Like most of the state, we have fields of corn and soybeans, but we also have Lake Michigan and sand dunes. On a clear day, you can see Chicago across the water. The train can take you straight into the Windy City, which is about an hour’s drive by car. There must be something special about this place because the Chicagoans flock here in the summer heat to escape the city.
What’s your home life like?
I live in a quaint little cottage so small I climb a ladder to reach the loft where I sleep. It’s just big enough f or me and my mischievous cat, Calypso. I also have a beautiful but stubborn paint horse named Scotch.
It took me a long time to categorize it due to the blend of science fiction and supernatural fantasy elements, but once I read the definition of science fantasy, I knew my book was at home in that genre.
Looking back on earlier works, I also realized writing is a subconscious therapy. If you look hard enough, the quests in the pages reflect personal challenges I’ve overcome. I slayed demons in my head so I could face my battles in real life, even though this was not the goal of writing. Really, I just recorded the daydreams in my head.
Where do you like to go when looking for a new book to read?
I’m trying to restrain myself from buying more books since my to-read list is already touching the floor! I love shopping for books in a bookstore rather than online. I could lose myself for hours wandering the aisles and pulling books off the shelves. Whenever I attend a writing conference, I like to bring home one book as a memento.
At what point do you call it quits when reading a new book?
The book has to capture my attention right away. If the writing is poorly constructed and/or I’m not invested in the plot, characters, or both within the first couple of chapters, I’ll put it down. If I force myself to muddle through a book I’m not interested in, I have a bad habit of skimming and not retaining, so it’s not worth my time when there are so many other books to read and so little time to enjoy them.
Are you independently or traditionally published?
For a long time, I was certain I wanted to find an agent and publish traditionally. But after the rejections started to pile up and I began to research independent publishing, the idea of retaining all the rights to my own work and having complete control over the manuscript, layout, and cover became appealing, especially given my artistic background. This was further cemented after reading about Terry Goodkind’s controversy over the cover art for his novel Shroud of Eternity (If you haven’t heard about it, I recommend looking it up. Crazy stuff!). I had a vision in mind, and I realized if a well-established author like Goodkind had no control over a cover he abhorred, I certainly wouldn’t as a debut author. I’m happy with my decision so far. It was so fulfilling to explore the process myself rather than just handing it off to a publishing house and letting them do all the legwork. I registered my own ISBNs, submitted the book to the Library of Congress, worked closely with a line editor and a proofreader, and spent hours creating the artwork for the cover. It made me feel even more connected to this creation that came from my heart. I’m learning more and more each day and connecting with a lot of great writers along the way!
How many books/stories have you published so far?
I've had poems published in a few anthologies. This year, I had a fantasy short story featured in the Northwest Indiana Literary Journal and a memoir piece in Voices Literary Journal. My original photograph “Aftermath” was also published on the cover of Voices. A Fallen Hero is the first full novel I’ve published, and it was just released within the last month.
What’s the elevator pitch?
Cato is half-human, half-ghost. The former hero was betrayed by his family and taken away to be an unwilling test subject in a government facility. When an accident allows him and his new “lab-family” to escape, they’re hunted by both the government Agents desperate to recapture their fugitives as well as the supernatural Shadow Guard preparing to wage war on humankind.
How long have you been working on it?
I started writing this story eight years ago. I didn’t write chronologically; it was pieced together in scenes that then had to be stitched together. The first few years were spent writing fragments of the entire series, not just the first book. So, although it took eight years to reach this point, the other five books, a prequel, and two others within the chronicles are well underway. This has been a massive project, but this stitching process and patience has allowed me to intricately tie all the books together in the series. I’m so excited for it all to come together!
When will it be available to buy? Where?
At this time, A Fallen Hero is available exclusively through Barnes & Noble’s website. My goal is to open the book to Amazon and other bookstores before the end of the year once the paperback and ebook are available.
How can readers find you?
I love connecting with fellow writers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Check out my website www.onthecobblestoneroad.com to see my blog, artwork, and photography.
What inspires you to keep writing?“We’re past the age of heroes and hero kings. . . . Most of our lives are basically mundane and dull, and it’s up to the writer to find ways to make them interesting.” “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” Anything you’d like to add?
Thank you so much for having me on your laughably inane blog!
Thank you, Sara, for joining the Laughably Inane Blog. I wish you all the best in your writing career, and may your excitement for the craft inspire others to join in the fray.
Sincerely,
Nicholas AdamsJust a small-town boy with an overactive imagination.
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