writers like Aaron Sorkin and Shane Black. Can’t talk inspiration without mentioning two creators who couldn’t be any less similar. John Hughes and Christopher Nolan. I’d like to think that I’m doing a serviceable job mashing up their best qualities.

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book, and what advice were you given? 

Do your homework and be patient. Youtube has countless hours of incredible writing content. I highly recommend Alyssa Matesic, Natalia Leigh, Alexa Donne, and Abbie Emmons. You can learn everything from the use of tropes to how to write a query letter.

I watched no less an hour per day while I was writing my debut novel. I don’t know where I’d be without them.Have patience. Your debut novel is your first chance to introduce yourself to readers. There’s no rush to release it because you don’t yet have a readership who is waiting on you. Patience won’t just be a virtue for yourself. You’ll need it for others as well. If you’ve done your homework, you’ve built up an ARC team to get those early reviews going. Remember, these are people who are helping you, and they owe you nothing. You haven’t earned them as readers until you’ve entertained them. Some may take 3+ months to get around to reading and reviewing your work. If you’ve done your job as a storyteller, they’ll be far more excited for your next release.

Also, have patience with the market. If you’re querying agents, you’ll be sitting around twiddling your thumbs for half a year.  If you’re releasing as an indie author, it may take you years to build up a readership. Stick with it and don’t let yourself get down.

What’s your favorite writing snack or drink? 

I don’t snack when I write, and sometimes that can be problematic. There’s been a few days when I realize ten hours have gone by and I’m starving. As for drinks, I hammer Crystal Light. I might be the only writer on the planet who isn’t addicted to coffee.

Do you play music when you write, and if so, what’s your favorite? 

YES!! I love this question! I have a writing playlist on Spotify that is over 15 hours long. It’s comprised entirely of film scores. I love love LOVE the music from movies. Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shore, James Newton Howard, James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Michael Giacchino, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Ramin Djawadi, Johann Johannsson, Ludwig Goransson, Harry Gregson-Williams, Vangelis, and even Daft Punk. You can’t make me pick a favorite!

Who has been your biggest supporter of your writing? 

When I was just getting started, it was the people closest to me. Jimmy, Jessica, Chad, Abby, and of course my mom!Since then, I’ve added tons of supporters! The wonderful people of Bookstagram have been kinder to me than I deserve. My ARC readers are great. And fans! I have real-life actual fans, which is not something I ever dared to dream of. This is all without mentioning my editor Anna, who has been an absolute godsend. If you pick up “Addictive Contact” and enjoy the book, it’s probably because of Anna. Her fingerprints are all over the manuscript. She’s challenged me, pushed me, and supported me. I couldn’t ask for a better professional partner.