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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, Adam Aresty discusses his new book, Skyboy, in which immigrant teen, Konstant, must overcome his inability to collaborate when a dangerous industrial accident traps him and his science fair peers in a Metronome Logistics facility.
Written by JJ Barnes
I interviewed Adam Aresty about his life and career, the inspiration behind his new book, Skyboy, and his creative writing process.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
I’m an award-winning screenwriter and novelist based in New York City. I wrote the screenplay for the horror/comedy Stung (world premiere: 2015 Tribeca Film Festival), and the digital series Alt (2021). I’ve published two novellas Recovery (2014) and The Communication Room (2016) and numerous short stories in both print and e-book. I wrote the script for the multiplayer open-world fantasy game Enshrouded (2024), which has amassed over 2.5 million users online. Skyboy is my debut novel.
When did you first WANT to write a book?
Probably from the moment I began to read… but more realistically once I graduated from university and began working in the film industry I saw prose writing as a way to think outside the rigid confines of screenplay format.
When did you take a step to start writing?
I’ve written a few novels that now sit deep in the confines of my computer’s hard drive and, like I said, I’ve always written short stories (some of which are available for free on my website, adamaresty.com). Regarding Skyboy, I took the first step toward writing the novel when I moved from Los Angeles to New York City in 2017.
How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?
It’s been 7 whole years since I began outlining to holding a printed copy of Skyboy in my hands.
What made you want to write Skyboy?
I knew that the idea was commercially viable as well as challenging in its own right—both of which excited me. But the scope and ideas I wanted to focus on would be too big to write as a movie, the budget would be too high and would certainly be a waste of my time. Since Hollywood is very much about adapting intellectual properties that have already found a wide enough audience to be a safe bet, I thought I’d start there. I knew I had the moxy to write long-form prose, so I began in earnest with the hopes to create my own IP.
What were your biggest challenges with writing Skyboy?
There was a learning curve to novel writing that I wasn’t prepared for. Most screenplays average about 20K words, an amount I’d learned to manage and master, especially when rewriting. But a novel for young adults can easily stretch four times as long—like climbing Everest to me at first! Not to mention that when I was done with the first draft I was well over the acceptable word count for a YA novel, so edits and rewrites were like climbing said mountain all over again!
Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?
This book is about Konstant, a young immigrant whose mind is brilliant, but still developing. I’d say I took inspiration from stories of members of my family who immigrated to America in the 1930s and struggled to find their way. But I also knew that Konstant was an outsider, a stranger in his new home, and there have been plenty of times in my own life where I’ve felt that way. So I could easily identify with him and pull from various experiences in my own life when drawing his character through the story.
Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?
There are many antagonists in the story including a bully, some killer robots, and a surprise twist at the end (which I won’t spoil here!). For me though, they all had to confront Konstant’s flaw: when we meet him he’s unwilling to collaborate with others in order to succeed, so every obstacle he encounters in the story must push him to change that aspect of himself.
What is the inciting incident of Skyboy?
The book opens with the announcement of the Piano Prize, a nationwide science fair hosted by Metronome Logistics, the world’s most powerful technology company. When Konstant hears about this contest, he knows he has the idea for a device that will change the world.
What is the main conflict of Skyboy?
Once all the winners of the Piano Prize are invited to Metronome’s manufacturing campus in New York City, there’s an attack and they’re all trapped underground with their individual brilliant inventions. In order to escape, they’ve got to put their heads together—something that certainly doesn’t come naturally to Konstant.
Did you plot Skyboy in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?
I outlined the story but quickly found myself deviating from said outline, especially when it came to the ending. I like a little bit of a hybrid outline where there are gaps which allow me to freely explore details like dialogue and action on the page. I might write something like: “they escape from the pit of lava” but I haven’t figured out exactly how this is accomplished. I like the exhilaration of writing my characters into a corner and trying to find the way out.
Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Skyboy need?
The book when through many edits at each level of the publishing journey. My agent had notes, editors who rejected the manuscript had notes, and finally the publisher and my editor, Catherine Dunn, helped with loads of formatting and grammar fine tuning.
What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?
Prepare to fail—countless times—and prepare to gain wisdom in those failures.
Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?
I’m currently writing a sequel to Skyboy!
And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?
For a coupld of years I didn’t think the novel would see the light of day and during the submission process I was busy working on other projects… when I got the call that Morgan James was interested in publishing, I quickly reread the manuscript and was really excited by the story all over again. I love the final version of Skyboy and feel like it was worth every word typed, deleted, edited and worried over. This is the exact version of the story I wanted to tell and I cannot wait for readers to get their hands on it.
Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3EfAx2M
@adamaresty across all socials
Adamaresty.com personal Skyboyseries.com book (with a cool interactive component!)
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