Outcasts

Author's Note

I have dealt with many outcasts in my stories. There are different definitions and classes of outcasts, but mostly it comes down to feeling separate from society, from proper human connections. Outcasts don't feel protected from terror and despair, and so they face that in their own way. They isolate themselves, are left with their shame, to do with that as they will: laugh, cry, scream or forget. And sometimes even to self-destruct.

I love writing, dipping into new stories, yet as the years go on, and I explore new worlds and characters, I am aware of those who slip through the cracks, who still suffer even after the pages are over. They don't quite get the perfect ending. And so they needed a new home. A home to tell each of their stories, only alluded to in their respective novels (they all coexist in the same universe), to reveal these characters in new lights. So who are these outcasts? If you've read one of my novels before, you probably know one or two of these characters. And for those just jumping in, have a taste of these characters' lives. This book won't require you read the others, but just maybe you'll want to dip into their worlds after taking a moment in their heads.

So, let's introduce our cast of lost souls, shall we?

Ryder McCallum. 

I wanted to start off strong. Ryder has always been my most enigmatic character. So much of him is shrouded in mystery, yet you still feel the strong sense of loyalty and love radiating off the kid. In Wild Hearts, he falls for Aiden fast, and he gets fiercely overprotective. But he still keeps his distance, makes excuses. He is afraid to let Aiden in because if Aiden finds out who he really is, he might not love him.

Right there's a little detail I haven't let slip before, which I'm sure will excite fans. Sometimes it is good to keep certain people a mystery. And by the end of this, there still will be the sense that there is more going on behind those grey eyes. But Ryder always had a story bubbling, waiting to be revealed. So here it is. The dark corners. He is by no means the most corrupt soul in this book. Save that spot for Isaac. But Ryder walks a fine line all on his own. 

What can you expect? Set three years after Wild Hearts, Aiden and Ryder are now living together In a super nice flat by the beach they shouldn't be able to afford, yet is somehow in their budget. It's only been a short time since they moved in together, and their lives are only just beginning, but strains in their relationship are beginning to grow, and Ryder realises the only way forward is to open up about his past, about who he is. Living with an autistic boy was never an issue in Ryder's eyes, but trying to sort his life out, keep the fridge stocked, and handle Aiden's tendencies is a juggling act he feels he is folding under. The man of mysteries must cast aside those shackles, trust Aiden with his complicated history, and weather whatever obstacles seek to tear them apart.

Chelsea Reeves.

When I wrote Wild Hearts, little did I know I would start a kind of GBU, or GentleAaron-Book-Universe. ;P That book and In Hell We Dance are siblings, linked in timelines, yin, and yang. The former is the light; the latter the utter, seductive dark. Even Autumn Leaves shares some characters with these two, but its DNA isn't as deeply entwined as it is with these former novels. Before all of these books though, I had Finding the Pure Note. I could tell as I was writing, and when I started reading the responses that I had finally written a work I could be proud of. People loved characters like Fletcher (including me, so his book, To the Beat of My Heart has started production) and that book was very much Clay's. But I always knew the third member of their team, Chelsea Reeves was a burning, powerful voice on her own. When I had the idea for this short story collection, her name was one of the first to come to mind. It's been a while since I've been able to bring these characters back into the light, but with Chelsea's story, I want to spotlight a beautiful soul who will overcome the darkness of her home life, and stand tall and stronger than ever.

Isaac Parkinson

I just couldn't have this collection and not include Isaac. My most troublesome character, and outcast with a capital o. Isaac lived it rough with his mum, never staying still, hopping states in America, motel to motel. His deadbeat dad ditched them and hurt Isaac's mum. Isaac slipped into the fringes of society, and learned how to be hard. To be cold. When Isaac reached his twenty-second year of life, he crossed the ocean to seek out dear dad and end the cause of so much suffering. He stole a gun. He conned a cute guy, and lost himself in an illusory paradise. Then he fell in love, and he underwent a painful metamorphosis to become better than the aimless street thug he felt he was always destined to be. 

This story is the shortest of the lot, but details a chapter just before Isaac left Connor in In Hell We Dance. He said his goodbyes to all those who mattered. Save one...

Corin Lowell

Corin is a self-appointed outcast. Often circumstances in life can shatter us, leave us running. Corin took that literally. She comes from a life of luxury. She was comfortable in that life. But no matter our upbringing or state of living, a common thread links us all. Our love for each other. Our bonds. 

Corin has two brothers. One of them may be a little bit of a douche at times, but the other... Well, Charlie is life and joy and colour itself. But even the purest of us can be taken too soon, and that injustice is so senseless, so shattering, it leaves a girl broken, aimless. In this story, Corin remembers her brother and just how happy and whole she felt with him, and maybe it just stops her from falling too far.

Note: Some of these stories will be split into more than one chapter.