All posts by D.A. Adams

D.A. Adams is the author of the Brotherhood of Dwarves series and the Sam Skeen saga. He received a Master of Arts in Writing from the University of Memphis in 1999 and taught college English for 16 years. He is the father to two amazing sons and resides in East Tennessee.
General Posts

Memorial Day Ramblings

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Let me preface this entry with a disclaimer: my purpose is not to offend anyone.  But it seems as though too many people don’t understand the point of Memorial Day.  This is not a day to honor our troops.  That’s Veteran’s Day in November.  Memorial Day is the day to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country, and while veterans do make up the majority,  I would argue that this extends beyond the military to include firefighters, police officers, and even teachers.

Again, I’m not disrespecting the sacrifice of those who have served, but this holiday is called Memorial Day for a reason.  It’s when we are supposed to remember those who gave their lives in service to others.  There is no greater sacrifice one can make for their country, and today, we are supposed to keep their memories alive.  Last night during the race, time after time, the announcers and drivers honored our troops and thanked them for their service.  While there’s nothing wrong with that, not once did I hear them articulate the true meaning of this holiday.

My uncle, Jimmy Fulford, was murdered in the line of duty as a Florida State Trooper.  He was killed by a bomb hidden in a microwave meant for a drug dealer’s ex-girlfriend who knew too much.  Jimmy was a great man, respected so much that thousands attended his funeral and thousands more lined the roadside to pay their respects.  He gave his life patrolling a lonely stretch of highway on a quiet Sunday morning.  Today, I honor his memory by thanking him for his sacrifice.  He was a good father, a good trooper, and a good man, and he left this world much too young.  Thank you, Jimmy.  May you rest in peace.

General Posts, Humor

Saturday Morning Ramblings

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After much debate and deliberation among the staff at Third Axe Media, I’ve decided to release a sample of chapter one as a tease for the upcoming launch.  While this section was originally written three and a half years ago, I feel like it’s indicative of the overall plot structure and writing style of the entire book.  As I’ve said before, I think think this is the best book of the series, so far.  So without further ado, here is the sample:

All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy. All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.   All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.

“All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.”

“All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.”

All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy. All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.   All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.  All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy.

Just kidding.  Geez, can’t you take a joke?  That’s as close to an homage to Stephen King as I’ll ever get.

General Posts

Friday Morning Ramblings

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Book three is almost complete.  There are only two more chapters to polish, and then it’s done.  It feels surreal.  It’s taken much longer to complete this manuscript than it should have, and to all of my friends and fans, I apologize for the many delays.  Here is a brief summary of why it has taken so long.

I started writing the book in November 2007, but about a chapter and a half in, my ex-wife told me on Christmas Day that she wanted to leave.  Losing my kids was a hard blow, and the book sat untouched for a year and a half while I got myself together enough to concentrate.  Then, after I was hired by WSCC, I resumed writing in May 2009.  That summer, I knocked out over half the book and really felt like I had some momentum going.  However, that August, I started teaching dual enrollment and was overwhelmed by the volume and pace of the grading.  Again, the book went on the back burner.

Last summer, I dug in and wrote feverishly, trying to finish it before the school year began, and I damn near succeeded.  By August 2010, all that remained were a few pages in the final chapter and polishing.  Having been through dual enrollment before, I knew that my time and energy would be limited, so once again I resigned myself to waiting.  This time I figured I could finish over Christmas Break, but then, as one more obstacle, I got that terrible illness over break that laid me flat for two full weeks.  Before I knew it, school was back in session, and the book still sat unfinished.

Now, it’s really almost done, and a release date should be announced soon.  I feel like it’s a good book, definitely the strongest of the series so far, so hopefully you’ll forgive me for the delays.  Even though it’s been a slow, plodding process, I’m proud that I was able to stick with it.  In the next week or two, I’ll start book four.  Until then, thank you again for all your support and encouragement.