Interview With Author Ian McKellar Adams
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I come from a family of readers. Parents, siblings. We’ve played with the idea of writing a book ourselves and once I had all that time off of work in 2020 due to the pandemic, I decided to give it a shot.
I’ve written a handful of short stories and one sci fi novella, all unpublished. Currently, I’ve written one novel recently self-published on Amazon.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Escape Clause is the title for my current, and thus far only, novel. I wrote the kind of story I’d like to read. Originally, I had the goal of writing several short stories and putting them together in book form. I had a lot of story ideas, but I’ve learned to listen to that little nudge, that voice, in the back of my head, which kept bringing to mind one idea. So, I started writing that story, the only guidance being, play with monster stereotypes and make it humorous. I had an opening scene in mind of a lawyer entering a jail’s interview room to confer with his new client, a zombie who’d been arrested for vagrancy. From there, the characters just wouldn’t keep quiet and I wound up with a story of over 130,000 words.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I paint the wall. Not literally. It’s what I call it when I write a scene, then review it and tweak it to get the tone before writing the next scene. Then repeat. After a few chapters, I’ll go over the whole thing again to find gaps, thin plot points, some dangling story element I’d not dealt with satisfactorily. Then I grab my large white board and grid it out with up to sixteen equal sized grid spaces and list out each major plot point. Am I holding to a true story arc? Then I go over the whole thing again and add more humor. Like painting a wall. One coat/draft won’t do. Two coats/drafts is better. Three yields a good looking end result.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Carlos Ruiz Zafon wrote “The Shadow of the Wind” years ago and I came across it in 2012-ish. I savored that book. It took me a year to read because I didn’t want it to end. That’s when I decided to start writing down story ideas and entering writing contests.
Other authors?
Michael Crichton.
James S.A. Corey.
Kaleb Carr.
Matthew Pearl.
Orson Scott Card.
Douglas Preston.
Lincoln Child.
Steve Berry.
Alton Gansky.
Daniel Silva.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
So many.
They all pull the reader into the story.
What are you working on now?
I’m over 16,000 words into the sequel to “The Escape Clause”: “Escape from Marrakesh”.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Yeah, good question. No clue.
This is my first book, first book promotion…BIG learning curve.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never expect to learn everything there is to know about writing. Always be open to learning about writing, publishing, marketing, etc.
What was most useful to me?
www.authorspublish.com – Free email listing about writing opportunities and lots of good advice about writing.
www.reedsy.com – One stop shop for writers. A lot of free info about writing, you can also find an editor, book cover artist, etc. on their website.
https://kindlepreneur.com/ – A library’s worth of very good information about writing and about selling books on Amazon.
https://100covers.com/ – They do a great job of designing book covers.
“Save the Cat Writes a Novel” by Jessica Brody. An extremely useful book about how techniques that make great movies can be used to make great books.
“Writing 21st Century Fiction” by Donald Maas. This book constantly makes the argument that authors should stretch their stories, create emotional and evocative scenes and take calculated risks to engross the reader.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When you look back on your life, you most regret the things you did not do. (Without violating ethics or morals or laws, of course). So pick a goal that fires you up and go for it.
What are you reading now?
I just finished Cixin Liu’s trilogy with “Death’s End.”
I’m reading “The Last Secret Agent: My Life As a Spy Behind Nazi Lines” by Pippa Latour and I’m re-reading “Leviathan Wakes” by James S.A. Corey because it’s the best sci fi series every written. Period.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d love to make writing profitable so I can continue to do it for years and years, right up to the point someone leans over my bed and asks, “Sooo, who did you assign as your Power of Attorney? We’ll need to have a word. Soon.”
I’m trying to find my audience. Readers who will enjoy the quirky, humorous, horror-sci fi-mystery world I created in “The Escape Clause”.
I’m writing “Escape from Marrakesh”, researching how to promote “The Escape Clause”, then I’ll focus on publishing “The Escape Clause” through other publishers beyond Amazon.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Yeah…no. Three or four books? How about three or four dozen?
Author Websites and Profiles
Ian McKellar Adams Amazon Profile
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