The final push I needed to take the leap into the unknown and start my writing career came from an unlikely source – my dead father.
In April 2014, I found myself in a small cabin on the fringe of the Amazon rainforest in Peru. I was already half-way through a whirlwind South America backpacking trip, when a buddy decided that it would be a good idea to pause what was a hedonistic lifestyle up until that point. His suggestion was that we retreat to the jungle and try a hallucinogenic brew called ayahuasca.
Believed by the natives over thousands of years to be a portal to another dimension, as well as a potent medicine to cure a range of ailments from colds to cancer, my own justification for trying the psychedelic potion was to gain some clarity about my life’s path. Thirty-two years old at the time, I had harboured a dream of writing for the best past of a decade but lacked the confidence to begin releasing my material, content with it stuffing up my computer hard drive.
It was during one of the ceremonies that I spoke with my father. He had died seven years earlier. One of the questions I asked was whether it was foolish to pursue a passion of writing. I’ll never forget his response.
“You won’t be the next Stephen King, but you can make a living from it.”
Anyone who has tried this ancient cocktail will know how powerful the visions can be. That incident combined with many others over 48 hours in the cabin to convince me to take the first tentative steps outside my comfort zone. Firstly, by creating a blog and announcing my intention to the world. Secondly, employing professional hands to edit and shape the manuscript that became Pathfinders, into something that would appeal to people.
Pathfinders took ten years to write. I chose to self-publish it because my background is in sales and marketing. I’m quite comfortable with looking for channels, networking and starting fires in the hope of shining a light on my creations. I used a number of different ways to build up a head of steam ahead of its promotion at the beginning of this year, including featuring in articles for local press and writing a piece for the biggest national newspaper in Northern Ireland.
Officially, I’ve been published for a little over six months, and have since followed up with two more books called Sigil and Spectrum. I think all aspiring authors need a little push on occasion. I guess mine came from an entirely unexpected source.
Aidan J. Reid
Amazon:
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
Wow. What an experience. The payoff has been g.o.o.d. 😀 Nice to meet you, Aiden.
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Most of us who write find prompts in many places… but Aiden J. Reid was encouraged and motivated by his father who had passed away 7 years before.. It obviously was a powerful vision as there are currently three books and many more to come I am sure. Head over to the Story Reading Ape and find out more about Aiden.
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Many thanks for the intro and reblog Sally – Hugs 😘😘😘
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Pleasure Chris.. time to log off.. catch up with you tomorrow no doubt. xx
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I’m heading bedwards too Sally 💤💤💤
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What a great story and well done on a really interesting guest post. Best of luck in your writing endeavors.
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Reblogged this on TINA FRISCO and commented:
Some aspiring authors need a little push to get on with writing and publishing that first book. For Aidan J. Reid, it took retreating to the jungles of Peru and trying a hallucinogen called ayahuasca. Hop over to The Story Reading Ape’s blog to read Aidan’s fascinating post…
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Many thanks for the intro and reblog Tina 👍😘😘😘
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Welcome, Chris 🙂
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This is great inspiration, Aidan. I love that you remember your father’s words (high praise indeed, because who would ever be another Stephen King?). Chris, this is a great example of the guest author post I am (still) working on! Thanks for sharing Aidan’s story 🙂
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I look forward to seeing your post Terri 😃
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Thanks, Chris, it’s getting there 🙂
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Good for you Aiden.
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Thanks for taking the time to read and comment amreade!
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Congratulations! You have an amazing story and I’m glad to see that you’re using it to share your book with the world. Best wishes!
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