Interview with Aaron Arsenault, Author of The Climate Diaries

 

Welcome to Smack Dab, Aaron! I have to admit, the tag for your book (“Inspire kids to protect the planet with “climate-fighters” superhero series “) snagged my attention immediately. Please tell us a bit more about The Climate Diaries.

Thanks!

 

As a climate-tech industry guy and a concerned father, I set out to do something about it. As a first-time author, however, I’m a little new to book publicity! With this series, I set out to tackle the social, scientific, and existential discussion surrounding climate change head-on, in a way that kids could relate to, that will leave them both entertained, and eager to learn more. 

 

The first of an intended series, “The Climate Diaries- The Acade my" (Borrowed Planet Press), is a 52,000-word/300-page middle-grade novel (ages 9-12 yrs.) that weaves over 30 illustrations with some of the high jinks kids love, an element of mystery, and lots of adventure.

  

You’re not a stranger to climate issues–in fact, you spent 15 years working in climate tech. What kind of projects did you work on? What did you see about the climate that concerned you, or drove you to want to speak out about the issue? 

 

I’ve worked for some of the largest companies in the space. I developed EV charging infrastructure for Tesla, GM and Volvo, put great big honking Tesla battery packs into the front yards of large facilities (for back-up power), and worked with national retailers, grocery chains and real estate companies on all sorts of big corporate clean energy initiatives over the years. 

 

In my day job, I learned early on about the importance of storytelling. We weren’t just selling climate-tech products, we were selling a “movement”. Of course, I encountered a lot of naysayers, (especially early on), so my story telling skills had to get a lot better- fast!

 

Then, kids came along… (they are 11 and 14 now!). Suddenly, storytelling at home became even more important as I tried to frame what was going on in the world for my gang. Trying to find something positive and inspiring proved a huge challenge.  What little there was about the climate crisis was written for YA audiences and tended to be very dystopian. Other than that, there were the usual fart and wizard books and not much else! So, I set out to write something better!

  

What made you want to take the leap into fiction? Why young readers specifically?

 

I chose fiction because it engages kids’ imaginations and attention. ‘Climate anxiety’ is a growing phenomenon among young people, and I needed to find the right format, characters and setting to convey that message in a way that would entertain kids but also tap into their curiosity.

 

Statistics cite as many as 37% of kids exhibit symptoms consistent with an anxiety disorder by the time they hit their teens due to climate fears. I felt something had to be done with kids of MG age… to intervene and reset- before fear takes hold.

 

My hope is that this series will offer young readers an anchor to move beyond their anxiety and into the reshaping of more empowering belief systems as they embark on their own life journeys and begin asking questions about climate change. Kids have to believe that this is a problem we can, are and will continue to fix, because we’ll need them to pick up the baton – soon.

 

Most of all, I hope it leaves them feeling inspired to fight for a better future! As a writer, you can’t ask for a much better reward than that.

  

The writing process is always a learning process—no matter how many books you’ve already published. What did you learn about writing? About yourself? 

 

OMG! So much! I joke with people that this took one more year to complete than my degree! It’ll be five years in the making by the time it hits the airwaves.  It was a long grind. My writerly hygiene was poor because I had to fit it in with work, parenthood and the ‘covid lifestyle’… I’ve always known I was a half decent writer, but what remained to be seen was whether or not I could write fiction.  I generally read non-fiction myself and so it was anyone’s guess. I guess we’ll see what readers think and let them be the judge!

 

The biggest lesson I’ve learned as a writer is to not let perfect be the enemy of good. That’s what editors are for! In my next book I’ll be sure to remember that more! I’ve also learned that if you want to be a novelist you have to really, really care about the characters you create and the situations you put them in. You have to be invested in every scene. Otherwise it just falls flat.

 

I spent a lot of time doing character studies early on. Backstory stuff that may never land in the books. After spending five years with these four kids I now feel like their dad. It’s been a humbling, lonely, and at times excruciating experience becoming a novelist. But the flurries of creativity when the writing flows and the book writes itself offer one of the best dopamine rushes ever!

 

So much of MG hinges on character. I love the description of Jax on page 1–how he focuses on the way Mr. Clifford scrunches his hair into a mohawk and how Jax “relishes” frustrating him. Right from the start, Jax is something of a rascal. How does his personality help to further or drive the plot?

 

Thanks! Creating Jax probably composes lots of bits from my own childhood, (although I’m no genius)! I did however grow up with a passion for nature and the outdoors. As the son of a fisherman, that’s in my blood too. His personality gets him into trouble more often than not, and when he takes it too far he’s almost sent to kid-jail (juvenile detention!).  A chance intervention from agents at the Climate Action Taskforce saves his bacon just in the nick of time and he’s given an opportunity to serve his planet. That said, its not long before Jax’s fierce competitive edge and mischievous ways get him back into hot water!

  

What does Jax come to learn about climate as the book progresses? How does he change himself? 

 

Jax is an ‘expert’ on all things climate right out of the gate. He doesn’t so much learn things about climate as teach the rest of us a thing or two… What he does learn in spades by the end of the book is humility; something that has illuded him up to this point in life.

 

What was the most surprising aspect of the publishing process? We have both MG readers and writers who follow Smack Dab–what advice would you give aspiring authors? 

 

I considered approaching agents and traditional publishers, but I didn’t want to draw the process out any longer. It had taken me almost four years of writing to get it to a stage where I thought the story and characters were strong. Getting an agent and shopping a manuscript around can take several years more, and of course the chance of landing a deal is small. So- I opted to self publish.

 

As an indie, I’m still figuring it all out myself, but the hardest part as an indie is striking a balance between following the rules i.e.: wanting to make the best, most professional looking book possible with moving quickly, and making an affordable investment as a first timer when you have no idea if you’ll even sell a single copy. First time indie writers have to be prepared to dig into their pockets, a lot. Especially for MG and kids. The market is for physical books. So they have to look and feel good. Like ‘real’ books. I’ve learned there’s more to it than hiring a guy on fiverr and grabbing a stock photo for the cover. That may work fine for adult e-reader crowds, but parents want to give their kids an experience. The book has to look the part.

 

When I learned that all authors still need to be ‘authorpreneur’ regardless of their path to market, that just reinforced my decision to go indie- at least for now. In the end, I started my own imprint (Borrowed Planet Press) and hired with a reputable publisher (who also publishes traditionally) to bring the project to life. If sales on this first book are strong, I may take my proof of concept and shop around some more as I consider how to bring book 2 and the rest of this series to market.

 

I used some freelance resources for the illustrations and editing. I was lucky to finally meet an amazing illustrator in Adrienn who could bring my vison to life. It took me almost two years to find someone who’s style I loved that I could click with creatively. That relationship is pure gold to me- I owe her so much gratitude. As an artist myself, I knew what style I was after (and mine wasn’t it!).  Although we’ve never met in person, we’ve managed to  sync the illustrations and story in a way that really works well IMO.   I realize most MG novels (graphic novels excepted of course) don’t have illustrations in them anymore. I grew up on Roald Dahl books. It’s hard to imagine what they would have been like without Quentin Blake’s incredible imagination. If I ever wrote for MG, it would simply have to be illustrated! I hope it inspires more authors do it. It costs quite a bit more to produce, but it takes the reader experience to the next level. Especially for kids who may me be challenged with their reading development.  As an ADHD kid I certainly was, and illustrations were what kept me turning the page!

 

The beauty of the indie experience is that no two paths have to be alike. For those who are die-hard DIY’ers you could theoretically do every single aspect of the process yourself, (but I wouldn’t recommend it!). But I think it’s good to have subject matter experts, editors, illustrators, web designers, publicists and anyone else integral to your effort on speed dial.  Going it alone makes it that much harder and the end product suffers. Each time I was faced with a fork in the road, I almost always brought in external resources. For the most part, it’s worked out great.

 

One thing I’ve learned above all else- no one will love your baby like you do!  So don’t be surprised if you’re up at 3am looking for missing end quotes on your 24th draft yourself. It comes with the territory!  

  

What’s the most important takeaway you hope to impart on your readers?

 

That the climate crisis IS solvable. That it’s not too late for kids of all different backgrounds to form empowering beliefs about the positive impact they can have on climate change- and act on them to produce amazing results! And that one day the Earth will belong to their kids. It’s time we get it right.

 

The Climate Diaries  is a series. What will the next installment bring?

 

Yes it is! Book one ends on quite a cliffhanger.  It kind of happened by accident.  Originally book one was about 85,000 words. It was just too long… I wasn’t going to the late series Harry Potter length so I cut it almost in half. Luckily, I was able to chop it in just the right spot and doing so also gave me a nice head start on book two! It was a nice bonus!

 

Book two will find the kids in a very different setting. After riding out a Category 7 hurricane, their survival skills will be put to the test and we will get to see the depth of their grit. We’ll also learn a lot about oceanic pollution, and reveal a bit more about the mystery surrounding Powell Aitkins (the missing climatologist).  

 

But I shouldn’t give away too much! You’ll have to see for yourselves

 

Where can we find you?

 

I live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.  It’s a nice place to live on the shores of Lake Ontario, about a half an hour’s drive west of Toronto. 🙂

Instagram: @aaron_arsenault_

Website: www.aaronarsenault.com