Spotlight Avis Adams
Please welcome Avis Adams, author of the exciting new YA novel
The Incident.
Bio:
Avis M Adams lives in the Puget Sound area of Washington State on a small farm, where she loves to garden and write. She teaches English courses at a local community college, and her poems have won awards and been published online and in various literary journals. She also writes YA fiction, and The Incident is her debut novel.
‘Caught in a series of monster storms, two teens fight to stay alive, but they defy self-doubt, looters, and the storms to survive.’
Blurb:
Emma grasped at the smooth granite foundation stones, the wind whistling down the city street. Her hip, elbow, wrist banged the sidewalk, the wall, the light pole. Her vision blurred. She reached an alley and grasped the corner of the building. A side wind caught her. She tumbled on.
“Help!” She screamed, skidding out into the road. Rain pelted her body, and her clothes and her hair clung to her. She dug in her heels, but nothing could stop her.
“No, no—” Emma tumbled down the sidewalk until down became up and a loud crack burst in her ears.
It’s great to have you here, Avis. I thought we’d kick off by finding out a little bit more about you:
Have you always wanted to be an author?
I have, ever since I was a little girl. My sixth-grade teacher called me her little writer and she would read my papers to the class. It made me proud. I didn’t start writing every day until I was in my thirties, though, kind of a late bloomer, and since I had kids, I wrote poetry. Short, one-page, little bursts of ideas. The first piece I had published was a poem about my father’s funeral. I’ve published many poems and one book of poetry, and I still write poetry all the time. When I decided to write novels, I never dreamed it would be so difficult! Breaking into publishing has been a very steep learning curve for me, but I’ve done it! I’m in my sixties, but I finally have a book for sale and people are reading it! It’s very gratifying to hear about the things they liked in the novel.
What does your writing space look like and when is your best time for writing?
My best writing time is early in the morning. I get up around 5 am and have a cup of coffee and read for about 45 minutes. They I have another cup and start writing or revising. I can get a lot done in an hour, and what I don’t finish in the morning, I come back to in the afternoon, but I can’t write in the evening or late into the night like some people.
I live in a log house, and my writing space is my daughter’s old bedroom. I have a custom-made mission style desk that has an enlarged workspace, and three bookcases filled with reference books on writing, old journals, my art supplies, and a very comfortable wooden swivel chair. My dog has a bed in there and she sits with me, while I work. I have a laptop, so I often take it into the living room on a cold winter day and sit by the fireplace and write where it’s warm and cozy! I can write anywhere, so I take my laptop when I travel and get work done in the early morning or in the afternoon.
Many writers say they’ve had writer’s block. If you have experienced writers block, how have you overcome them?
I experienced writer’s block after a rejection that I thought was going to become a contract. I was so devastated that I set the book aside for several days. I finally got the nerve to read the comments and realized they were about point of view, so I decided to study instead of writing. As I read books and articles on deep point of view and inner dialogue, I felt the excitement of writing grow within me, and soon I was studying and writing, and my writing improved! My critique group saw an almost immediate improvement, and I had a contract offer for The Incident in less than a year after the rejection!
Rejection is awful. Well done you for getting over that hurdle! It just goes to show how important it is not to be discouraged!
It’s been lovely having you on my blog. I look forward to many more of your novels and I wish you all the very best.
Readers don’t be put off if you are an adult and see YA. This certainly floated my boat and reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads!
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-incident-avis-m-adams/1140380669?ean=9781509238484