Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Clint Adams author of  My Watch Doesn’t Tell Time, Just Say Mikey, Fear Ain’t All That and Don’t Be Afraid of Heaven.

Good day Clint and thank you for participating in our interview.

Norm:

Clint, please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background. When did your passion for writing begin? What keeps you going?

Clint:

Hey, Norm. My pleasure. Thanks for having me. I’d have to say that my personal and professional backgrounds are interwoven. I’m sure you’ve heard that old Creative Writing 101 adage (about writers) “You write what you know.” Well, in my case it’s, “You write what you learn.” When I’d just completed the first manuscript I’d ever written (Miguelito), I was flabbergasted when I discovered how spiritual it ended up being…not my intention at all. All I had learned about the life I’d been given, as well as the lessons attached to it, just had to come out on paper, it seems. I’m glad they did. This counterbalances all that time spent watching Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones.

I’m a Scorpio, so I was born passionate. Oops, that wasn’t your question, was it? The truth: I never had a passion for writing. What I had was a passion to tell the truth…this is what prompted me to become a writer in the first place, an all-consuming need to tell a very particular story. Now, I never tell it.

What keeps me going is the fact that I’m not there yet. I have always BELIEVED (where my publishing career will go), and for most of my life I was the only one who did. That’s OK though. I began writing because of my mission to help adults and teens eliminate fear from their lives. So far, I’ve helped only a few. Many more to go.       

Norm:

Was there anyone who really influenced you to become a writer?

Clint:

Yes, there was, were. Two people actually: 1) My first creative writing teacher, Myrna Elena Hughes at San Francisco State University (1992). She made one comment that changed my life forever, “This is a Creative Writing class, not English. Whatever you write is right. Seriously.” “Get out!” was my response. I loved that, the freedom. Not having to worry about grammar, spelling, or the grade that comes after, was the incentive I needed to become a writer. 2) Alice Walker. Mentioning her name makes me think about another (writing) adage, “Every story’s already been told. The only thing new is the WAY it’s told.” Yep, I agree. Discovering, and falling in love with, Celie’s one-of-a-kind voice in The Color Purple inspired me for a lifetime. When I revise, what I work on most isn’t necessarily plot or character development but voice. I always want the voice of my protagonist, Miguel, to be the ingredient that stands out miles ahead of anything else.     

Norm: 

You mentioned to me that you don’t do any marketing of your books in the USA. Please tell us where you do your marketing and why you don’t do marketing in the USA?

Clint:

At the moment, I’m focusing on two countries only, Denmark and Sweden. You know why? They ‘get it.’ The majority of Scandinavian teens (I write for teens, by the way) read for pleasure, read in English, have an excellent understanding of American slang, and they seem to be quite receptive to Visionary Fiction (easy-reading fiction with a subtle message). These are two highly advanced cultures, and I am forever grateful to have become acquainted with the teens that live and read there.

In my opinion, it’s a show of respect to readers when an author makes their best effort to promote their books in the markets in which they’re selling. I am an Italian citizen (as well as American), and I have no plans of ever returning to the U.S. European publishing, in my opinion, is significantly more open-minded, less traditional, than American. I moved to Europe and became a citizen for this reason. By the way, the Italian word for ‘bitter’ is ‘amaro.’   

Norm:

Is there a common underlying message or theme contained your books?

Clint:

Yep, Norm. And, it’s an easy one. “FEAR SUCKS…GET OVER IT!”

Norm:

I noticed that you were a professional actor with over 100 credits. Has acting helped you in any way with your writing and if so, please explain how?

Clint:

Yes, it did help. From my first day as a writer, I viewed writing as a business. I learned this from acting. If you don’t hustle to get your next ‘gig,’ you’ll starve. It’s amazed me over and over again anytime I’d attend an Authors Guild meeting and listen to authors (with famous names even) complain about what their publisher ISN’T doing for them. Listening to them bitch has given me migraines. In 2002, I went back to school and earned a master’s degree in marketing for the express purpose of maximizing my book-marketing skills. I was determined not to end up a whiner. Very few people understand that a publisher prints books, while virtually 100% of the required book marketing rests on the shoulders of the author (even one as well-known as Ban Drown). You know who I mean.  

Norm:

Have you given up acting? If so, why?

Clint:

As Miguel says repeatedly in FEAR AIN’T ALL THAT, DON’T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN and MY WATCH DOESN’T TELL TIME, “Been there, done that.” He and I share the same philosophy: Once you feel you’ve nailed something to the best of your ability, let it go. Then move onto something new and different.  

Norm:

How do you come up with ideas for what you write? What methods do you use to flesh out your idea to determine if it’s salable?

Clint:

I live life and I pay attention. Every lesson that passes in front of me is one I want to learn. I hate letting it slide, only to find it coming right back to me…at a time when I least want to see it again. The ideas I want to write about come from the lessons I’ve been given in life. (Let me point out now, to be more easily understood, a synonym for ‘lesson’ is perhaps ‘obstacle’). I somehow transfer these lessons to the characters in my books. They’re universal. They’re applicable to all.

Well, I never write anything with the notion that any of it is potentially salable. Although I said I view what I do as a business, I still write what I want, the way I want, and find a way to market and sell after that. My first published book, Just Say Mikey, was written with a young voice (Miguel) but was marketed and sold only to adults (my choice). Oh, was I wrong about that. What a mistake I’d made. I underestimated the savvy of today’s teens, and gave too much credit to what I felt would be a tolerant adult-reader. Not to sound too proverbial, but perhaps “you (really) can’t teach an old dog…” You know the rest.     

Norm:

You have mentioned to me that you consider your novels Teen Visionary Fiction, not religious or Christian. Please explain.

Clint:

Again, when Just Say Mikey came out, Amazon.com categorized it as Visionary Fiction, a genre I’d never known about prior. But, it seems like an appropriate match. Also, for many years, Young Adult/Teen was seen as a genre with no sub-genres; I never liked this. Is all teen fiction the same? No. So, Teen Visionary Fiction seems the perfect fit.

To list my books under Spiritual, Religion or Christian would be horribly incorrect for one primary reason, they’re FICTION. They’re not self-help, not devotional, they’re stories. They may contain messages, but the messages are secondary to the story being told. It’s the reader’s option what, if anything, they may derive from the content. Like myself, I don’t want someone beating me over the head, when all I want to do is be entertained. Right now, I’m picturing Fred Flintstone wielding that huge, spiked club he always carried around. Remember? Ouch. 

Norm:

How have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?

Clint:

I’ve used the Internet in many ways. For me personally, it’s the best way I can imagine to introduce products globally. The Internet is an international marketing tool, with no boundaries. When I still lived in the U.S., I made my first effort to market my books in the U.K. via the Internet (online sales w/ British retailers). At first, I was amazed that this could even be done. What amazed me after that was to find U.K. sales surpassing U.S…without ever having set foot in the U.K. Again, like I’d said before, Norm, I pay attention. When foreign markets become more successful than home, think about going elsewhere. Pack your bags and say “arrivederci” to your past.

Norm:

What's your advice to achieve success as a writer?

Clint:

This is actually a good follow up question, Norm. The best advice I can give another writer is, “Know which market is best for you/your books.” Keep searching, keep experimenting ‘til you find it. I’m not talking just demographics either, also psychographics. Understand what the consumer behaviors are in the various cultures/markets. It would be ideal to think we’re all more similar than different, but when discussing book marketing, our values and priorities remain quite diverse.

Norm:

What kind of research did you do to write your books?
 
Clint:

Well, in terms of content, I’d mentioned that ‘living life’ has given me chapters of information, but with regard to FEAR AIN’T ALL THAT, DON’T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN and MY WATCH DOESN’T TELL TIME in particular, I had to conduct a lot of research. The protagonist in all three, Miguel Estes, lives with a potentially fatal form of a skin-debilitating disease (recessive dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa). Of course I always want to depict his life as accurately as I can imagine. He’s a fictitious boy, I don’t have kids with this disease, nor do I have it myself, and I’m not a doctor…so I had to research. In the beginning I’d spent many, many hours at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Lucille Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford interviewing doctors, surgeons, gene therapy experts, and most important, kids who live with E.B. They gave me infinite amounts of time and information. I’ll always be grateful. Most recently, I did the same at the newly-opened eb-haus in Salzburg, Austria, Europe’s leading center for E.B. treatment and gene therapy research.

Norm:

Will you share a little with us about your latest book, My Watch Doesn’t Tell Time.

Clint:

It is the third and final book in the series; MY WATCH DOESN’T TELL TIME is the sequel to DON’T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN, which was the sequel to FEAR AIN’T ALL THAT. Each book is independent, but I’m forever flattered when a reader chooses to read more than one. MY WATCH DOESN’T TELL TIME will be released in late-July 2006, and will be available at the same retailers as my two preceding books.

MWDTT is a book all about time; running out of it, in particular. On Page One, Miguel worries that time will pass him by, without having done all he wanted. He wonders how much time exactly he will have. Miguel wonders if he’s learned all he wanted, if there are more lessons in front of him, what he may be missing if he’s gone. What I’d learned most from having written this book is, “Life’s short, so you’d better get on with it.” If there’s something you want to do, do it, because there’s no guarantee there’ll be a tomorrow. 

Norm:

Do you agree that to have good drama there must be an emotional charge that usually comes from the individual squaring off against antagonists either out in the world or within him or herself? If so, please elaborate and how does it fit into your novels?

Clint:

I think tension is a necessary ingredient, but it MUST be real, not manufactured. When I first started writing, I thought it was sufficient to have FEAR be the sole antagonist. Then I realized there’s got to be more. Other antagonists, people, characters, represent lessons in my novels. They’re not necessarily rotten individuals, they’re opportunities from which to learn (lessons). They’re in Miguel’s life for a reason. Hunt Manly (FEAR AIN’T ALL THAT), Dr. Rosenzweig (DON’T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN) and Lucilla (MY WATCH DOESN’T TELL TIME) would never be invited to my next dinner party (if I ever had one), but I don’t hate them either; they all provide Miguel with extremely valuable information and insights, mainly because of the diametrically opposed ways in which they’ve chosen to view life.

Norm:

In the last year or so have you seen any changes in the way publishers publish and/or distribute books? Are there any emerging trends developing?

Clint:

Publishing seems to change daily. Rather than follow what publishers do, I’ve chosen to study (book-buying) trends, and then do my own thing. Because of Publishing-On-Demand technology, and the connection many printers now have to top-name international wholesalers and distributors, it’s easier than ever before for an author to take charge of their publishing destiny. It’s empowering to lead, rather than feel subservient to America’s Top-Five “sisters.”

Pay attention to Asia!! When referring to book buying and online sales, ‘Asia’ is now spelled, ‘B-O-O-M!’ At the recent London Book Fair, I was astonished to find that the countries showing the most interest in my novels: Korea, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and China. For the past seven consecutive months, DON’T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN and FEAR AIN’T ALL THAT have alternated between the Number #1, #2 and #3 sales-ranked positions (Juvenile Visionary Fiction) in Korea. When analyzing this, I’ve got to again look at psychographics. 1) In a very short period of time, China/Asia has become the world leader in online consuming. 2) Asian cultures give utmost priority to a spiritual (not religious) life; their choice to gravitate towards my books rather than others may be a direct reflection of their value system.     

Norm:

Do you recommend other writers find a niche or specialty? What have been the rewards for you?

Clint:

Yep, Norm. Know what you write, be passionate about it. I believe we’re all here for a reason. Figure out what yours is, and go for it. Be as specific as possible. From a marketing/public relations perspective, be an expert. Sometimes I’ve gotten book-marketing ‘gigs’ because I’ve been thought of as the ‘fear guy’ or the guy who ‘writes about overcoming fear.’ Even for someone who writes only fiction, there’s probably something contained in your stories that makes you, the author, appear credible. This is your expertise, your ticket to continued exposure for your books. 

Norm:

Many writers want to be published, but not everyone is cut out for a writer's life. What are some signs that perhaps someone is not cut out to be a writer and should try to do something else for a living?

Clint:

An easy question. This goes back to your question about my previous career in acting, the answers would be identical. A writer who feels a strong NEED to tell a story will be writing forever. Someone who wants their words to be read by someone else, wants to be on Oprah, or appear at book signings, isn’t going to last long. A writer who NEEDS to tell a story, is someone who NEEDS to tell the truth (about something). It’s cathartic. It’s for them, not anyone else. This type of writer isn’t looking for approval. If what they’ve written ends up being a good read, it’s a bonus. Creative writing’s also a craft, a skill that can always be developed, improved upon.     

Norm:

Although you are not about to leave us, how do you want the world to remember Clint Adams?

Clint:

A good one, Norm. This has EVERYTHING to do with my newest book, MY WATCH DOESN’T TELL TIME. I could be leaving ay any moment, you never know. I’d rather be remembered today, than tomorrow. But, when the time comes for my life to be looked at in retrospect, I’d like the world to know that ‘I chose to learn from every opportunity, every lesson I’d been given. I let none escape unexamined, unlearned. Not one moment of time was wasted.’ In my opinion, this is the greatest accomplishment in life.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to share with us and what is next for Clint Adams? 

Clint:

Well, I’d like to say thanks to you, Norm. And, thanks to the readers who enjoy my books. You keep me on track, thanks for that. Last words of advice: “Always BELIEVE…no matter what!” and the standard, “Keep going!” These two are simple, but will take you far.

Next, I’m going to head for the neighborhood S-train (Rødovre) station here in Copenhagen, go to the gym, walk in the park, enjoy my day ahead and continue paying attention. Who knows what will be my lesson du jour? I’m sure it’ll be interesting. They usually are.  

Thanks once again Clint and good luck with all of your future endeavors.