Well, summer break is rapidly winding down.  I’ve been very productive, exceeded my page goal by a little, went to two shows, and have mostly gotten my materials together for Dragon*Con.  I’m very happy with how the new book is coming together.  This one is the pivotal section of the series, and the story is very compelling.  There’s still a lot of polishing and editing to do, but overall, I’m happy with it.

My teaching schedule looks much better this year.  I’ll be teaching dual enrollment classes at Seymour High School and have about half the number of students I had last semester.  Also, I only have one long day, as compared to four in the spring, so I’m hoping this semester goes a lot more smoothly.  There will still be a lot of work to do, but I’m optimistic about it.

That’s all for now.  I’ll write more on the sales blog either this evening or tomorrow.

If you get the chance, check out the interview with Stephen Zimmer.  He also wrote a very cool review that is listed afterwards:

http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2009/07/da-adams-writer-who-wields-three-axes.html

One question I get asked all the time at conventions is who are your influences.  Before spending money on an unknown writer, readers want to know if you write like other people they’ve already read.  It’s a fair question, and I do have a few influences from the fantasy genre who most fantasy readers know: J. R. R. Tolkein, Terry Brooks, C. S. Lewis, and Fritz Leiber.  But I was “classically” trained in a writing program, so my influences also include Ernest Hemmingway, John Cheever, Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, and Harry Crews.

But the real answer is that my influences come from a wide array of sources.  My father and grandfather are two of my biggest influences, by far.  My father got me interested in gaming at a young age, and he spent hours and hours playing different board games with me when I was a boy.  These games sparked my imagination, cultivated my sense of strategy, and sharpened my critical thinking skills.  My grandfather was extremely curious about everything and was an avid reader.  His influence was more like osmosis, but every bit as profound.

My other major influences are Chris Whitley, who was the most talented musician I’ve ever heard; Waylon Jennings, whose demand for independence from Nashville has truly shaped my artistic approach; Johnny Cash, whose storytelling is as powerful as anyone’s; Christopher Rico, whose thoughtfulness and perception helped me see how to view the world as an artist.

But that’s too long of an answer to give at a convention.  Most people will give you 15-20 seconds at the most, so I stick to the short answer within the fantasy genre.

www.thirdaxe.com