Andi Adams writes, teaches, gets excited about performing random acts of kindness, invents words, and talks with strangers, as often as she can. She loves learning about the world, about others, and about herself, and uses that knowledge to write realistic fiction – everything from YA Fantasy to Women’s Lit. She has a passion for travel, for all things Harry Potter (of course!), and for her two dogs, who are also incidentally her biggest fans. The Girl in the Glass Box is Andi’s first novel. For a daily dose of crazy or to see pictures of her cute fur-babies, follow her on Twitter and on Instagram.
What
are five things people may not know about you?
1.
I
lived in Paris and went to the Sorbonne to study French Civilization and
Phonetics.
2.
I have
a Harry Potter tattoo on my ankle. (And I'm pretty sure I'd be sorted into
Ravenclaw.)
3.
I sang
in an all-girls a cappella group in college and still keep in touch with many
of them. (SOP Shout Out!)
4.
I've
competed in four Sprint Triathlons over the past five years and I hope to do
another at the end of this month.
5.
I'm
really crafty and love creative artsy stuff. Painting, party-planning, cooking
– all of it. (My brother-in-law swears I should open a food truck that serves
enchiladas and key lime pie, two of my specialties according to him.) I also
paint canvas shoes for fun. I painted myself a pair of Harry Potter shoes and
get stopped all the time about them. This penchant for creative pursuits lends
itself well to my obsession with Pinterest (aka – the time vortex.)
Have you written any other books that are not published?
I have written a children's book series and am working on
getting them published. And I've written a bunch
of poetry, some of which has been published here and there.
What do you
think about the ebook revolution?
Ebooks are awesome, especially for those who travel and need
to have a bunch of books with them. I will always prefer reading a printed
copy, but there are many instances when I've been grateful to have a number of
books with me when I'm away from home. In addition, I feel like they've really
liberated certain reading demographics. Many times people have felt embarrassed
to read certain book genres or topics for one reason or another, but e-readers
have eliminated that fear of judgment, which is really awesome.
What is your writing style?
I really love writing
dialogue. Actually, I like it so much that I've given a lot of thought to
writing screenplays. I mean, I love movies and I love dialogue. Sounds like
something I should attempt, right? And I also really think it's important to
incorporate female characters who are diverse, well-rounded, and dynamic. But
never at the expense of men. Empowering women and treating them like, you know,
humans, should not be done in an effort to bring down another group of people.
Characters should be individuals. There are bad men and bad women, just as
there are good men and good women. Generalizations and stereotypes don't belong
in realistic fiction.
Do you write alone or in public?
It's really hard for me to stay focused when I'm home and
family and friends are around. I hate having to excuse myself from what's going
on to get work done (I have a little bit of FOMO, "fear of missing
out," when it comes to that.) But usually, I like to take my work
elsewhere, out of my apartment to limit my distractions. For instance, there's
a conference room in my apartment building, so sometimes I'll go sit in there
and work. Or I'll grab my computer and head to a coffee shop. For someone who
works from home, it's almost like getting up and reporting in for work when I
have to leave the comfort of home. That simple act of leaving makes my working
time while I'm out more focused and uninterrupted. But of course, on rainy or
lazy days, it's nice to work on my couch in my pjs.
Do you set goals for writing a certain number of words a week or do you only write when inspiration strikes?
Writing only when
inspiration strikes is a recipe for never completing anything. Truth be told, I
wish I was more diligent about keeping a daily writing goal, but for sure, I
write more regularly than only when inspiration strikes. When I was in my MFA
program for Writing Popular Fiction, I had a pretty stringent writing goal per
month. It was incredibly difficult and stressful to keep, especially while
teaching full-time and completing the
rest of my coursework.
What do you think is the hardest part about writing?
I used to think,
"Writing the first draft is the worst! This is definitely the hardest
part," until I finished my first draft and had to begin revisions. Then I
thought, "Ugh, revision is so difficult. Where do I even start!? Okay, so
revision is definitely the hardest part." Haha. So I guess any part you're
currently working on can be considered the "hardest part." But in
truth, I think the most difficult aspect of writing is just getting your butt
in the chair. Trying to not find excuses or moving writing to the bottom of the
priority list is what's most tricky. Even if you're only writing 15 minutes a
day, you need to make writing important enough that you carve out that time to
write or else it just won't get done. If you're writing as a hobby and only
pick it up when it's convenient or easy, then that's fine for you. But if you
are looking to pursue writing as a career and actually turn out completed, published
works, there is no time for excuses. Just get your butt in the chair and write.
What have you put most of your effort into regarding craft and writing?
Attaining
my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction was along road to hoe. As I mentioned, I completed
my MFA over the span of two and a half years (the full duration of the program
with no breaks), while I was working full-time as a teacher and I had a second
job. The coursework, the deadlines, the stress – it was all pretty brutal. For
as much as I loved the content and the material I was learning, everything was
a great deal of effort and nothing was easy. In addition, most of our
coursework was done online and, though I loved being able to complete my work
from wherever I was living (London at one point, as a matter of fact), I
certainly enjoy a classroom environment much more.
Outside
of finishing the MFA, I would say that I put a great deal of effort into reading,
both works of fiction and craft books. I am always
reading. Seeing how authors I admire construct their stories is such a great
way to understand craft in practice. I wrote a guest blog post about craft
books and there are a ton out there that are really wonderful. Sure, no one can
tell you how to write in a
step-by-step guide, but there is always something new to try and practice in
order for you to develop your own style.
Does your book have a moral/lesson?
Absolutely.
A couple, actually. But I think the one that is most prominent and the one I
want most people to take away from the book is that everyone has the power to create
their own "happily ever after" and that happily ever after is a relative
term. In any story, mine included, the villain strives to create her version of
HEA through a particular course of action, which of course, many people would
find reprehensible. But to her, it is what she wants/needs in order to be
happy. Life is like that. Everyone believes themselves to be the hero of their
own story and that their motivations for their actions are justifiable. It's
all about perspective. There are two sides to every story and everyone is just
trying to find their own happiness. If we take a minute to realize that, we may
find ourselves to be a little more empathetic to others.
What
is your favorite part of the book?
Hmm…
that's a hard one. I really like the first chapter. After I finished writing
the first draft, I ended up deleting pretty much the first third (about 100 pages)
of my manuscript and writing them over. It was painful to just pitch all of
that hard work, but I am so glad I did because what I wrote in its place is so
much better than it was before. It is a first chapter that (hopefully) really
grabs a reader's attention and sets the story up as a Dark Fantasy. I like the
action, the pacing, the twists. It turned out to be one of the sections of
which I'm most proud.
So
that, and the part where Grog gives Genevieve his slippers. I just think it's
so cute and such a turning point in their relationship. I have to be honest, I
love all of my characters for different reasons, but Grog is my ultimate fav.
He was so fun to write and I think some of his lines are laugh-out-loud funny.
And his shift is incredibly meaningful.
What is your favorite
book?
Anyone who knows me can tell
you I am obsessed with Harry Potter for oh-so-many reasons. I am beyond
impressed with Rowling's ability to world build, write dynamic and well-rounded
characters, and hide information in the text to be used later. She herself is a
wizard (well, umm... witch) to have created such magic. I could only hope to
influence even half the number of readers she has.
I also used to teach high
school English for almost 10 years. And I can honestly say that I am a huge Shakespeare nerd. I also love Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Frankenstein.
As far as genre fiction, my favorite book is Jurassic Park Michael Crichton. I'm not even a big sci-fi fan, but
that book is just AMAZING. In that same vein, The Martian by Andy Weir was equally awesome. The voice in which
that book is told is funny and witty and clever and just plain great. Oh man,
we've opened a can of worms talking about favorite books – I'm pretty sure I
could go on forever about this.
The Girl in the Glass Box:
A witch.
An apple. A mirror. That’s all most people think of when they recall the story
of Snow White. But the truth is rarely so simple. What if the Queen wasn’t born
evil and the princess wasn’t always so pure of heart? Is it possible that these
two women could have ended up in one another’s place?
The Girl in the Glass Box tells the story of Agrippine and Genevieve, two women who are not all that different, but who quickly learn through a series of choices, encounters, and devastating losses that the course of their fates can change in an instant. Through the influences of the people they love and lose, both are redefined as their stories head for a different sort of happily-ever-after.
The Girl in the Glass Box tells the story of Agrippine and Genevieve, two women who are not all that different, but who quickly learn through a series of choices, encounters, and devastating losses that the course of their fates can change in an instant. Through the influences of the people they love and lose, both are redefined as their stories head for a different sort of happily-ever-after.
http://www.fireflyhillpress.com/books--authors.html
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