Tag Archives: inspiration

Saturday Afternoon Ramblings

December 15, 2012 D.A. Adams 3 Comments

My newest book, Between Dark and Light, book four in The Brotherhood of Dwarves series, will be available for e-readers early next week. The paperback and limited edition hard cover editions will follow shortly. I hope those of you who have been patiently waiting are pleased with this one. You can read the official press release here. I’d like to thank Philip Hopkins for all of his hard work editing it and Bonnie Wasson for the beautiful cover.

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may have noticed my attempts to reach the fans rushing to see The Hobbit this weekend. There are literally millions of people energized and excited about this film, and in this age, the internet offers us an opportunity to connect with like-minded people better than ever before. However, because this opportunity is available to everyone, it has become increasingly difficult for an individual to connect with the masses. One lone voice howling amid the din is rarely heard.

I’ve not been shy about expressing my desire to get away from education. The system is broken beyond repair and is only going to get worse. My goal for 2013 is to get my writing career into a position where I can support myself exclusively from it. With four books on the market and a few other opportunities on the horizon, I believe this goal is attainable. However, I can’t do it alone.

If you are a fan of the series, please make some noise about it online. If you are on Twitter or Google+, please use the hashtag #tbodseries if you mention me or the books. If you’re on Facebook, please share my links to the books as often as possible. The more noise we make collectively, the more likely the algorithms will pick up the series and spread it. The two major keys to making something gather steam are number of people and frequency of posts. I know it can be done because I’ve seen it happen, and I believe this series deserves a much wider audience. Together, we can push the name out there.

I realize I’ve pestered many of you to do these things fairly often, and if I’ve bothered you, please forgive me. I simply believe in the quality of my work and want it to be successful. I also recognize that I can’t do it alone. Without deep pockets to saturate the market with advertising, I have to rely on grassroots efforts. Many of you have been more than gracious with spreading the word, and for that, you have my lifelong gratitude. Now, let’s push this thing to the next level.

General Posts

Author Interview Ramblings

December 12, 2012 D.A. Adams 3 Comments

For today’s installment of the Worlds of Wonder blog hop, yours truly answers a few questions about writing:

Can you tell us a little about your first publishing experience?

Back in 1995, I had been shopping short stories for about a year. I was in my final year as an undergraduate and had written fifteen or so stories that I felt were pretty good. Looking back, I realize they were probably immature and ridiculous, but at the time, I believed all of them were great. At that point, I was trying to write mainstream “literary” fiction because that’s what was drilled into our heads in the program. After 36 rejections, most of them form letters with no feedback, I got a call from a guy I knew who was the editor at a small literary magazine at UAB. He loved my story, “You Can Never Tell Anything” and wanted to publish it. The story appeared in their Spring edition and my pay was two contributor’s copies.

A few months later, he called me up and said an agent had contacted him and wanted my number. I thought he was messing with me, but sure enough, a week later, I got a call from a fairly well-respected agent in New York, a guy who had a pretty solid stable of writers. He loved the story, too, thought I had a lot of potential, and wanted to know if I had anything novel length. I was elated and just knew this was my big break, so I sent him the first three chapters of the novel I was finishing. A couple of weeks after I sent it to him, he returned it with a polite note saying he didn’t think it was publishable. Needless to say, I was crestfallen. For a couple of months, I moped around and felt sorry for myself. Then, one day, I decided that I needed to sharpen my skills, so I went back to work and focused on honing my skills.

Looking back today, that rejection from that agent was one of the best things that could’ve happened to me. It forced me to put my ego in check and learn my craft. I was young, naive and immature. If that book had been published, it would’ve been the end of my career, regardless of how successful it became because I wouldn’t have grown as much as I did. Also, in those days, I was fairly self-destructive, and if I’d gained even a measure of success from that work, I would’ve lost myself in a sea of alcohol and been done for. Instead, I got an opportunity to learn, grow, and mature not just as a writer but also as a person.

Which came first for you, the characters or the plot?

For me, everything follows from the characters. Whatever I’m working on, I have to know at least the protagonist before anything else. From there, the plot, back story, descriptions, and anything else in the story grow out of the characters’ realities. To that end, I spend a lot of time thinking about the characters before writing the first word. Whenever I have idle time, I immerse myself into their lives and think about who they are, where they come from, what has shaped and scarred them. I’ve found that the more I do this, the easier the story will unveil itself during the writing. Regardless of how much time I spend thinking about them, however, they always find a way to surprise me once the story gets going, and that to me, is one of the best aspects of writing, that act of discovery. It’s what motivates me to come back to the keyboard night after night.

Do you think you may ever go into another genre?

My next project will be much different. I’m prewriting a near future, urban fantasy, trans-human novel about a mechanically/digitally enhanced soldier. Right now, it’s in the early planning stages, but so far, I really love the protagonist.

What are some of the pro’s and con’s of self-publishing verses being published by a publisher in your opinion?

First, I must say that I’m a big fan of self-publishing because that’s how I re-launched my career. Today, I’m with Seventh Star Press, but at first I was on my own. In this era, we don’t need New York because we have the internet and much better distribution and inventory control through POD printers like Lightning Source. The advantages to it are complete creative control over the process and the opportunity to get your name out there without several years of waiting on the old houses to make decisions.

That said, I know firsthand how difficult it can be. First and foremost, do your research before you even think about it. Understand your production costs, especially if you’re going to have paperback copies. Even if you’re just doing an ebook, I highly recommend hiring a professional artist for the cover and using a professional to layout the text. I cut corners on my original cover, and it set me back quite a bit. Also, you have to understand that there will be a stigma associated with self-publishing. If you can’t accept that stigma and deal with it as a professional, don’t self-publish. Also and most importantly, don’t be so arrogant as to think you don’t need an editor. Grammar matters. Punctuation matters. Spelling for damn sure matters. Pay someone to clean up your manuscript BEFORE it goes to print. This is your name and credibility on the line, and right now, way too many people are putting rough drafts on the market. If you want longevity in this industry, have a little pride in the book you’re producing and don’t show it to the world until it’s ready. Otherwise, you’re killing your career before it begins. The main reason I survived as a self-published author was because the content of The Brotherhood of Dwarves was of professional quality, even though the cover and printing were shoddy. People respected the book because it was well-written, and the reason it was well-written was because an editor polished it with me. I can’t stress rewriting enough.

What is your favorite part of writing?

The readers. Talking to them, listening to their feedback, discussing characters with them, that’s the best part. I love the act of writing, too, but talking to my audience is what keeps me going. I love how passionate they can be about the books. I love when they ask me about particular details or want to know more about this character or that back story. I love to receive emails or comments on the blog. No matter how many times it happens, it’s always exciting. I consider myself fortunate to have such an awesome audience, and I am grateful to each and every individual who has taken the time to read my work. Even the ones who don’t like my style are appreciated because they often give me feedback that can make me better as a writer. To all of my readers, I just want to say, “Thank you.”

General Posts

Character Interview Ramblings

December 8, 2012 D.A. Adams 3 Comments

I’m playing a little catch up today. As part of The Worlds of Wonder blog hop, here is a character interview with Roskin from The Brotherhood of Dwarves series:

Dianne from Washington – Roskin, tell us about your home and what made you leave?

My kingdom is a wonderful place, full of talented, intelligent dwarves. We have some of the finest poets, musicians, artists, jewelers, and masons you could hope to meet, but for me, I always felt there was more out there, above ground, and I needed to see for myself what the bigger world was like. Maybe it was the elf in me calling me to the forest. Maybe it was youthful curiosity, but the drive to experience the upper world was incessant, so I had to follow it.

I hear you’ve had a difficult time along the way. Did you ever lose sight of your goal?

It’s not so much that I lost sight of the goal as the goal changed. At first, I wanted to find the statue. Then, after I was taken into bondage, I simply wanted to escape. Once Crushaw and the other liberated the plantation, my goal became to return home and make things right in my kingdom. I learned that my original goal was selfish and superficial, so that goal became insignificant to me as I realized that my kingdom, the Kiredurk people, and my friends were far more important.

What was the biggest hardship you faced and why?

Being beaten by the overseer for trying to escape. I was helpless to do anything, and the pain was indescribable. These scars on my back are a reminder each day of the orcs’ cruelty and of the reality of slavery. It was also the first time in my adult life I “met” my mother, so in a way, something good did come out of it.

Tell us about the most interesting person you met, and why he/she was valuable to you.

I can’t narrow it down to one, so I’ll give you the top four in no particular order. Molgheon because she taught me what real courage and loyalty mean. Crushaw because he taught me about leadership. Kwarck because he taught me to embrace my elven gifts. And Rewokog because he taught me a better system of government and economics for my kingdom.

Andi from Georgia – What was the one moment that you would say has changed you the most?

Being captured by Torkdohn and sold into slavery. Up to that point, I was spoiled and pampered. Then, everything was stripped from me, and I was reduced to scrounging for rotten scraps on bare earth. While I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, it was the best experience that could have happened to me because it forced me to appreciate the blessings of my life. I needed humility to see clearly and learn the lessons Kwarck and Crushaw were trying to teach me.

If you could go back to the beginning, before anything had happened, would you still have made the same choices?

Yes, because all of my choices, even the worst ones, have led me to who I am now, and the person I am today is much better than who I was then. I’ve learned valuable lessons along the way and am smarter, wiser, and stronger for them.

Scott from Tennessee – Who do you consider to be the most dangerous threat to your existence?

Without a doubt, Torkdohn. He is a traitor to all dwarves and doesn’t deserve to be called one. Some day, he will pay for all his treachery.

Carolyn from Georgia – When you become King, what is the one thing you would change or do?

I hope to encourage a system of commerce like the Marshwoggs employ, one where each Kiredurk is more than just a subject to the king, but an active, free member of society with tangible ownership of his or her trade and skills. That is my goal for the kingdom.

Alicia from Texas – Being a poet, You would probably have your own opinions, observations, philosophies of life and the world around you, what are some of those?

Life is either pain and sorrow or triumph and joy, and the only difference is attitude. Everyone gets knocked down. Everyone suffers. Some choose to wallow in misery, but others choose to rise and overcome. I hope at the end of my time for others to see me as a beacon of light and hope, as one who has learned and grown from mistakes, as one who overcomes turmoil, as one who leads by example.

You were once looking for a legendary statue that represented the brotherhood of the dwarves. Do you think it would help stop Master Sondious and return your father to the throne?

I can only say Master Sondious is bound by his oaths. By Kiredurk law, if he violates his promises, his claim to the throne is gone, so if my father awakens, he reclaims the throne. If Master Sondious denies him treatment or causes him harm, the throne reverts to me. The statue is a symbol of kinship and camaraderie among all dwarves, but a symbol is not as powerful to a Kiredurk as the rule of law. To us, laws are what separate us from cave trolls and rock wolves, beasts that live off base instincts. Laws are higher reasoning, tried and tested through ages to be fair and impartial. The rule of just law will restore my kingdom to its proper balance, not a material object.

Kristie from Tennessee – So I get to page fifty, barely into chapter three and I’m thinking to myself, “Holy crap, what is this guy thinking?” I know you seriously considered turning back early in your adventure. Did you ever take a moment sitting in that cave and asked yourself, “What have I done?”

I have since suffered self-doubt and questioned my own decisions. But at that point, no, I was too blinded by my own ambitions to second guess myself. It took the humility I mentioned before for me to accept my foolishness and learn from my mistakes. Sitting in that cave, I would’ve sacrificed all of my friends’ lives to fulfill my quest because I was fixated on external possessions and personal glory. I had to learn the value of what’s inside and accept the fact that the good of others is greater than the good of self before I could see beyond my own desires.

I’m curious about something. I mean no offense, but seeing as your father is Kiredurk and your mother Loorish, did knowing this exacerbate your fear of sitting on the council and eventually the throne? It seemed interesting to me that you have this taste for adventure, but was hesitant about leaving the kingdom? Or, was it the simple thought of filling the boots of the great leaders before you? I can see how the Kiredurk part of you would want to stay and be duty bound, but I can also see how the Loorish part of you colored your perspective of responsibility.

I’m a living paradox of duality. The dwarf in me yearns for the stone and darkness of underground, but the elf craves sunlight and greenery. I’m bound by a sense of duty to law yet enticed by freedom. It’s an exhausting tug between two poles that I struggle with daily. I’m not sure what the future holds or if I’ll ever find balance between these two halves of myself, but I promise that I will strive to make sure the choices I make are always what’s best for the people who depend on me. In that manner, I search for wisdom first and hope for the clarity of thought to see beyond my own desires into the larger scope of what will benefit both my kingdom and my elven kin. There are many hardships left to overcome, but I will face them all with the courage and dignity of my ancestors.

This character interview first appeared on Bunny’s Reviews, May 5, 2012.