Read our review of The Will of the Wisp HERE
Edward Ahern is a fantastic writer who we’ve had the pleasure of featuring in our magazine. Yesterday, we posted our book review for The Will of the Wisp by Edward Ahern. Today, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Mr. Ahern and discussing his writing and his newest novel: The Will of the Wisp.
Thriller Magazine: Thank you for chatting with us today, Mr. Ahern. We’ve had the pleasure of publishing one of your short stories, “An Evening’s Work” in our Summer 2023 issue. One thing I loved about that piece was your characterization of your protagonist and your ability to create a lot of sensory detail in your writing. What influences to you credit your writing style to?
My reading tastes could be described as Catholic or indiscriminate, depending on your view point. I read hugely into detective thrillers, notably Raymond Chandler and John D. MacDonald, but also into fantasy, science fiction and horror. With seasonings of the classics up to and including James Joyce’s Ulysses. I also read and write a lot of poetry, which influences how I describe things in fiction. Phrases that are memorable in The Will of the Wisp were probably birthed through a poetic vagina.
Thriller Magazine Looking at your newest novel, The Will of the Wisp, the title is very eye-catching. What does that title represent in the context of your story?
The title has multiple allusions. The classic one of course, a shifting, impossible to capture entity, the more literal one- the book uses a will as the triggering mechanism, and a reference to the diminutive heroine (if we can call Angela that). The book hopefully has a lingering, not pinned down finish to it.
Thriller Magazine: Your work often has dark, atmospheric undertones. How do you balance these with moments of lightness or hope?
I do write a fair amount of horror (am an active member of the Horror Writers’ Association) but no so much of the gory, hopeless “I’m gonna die” type as the “what the hell have I become” type. One of my favorite characters, featured in four long serial stories of mine is Malame (means bad soul in French) who in becoming a dark arts proficient gradually loses and transforms his humanity.
Thriller Magazine: In the novel, Tom Sinclair encounters some eerie and possibly supernatural forces—how did you approach crafting these elements to feel grounded yet mysterious?
Tickled you were able to notice this. I deliberately put in the merest wisps of hints about otherly influences and just let them hang out. I think the hardest boiled Yegg in a thriller needs to have a redemptive trace of the hero prince in a fairy tale, and I’ve tired to give that quality to Tom Sinclair.
Thriller Magazine: What role does the setting play in the story—could it almost be considered a character in itself?
I’d like to claim that I picked the settings for profound artistic reasons, but in fact I grew up in the Chicago area and could write fairly easily about the backdrops. Ditto some of the plot mechanisms. My backgrounds in earlier years were bomb disarming, espionage and corporate intrigue, so I hopefully knew how the characters should think.
Thriller Magazine: Is there a particular scene or line in The Will of the Wisp that you’re especially proud of, or that you feel encapsulates the heart of the story?
Chapter 7, where Tom speaks at Angela’s funeral, carries the plot forward while opening up about Tom’s feelings and character. It’s one of the shortest and most revealing chapters, and maybe some of my best writing.