Adam Dreece Interview

Today, as promised, I have a interview with Adam Dreece, author of The Yellow Hoods Series on Amazon.  Here briefly is my review of his book.

I received a copy of this book for review purposes. Having said that I would happily pay for the sequel. What if Little Red Riding Hood was the steampunk granddaughter of Santa Claus who preferred yellow to red and chased down the wolf at grandpa’s house with her friends who also wore yellow? That’s the premise of this series and it’s adorable. The kids do read a bit young in places, but as this is a technologically emergent society, it’s easily forgiven. This book has enough in it for kids and adults alike. A great read for your older and younger kids. Liked by both my 12 year old and my 6 year old. Mr. Dreece has aimed his story well and executed at a high level.

If you go to Adam's web page you can read in detail his journey from ordinary working guy to gutsy author. The short version? Adam was always a writer since he was a little boy, but he grew up and tried to do the responsible thing. Then one day, life interfered in the form an illness and he had to make a big change. Since he had to take time off of working in his field, he went back to his childhood passion, writing. One of his kids gave him the idea for his series. I find it a compelling story. I hope you guys do to. He is the father of three and braves Canadian winters.

Q: So, Adam, why don't you tell us a little bit about what inspired your Yellow Hoods series?

On one side, my inspiration came from a story I made up one night at bedtime for my daughter, and the version of The Muffin Man that I sang to my elder son when he was little. I sang it every night and added a lot of material it, creating an epic in my mind.

I love telling stories, I always have. I love epic tales. Tales that whisk you away to somewhere amazing yet grounded, so that you feel like you are standing there with the characters.

When I was a teen, I was the story teller behind our Dungeons & Dragons games (aka the Dungeon Master). I created tales and adventures, and even years later, I'd walk into a room and hear someone I didn't know recounting it to someone else I didn't know. I saw the power of an epic tale first hand.

Around the half way point of book 1, I realized that I had a potential epic tale on my hands. I saw it as a 5 book series and knew where it would end, and where a sequel series could start.

All of that together inspired me to see if I could do it, and so I did. 

Q: What do your readers find most compelling about your series?

I think the depth and relationships of the characters without sacrificing the pace of the book. There's plenty of action, there's more and more intrigue as you go in the series, as well as strong character development that readers can relate to.

Q: What was the inspiration behind having a female lead character?

Over the years I've read a lot of books to, and then with, my daughter. The heroes were either boys, or female boys (i.e. the character has a girl's name but behaves in every way like a boy), or where these superficial caricatures of women. I wanted to show a range of women with different personalities and ambitions, derived from all the amazing women that I've had in my life.

I wanted to create a female lead that didn't need to be sexy to grip the attention of the boys, nor have to feed any negative female-stereotypes to get the attention of the girls. I wanted a female lead that adults could see elements of themselves in, regardless of their gender.

The fact that I've turned as many boys into rabid fans as girls, warms my heart. The fact that I've created a small legion of adults who love the stories, tells me that I'm achieving what I'd set out to do.

Q: What do you hope your readers take away from your books?

Ultimately, The Yellow Hoods is a story of coming of age, both of the characters but also societies at large. It's about idealism and choices, that growing up is about the decisions you make and the actions you're willing to take (this will REALLY hit home for people in book 3).

On the lighter side, I want my readers to feel they had an adventure that reminded them of why reading is a magical thing.

Q: I would be interested to know, why did you choose steampunk as a genre?

When I started writing Along Came a Wolf, I had a decision point. Would I make it a historical type of tale, i.e. no magic or technology, or if I went down one of those two paths, which one should I go down? 

With the success of Harry Potter on one side, and Super Hero moves on the other, I wanted something different. I loved the idea of incorporating elements of my life as a software architect in some ways, into my tale. The idea that I could create fantastic elements that started very grounded intrigued me. Too many Steampunk tales, in my opinion, are so fancifulness that they are magical and not technological in any way. They lose some of the very romance that they are trying to capitalize on.

Q: And if you could explain a little about why a YA market for your stories?

I remember the first time a story awoke my imagination, and I wanted to have the opportunity to be that for someone. I also loved the idea of reaching into an adult and reigniting the young and mature versions of themselves together. Instead of making that adult remembering the childhood they had lost, remembering the childhood could reinspire them from wherever they are in their life.

The decision to consciously layer the story for adults was one that given how I think and write, was natural. I could have made my marketing life easier if I'd made the books more "teen" oriented, but I'm not like that. Instead, I have the challenge and joy of creating a story that anyone from age 9 to 90 could really get into.

Q: How do you know when your book is ready to be let out into the world?

Book 3 has been easier, as I've learned to trust my instincts.

The draft of my story is done when I feel its hanging together, when I can see that all of the threads are woven together, though sometimes roughly, into the tapestry that is the tale to be told. After my 2nd of 3 rounds of revision, I send the story off to beta-readers to see what they think. With their comments reviewed, I hand it over for editing and then book production.

It was extremely challenging with Book 1 to know when to send it out to beta-readers. I'd never written a book before, and had no idea of what to expect. Where people going to hate it? Was I going to fail the way that I'd feared? I had to put my hardhat on, and walk through the wall of my own fear. With book 2, I feared if I could write a tale that people loved as much as book 1, and I didn't. It turns out that I wrote a sequel that people loved even more than the first book. Now, I had to accept that I could do this, and that I needed to trust my gut.

Q: What do you like most about being a writer?

Having a stranger tell you that they were affected by my book. It's not the personal validation or the ego boost, those are quickly attacked when someone doesn't like it, one lightly negative comment can wipe out a dozen strong ones. It's knowing that you bottled some of your imagination, and touched someone's life for a moment. 

Q: What is the one thing you've found most useful in your writing career?

Having the right support structure is extremely valuable. I'm not part of a writing group, and it doesn't fit my personality type, but I have a good support structure that has evolved a lot over the past year.

My wife is amazing. Without her support, the challenge of writing three books (and releasing 2 of them) in one year while having a full time job and a family of 3, would likely have been too much.

My Twitter followers have also been amazing. In a few moments of self-doubt, I've turned to them and allowed them to lift me, dust me off, and set me back on my way. They are amazing people, and inspire me to go on.

Q: What is one thing you thought you knew about writing that changed once you decided to "go pro" as they say?

There are so many things that I thought I knew something about, that I've learned that indeed, I knew nothing about. The first one that hit me was book design. It looked so simple at first, and then I got into it and went "Holy moley, wooooo this is... How the heck are we going to do this?"

I could have done what a lot of indie authors did, but I didn't like how their books looked or felt. Instead, I channeled my inner Steve Jobs. I focused on the size of the letters, the spacing, how many words were on a page, how much whitespace was on the page, how the pages looked together, the feel of the cover, the weight of the book, etc. My wife worked with me tirelessly.

It took a LOT more time than we thought, but the reaction from people when they picked it up and flipped through it on that first day at CalgaryExpo when I released the book told me it was worth it. They flipped through it, read the back, felt its weight, and felt they were getting a steal for the price.

Q: How important is planning to getting your story right? And What tips might you have for newbies out there?

Planning is a funny thing. Some people define a plan as being the explicit roadmap of where they are going. They are going to B, from A, via a specific route. Others, like me, sketch out an idea of where we are going but don't feel obliged to stick to it. I'm starting from A, and may be going to B, but here's a list of things I'd like to see along the way. That list might change, the destination might change, but it's important to have an initial idea. I revise my sketches as I go until enough is written that I don't need it anymore.

After giving the advice of learning how to finish something, I tell newbies not to be afraid to discover their writing process. You've got to find out what works for you, and be willing to steal ideas from others and try them. You're not wrong because you're doing something differently, but you should listen in case there are different ways, or different tools, that could make your job easier.

Q: You've mentioned to me on Twitter that you feel this series is taking a bit of a darker turn, becoming more dramatic. Do you think that represents your growth as a writer and as your vision changes do you fear the changes?

I love that question. I've been expecting someone to ask it for a long time now.

It does have a lot to do with my growth as a writer. I've learned how to push and trust myself, and the reader. When I first drafted Along Came a Wolf, it was half the size and was more of a 7-12 year old's tale. But I felt like I had unfinished business, and I went back. As the final version took shape, I could see I was taking a seemingly innocent tale and allowing it to get darker after the reader and I had started to build trust together. 

In book 2, I pushed my boundaries further with the "Hansel and Gretel" derivative and was nervous about it when I released it. I wasn't sure if other people's 10 year old should be reading it, but as it turned out, all the feedback told me that it was properly layered and they could enjoy it without seeing some of the truly dark elements I was hinting at. 

For book 3, I challenged myself to go even further. However, when I was revising book 3, I found I'd gone too far in a couple of places, and removed them. I preferred instead to leave things to the imagination of the reader. If I'd left those scenes in, it would have violated some of the tenets I've set for myself as being a young adult author. Layering is key, I can saw all kinds of things with layering, while respecting some of the slightly more impressionable minds.

Q: And finally, what advice you would give to an aspiring writer?

Firstly, learn to finish a piece of writing and get feedback. Next, learn how to listen to feedback. If someone says they didn't like something, you have to try and figure out what it really was that bothered them. Don't just take the solution they proposed, think about it, think of other solutions, think of whether or not a solution is even really needed. You won't please everyone with your writing, no matter what you do.

Also, reach out to other writers. Have the courage to ask because it's amazing how many writers are willing to give you two minutes of wisdom that could save you weeks of time.

And always, always, always have tremendous respect for your readers. If you mess with them too much, if you disrespect them in any way, they won't always be willing to forgive you.

Adam Dreece

Author of emergent Steampunk series  The Yellow Hoods

Blog: AdamDreece.com

Twitter: @AdamDreece