Interview Don Adams
by
JoEllen Conger
1) What prompted you to become a writer?
I’ve been writing in my head all of my life--inventing stories and enjoying an over-active imagination. I suppose that writing was a natural progression from there. I also did a lot of forced reading while studying at university and since then have developed a true love for all types of literature. I think that my love of reading feeds in to my need to write.
2) Tell us about some of your experiences as a beginning writer.
Getting published is very difficult when you start out, so it is very important to remind yourself why you are actually writing. It’s a hobby for me and I hope it always remains that way. If you allow all the rejections from publishers to get you down, you’ll stop writing. Many of the books on the subject advise you to write for this market or that and to study and emulate what is successful--I think this is completely wrong. If you’re going to write, do what comes naturally and find your own voice.
3) What prompted the plot for Revolutionary Tax?
I’ve always had an interest in the Basque Country, its history and the distinct Basque identity. Unfortunately, this region, which is divided between France and Spain, is often best known for the problem of terrorism. I wanted to write a thriller that would highlight what was happening in that part of the world.
4) Has your family been supportive?
Absolutely! It’s hard as I have two young daughters, but my wife is very supportive.
5) Were the details of Revolutionary Tax taken from real life, or was it strictly out of your imagination?
Yes and no. The kidnapping of local businessmen in order to exact the Basque terrorist ‘Revolutionary Tax’ is not unusual. I’ve written a work of complete fiction around what can happen when someone refuses to give in to extortion in the Basque Country.
6) Do you use real people as characters?
No. I suppose that, as a writer, it is only natural that the characteristics of people that you know will find their way in to the characters that you create, but I wouldn’t completely base a character on an actual person.
7) What type of writing schedule do you follow?
None whatsoever! I write when I can--before breakfast, during my lunch breaks or whenever I get a moment. I only wish I could have the luxury of a writing schedule!
8) I loved the descriptions of the small villages in your book. Were they patterned after real places?
Like the characters, yes and no. All the descriptions are true of small villages that I know in Spain and reflect the local culture. I try to recreate the atmosphere of life in Spain for a reader not accustomed to the country.
9) Have you ever lived in Spain?
Yes. On and off I lived for almost three years in various parts of northern Spain. My wife is Spanish and we may well go back at some point.
10) Tell us if you have published other books.
I published a collection of short stories, Univers Parallčle, in 2004 , and have just published a novel, A Conspiracy of Ravens (May 2005). Both are available on Amazon or by order in any good bookstore. These are very different in style and I used my own name, Neal Sillars, as opposed to Don Adams for those books.
11) What is your next project?
I am currently writing another thriller, The Hebron Files, as Don Adams. It is based in Palestine and again deals with terrorism and is full of twists and surprises. As Neal Sillars, I am also writing a literary novel, The Blood of Don Juan de Vargas, which follows the trials and tribulations of a Spanish family over the course of a thousand years!
Joan C. Powell [twin team]