Welcome all.
Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Derek Adam author of Mass
Casualty (Now available) Due Soldati (now available) Veil of Darkness (coming
October 31st, 2017)
ME: Hi Derek, thank you for
agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about
yourself and your
background?
DEREK ADAM: I grew up around the Metro Detroit area. I've bounced
around a million gigs trying to find my place in life but I finally found it
about a decade ago in writing. I've been a freelance marketing writer for a
little over 10 years butt always wanted to write a book (fiction)
The career that impacted me the
most was EMS. Met amazing people, saw some tragic stuff, saved plenty of people
as well. It's what inspired my first book, Mass Casualty.
ME: What genre do you write?
DEREK ADAM: Thriller, mystery, romance (medical, fire, EMS) though
Veil of Darkness will be my first paranormal romance.
ME: What are you working on at the minute?
DEREK ADAM: Two books actually - Veil of Darkness is the first of 3
books in a series around paranormal romance/thriller content. Another is
Paramedic with Benefits which is a prequel of sorts to Mass Casualty but rather
than being a medical thriller it's more of a medical romantic comedy.
ME: Can you share a little of your current work with us?
DEREK ADAM: I aaaabsolutely cannot. Not yet. Veil of Darkness is a
bit hush hush at the moment but I will be sharing bits and snippets from it
very soon with my followers in my reader groups on Facebook - Derek Adam's
First Responders
ME: Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead
character from your most recent book?
DEREK ADAM: I hadn't really given this any thought for Due Soldati,
my most recent book which is a crime thriller romance. I've got two leads, the
two Italian-American homicide detectives in Detroit that are both wildly
different personalities.
ME: While you were writing, do you ever feel as if you were one of
the characters?
DEREK ADAM: I always try to inject myself, to some degree, into the
characters I write. While I can outline their personality layers to bring them
to live I feel like giving them very real human qualities in terms of how I (or
people I know) would respond to incidents gives them real depth.
ME: When did you decide to become a writer?
DEREK ADAM: Early in my youth. I've been cranking out stories for
years. Thankfully, they're nowhere near as bad as the stuff I used to write
when I was like 8 years old. lol
ME: Which writers inspire you?
DEREK ADAM: I've drawn a great deal of inspiration from both
Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I use King as a reminder that you can find a
story in almost everything due to the vast difference in the characters, worlds
and stories he writers.
With Koontz, his style influenced
my own a great deal.
ME: Do you write on a typewriter, computer, dictate or longhand?
DEREK ADAM: 99% on my laptop, though I'll sometimes pull out the
phone or tablet when an idea hits me and I'll throw it into a google doc or
memo so I don't forget it.
ME: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see
where an idea takes you?
DEREK ADAM: I develop a basic plot outline for how I want my
stories to develop, especially when there are key story elements I want to hit
on. Outside of the basic outline of major plot points I let the characters lead
the way.
ME: Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors.
DEREK ADAM: I don't read nearly as much as I like but it's because
I have a pretty solid schedule and deadlines for my books plus I'm a freelance
writer and that fills my days. Not quite into fulltime writing yet so there
isn't a ton of free time, and I have kids demanding my attention in the
evenings. I have plenty of favorites
though like Amy Briggs, the guys in the Romance and Erotica author frat
(Golden, BT, Scott Hildreth, Chris Genovese, Christopher Harlan, etc.) Mandi
Beck, Shari Ryan, too long of a list to name em all.
ME: What book are you reading now?
DEREK ADAM: heh, nothing right now specifically. I've started
probably a half dozen or more books that I'm trying to get through. hard to sit
and read a single
one cover to cover.
ME: Do you think that giving books away free works and why?
DEREK ADAM: Does it work from a marketing perspective? Sure. You're
giving something to your readers/followers as a reward for supporting you. If
they read it and enjoy it they're going to recommend it to others. It builds
your following, your sales, and expands the reach of your brand as an author.
ME: How do you relax?
DEREK ADAM: I love a good little binge of tv or a movie with my
wife. If I can't do that then I'll tuck into some video games.
ME: What is your favorite quote?
DEREK ADAM: My own: The only person who can stop you from
succeeding is you... get out of your way.
ME: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
DEREK ADAM: Stories don't have to be linear, they're like puzzles.
Start building where pieces fit together and you'll eventually find the end.
ME: What does your writing process look like?
DEREK ADAM: I never stop working on my stories. I do something for
them every day. If I can't get myself into writing mode then I'm researching
and plotting so that the next time I write I have direction and ideas. I don't
take a break from my stories until they're finished.
ME: What is your least favorite part of the publishing / writing
process?
DEREK ADAM: Haven't found one yet, honestly. I love the whole
thing. I have a marketing background, I love writing, I enjoy the publishing
process. The entire thing has been pleasant for me across multiple books.
ME: Is there a certain type of scene that's harder for you to write
than others? Love? Action? Racy?
DEREK ADAM: Nope. Not yet anyway. Hopefully I don't jinx that.
ME: Did you learn anything from writing your book(s) and what was
it?
DEREK ADAM: Apparently, I'm really good at writing edge-of-seat
action that keep the readers turning pages. Biggest complaint from readers is
that they can't put my books down and wind up losing sleep until the book is
finished. oops?
ME: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family
members.
DEREK ADAM: It's too hard to name one person. I'd say my readers as
a whole. I had people pushing me and loving my first book before it even
published. I never imagined having fans/followers like that. Those people, like my beta and ARC readers,
really pushed me and motivated me to get it done.
ME: Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and
why?
DEREK ADAM: I feel like having a dinner and some beers with Seth
Rogan would be a hell of an experience.
ME: What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?
DEREK ADAM: So far, it's a toss-up between medical and law
enforcement. I think the medical is the most enjoyable.
ME: What is your favorite theme/genre to read?
DEREK ADAM: High fantasy, like Lord of the Rings or the Dragonlance
novels.
ME: What secret talents do you have?
DEREK ADAM: I can make a homemade pizza including homemade pizza
sauce that tastes a million times better than anything you would ever get from
a pizza restaurant. I sold my sauce at one point, but it was more for fun than
anything else. People beg me to make it again but I only make limited batches
ME: If you had a superpower, what would it be?
DEREK ADAM: The ability to move through time or control time
without aging while time is being manipulated. Then I could get all the jobby
shit done, work on my books when I wanted to, and never have to sacrifice time
with family and friends.
ME: Where is one place you want to visit that you haven't been
before? *
DEREK ADAM: The Fiji Islands
ME: How can readers discover more about you and you work? i.e.
Website: Blog: Facebook: Twitter: Lnkedin: Pinterest: Amazon Author Page:
Smashwords: Book Links: (* American, UK, etc.) Goodreads. Please include links
or email them to me at vicber02@gmail.com *
DEREK ADAM: Website
Mass Casualty Purchase Links:
Due Soldati Purchase Links:
Veil of Darkness Links (Coming
Halloween 2017): GoodReads
ME: Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t
included?
DEREK ADAM: #TouchMyButt
ME: Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy
schedule to take part in this interview.
DEREK ADAM: seriously... touch my butt.
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