I.M. Aiken
ALLi Author Member
Location: United States of America
Genres:
I’ve lived a bifurcated existence: part adventurer; part office mouse. At twenty, I was a volunteer firefighter and full-time inner-city EMT. Later a professional sailor on racing boats and a few tall ships. I became a certified ski instructor then moved to Alaska when I was thirty. By then I was certified to teach classes in alpine, telemark, cross-country disciplines and teach adaptive techniques. At forty, I spent a year in Iraq as a military civilian attached to the 4th Infantry Division as a subject matter expert. After spending a year there, I returned to New England, earned my paramedic license and returned to ambulances in central/rural New England. I also returned to fire service for a while. My career also caused me to deploy into hurricane devastated regions: Texas, Florida, New York and a year in Puerto Rico. On the flip side, I designed and developed software while writing technical articles about topics nobody cared about. At present, limping about on sore joints, and a few scars, and the random joys of living well, I write full time. Recognition 2026 Next Generation Short Story Award – Inspirational Category for Kahlil’s Wall. A fictional short story about peace during war. In 2006, a queer military intelligence officer builds a wall in Tikrit, Iraq while exploring beloved poetry with her American and Iraqi crew. Vermont Studio Center (May 2026) – Fellowship/Artist in Residence Westport Writers Pitch & Publish Conference (March 2026) – panelist discussing building suspense in prose
I.M. Aiken's books
Genres: Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction
Formats: E-Book, Audio, Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
Centuries and continents apart, two American soldiers deploy in the years after "mission accomplished"--only to discover a land far from peace. In 1870, eighteen-year-old Henry McDonald enlists in the U.S. military and is sent south to the Reconstruction front, where his sharp shooting and sharper mind earn him the title "Private Trouble." But Henry finds real trouble in rebellious Georgia, where local Ku Kluxers continue to lynch, loot, and terrorize. In 2006, Lieutenant Sam Musgrave serves her second tour in Baghdad, Iraq. Stuck in a violent, unwinnable war, Sam seeks refuge in letters home to her partner Brighid--but discovery of their relationship could cost Sam her career. Meanwhile, in the dusty archives of Massachusetts, Brighid makes a discovery of her own: one that leads back to Private Trouble himself. Based on real Reconstruction-era papers and the author's own military journals, CAPTAIN HENRY follows the spirit of Catch-22 and MASH--literary fiction...
Genres: LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction, Suspense
Formats: E-Book, Audio, Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
“A smart and insightful little mystery that leaves a big impact.” Kirkus Reviews I.M. Aiken’s second novel, Stolen Mountain, a classic legal thriller with the fresh style, heart-wrenching twists, and sheer humanity that Aiken is becoming famous for. It is also available as an audio, read by the author. EMS Captain turned sleuth Brighid Doran trains her forensic eye on The Branston Club—a swanky ski lodge being built in her rural Vermont town. While dodging danger and digging up dirt, Brighid and team draw the ire of small town politicians, crooked cops, and an ever-deepening chasm of deceptions, all the while struggling to cope with the constant deployment of her wife Major Sarah (Sam) Ann Musgrave. With help from attorney Morgan Harmon and a hovering FBI, Brighid must determine the truth of a scheme with the potential of defrauding her friends and neighbors of millions… but at what cost to...
Genres: Adventure, Literary Fiction
Formats: E-Book, Audio, Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
A fascinating and darkly funny novel giving readers front-row access to the world of EMS and other first responders — and the sticky, sweat, and sex that accompanies long days caring for others at their most vulnerable. The Little Ambulance War of Winchester County opens readers’ eyes to the human beings and too-often troubled systems we rely on to rescue us. An important and unforgettable saga of the people who race toward danger to save strangers like you. James Grady, creator of CONDOR and author of THE SMOKE IN OUR EYES Following in the footsteps of her beloved Boston cop father, Alex Flynn trains as an EMT, and spends her days chasing emergencies in an ambulance. But the person Alex becomes is a far cry from the hero she signed up to be. Over forty years in public safety, Alex encounters a changing America, where veterans are left to rot...