Profile

Name

Aidan McNeely

About

The magic of storytelling enchanted me from a young age. Being on the autistic spectrum, escaping to imaginary worlds provided me solace when reality offered me none. For me, this encapsulates the power of storytelling in its purest form. I would be eternally humbled for my stories to comfort someone as others’ stories have done for me.
My interest in cultures, belief structures and societal norms has heavily influenced my writing. I pursued this interest at the University of Auckland where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. These studies helped me create a culturally diverse world that’s authentic and unique. I’m passionate about mental health and autism awareness. As a qualified Peer Support Specialist in mental health and addiction, the life experiences of those I have supported along with my own have shaped my writing’s core messages of acceptance, guilt and forgiving one’s self. I was longlisted for the 2018 Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel.
My current project is a four-book YA Fantasy series called Idyllica. I have written the first drafts for the entire series and spent the past few years polishing up the first novel to the point where I am now seeking representation from a literary agent.
The series is set in the fictitious colony of Idyllica during our equivalent of the late 19th century.
Currently, I have little engagement with other writers (besides lurking in a few Facebook writers’ groups) and this is the main reason I have become a member of SpecFicNZ.
Thank you for reading!
Have a wonderful day 🙂

 

Primary medium

Writer

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