| Interview with Clint Adams |
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My
name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out
of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and
fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
The truth: I never wanted to be one. In 1992, inside me, there was an overwhelming need to tell a VERY
particular story. Finding someone else (a writer) to tell it, never happened. So, I learned all I could about
writing, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Now, I NEVER tell that story.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
It’s been a rather long and winding one (road, that is). The quest to publish and market my teen novels
has taken me to many interesting locations. I was American and I’m now an Italian citizen, marketing my
books exclusively to the English-speaking goldmine called Scandinavia. Teens there love reading, read in
English, and seem to appreciate Visionary Fiction (fiction with a subtle message).
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing
about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Fear sucks…get over it! The theme is my four novels is the same: life truly begins when you have no fear.
My newest (MY WATCH DOESN’T TELL TIME; release: July 2006), exposes the myth of time and its
relation to a 15-year old boy who may be running out of it. In Ch. 1, Miguel (who lives with the skin-
blistering disease E.B.) asks, “What if time runs out and I haven’t done everything I want?” Bottom line:
Life’s short, vai (go)!!!
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
The realization that life is all about learning the lessons that come with it. It’s your choice to learn them or
not. This inspires me DAILY. I love seeing obstacles as opportunities…to learn. Lessons provide great
meaning for me.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
The best lessons, ever, have come from my family. They, the lessons, my family, have made me who I am.
I’m forever grateful. I chose to learn from them all. My family gave me a reason to write; the words I write
are evidence of my appreciation.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Ice cream (Cote d’Ore Toblerone flavor) Gnam, Gnam (Yum, yum in Italiano).
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I’m too impatient to meditate, but I do take a deep breath or two. Even this relaxes me a bit before I begin
the day. I realize that soon I get to eat my cereal with bananas and kiwi on top. I LOVE this. Yes, I AM a
geek. I look in the mirror to see if I’m still me, that I haven’t actually turned into who/what I was in my
dreams. Yikes!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
My wardrobe. I have holes in most of my socks and I possess only thrift store-looking shirts and pants.
The entire country of Italy is high-fashion obsessed; so, that makes me the worst-dressed person here.
Don’t tell Mr. Blackwell.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Aquamarine. I’m assuming this is rather transparent. I like this. I feel I have nothing to hide; I LOVE
honesty and truth and DESPISE secrets and lies.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite: Fred Flintstone. Most like me: I wish I could be as gregarious, cocky and confident as Bugs
Bunny, but Charlie Brown is closer to my reality.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
Duh. The easiest question of all. I spend nearly every day writing about heaven…so that’s got to be
where I’d like to go most. I’d want to see if it’s all it’s cracked up to be. I’d be humiliated if what I’ve written
ends up being horrifically wrong.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’
re writing?
Without question, anything from the 80’s. Favorites: Pat Benatar, Blondie, B-52’s. Yes, I’m lost in time. In
the U.S., country: Martina McBride, Patty Loveless, Terri Clark. I used to listen to classical when I write,
not anymore. Now, I just listen to the noise coming from inside my head. Maybe I should meditate after all.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
FRIENDS, THE GOLDEN GIRLS, ROSEANNE. Movies: THE COLOR PURPLE, SHINE, any movie where
the protagonist has HUGE obstacles and overcomes. Yippee! Again, I love that the movies in Scandinavia
remain in English, aren’t dubbed or subtitled. Also, combined with MTV and Vh1, a great way for
Scandinavian teens to learn American slang (so prevalent in most teen novels, something that can’t be
taught in English class). There, I last saw Kærester (Prime), it was cute. Unfortunately, also while there, I
saw Basic Instinct 2…which SHOULD have been dubbed AND subtitled, because the version I viewed was
so horrible. Oh my God, I could have written a better script on a Post-it note.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Always BELIEVE…no matter what!!!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m not sure. We’ll see what lessons come to me in the meantime.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out
of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and
fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
The truth: I never wanted to be one. In 1992, inside me, there was an overwhelming need to tell a VERY
particular story. Finding someone else (a writer) to tell it, never happened. So, I learned all I could about
writing, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Now, I NEVER tell that story.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
It’s been a rather long and winding one (road, that is). The quest to publish and market my teen novels
has taken me to many interesting locations. I was American and I’m now an Italian citizen, marketing my
books exclusively to the English-speaking goldmine called Scandinavia. Teens there love reading, read in
English, and seem to appreciate Visionary Fiction (fiction with a subtle message).
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing
about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Fear sucks…get over it! The theme is my four novels is the same: life truly begins when you have no fear.
My newest (MY WATCH DOESN’T TELL TIME; release: July 2006), exposes the myth of time and its
relation to a 15-year old boy who may be running out of it. In Ch. 1, Miguel (who lives with the skin-
blistering disease E.B.) asks, “What if time runs out and I haven’t done everything I want?” Bottom line:
Life’s short, vai (go)!!!
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
The realization that life is all about learning the lessons that come with it. It’s your choice to learn them or
not. This inspires me DAILY. I love seeing obstacles as opportunities…to learn. Lessons provide great
meaning for me.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
The best lessons, ever, have come from my family. They, the lessons, my family, have made me who I am.
I’m forever grateful. I chose to learn from them all. My family gave me a reason to write; the words I write
are evidence of my appreciation.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Ice cream (Cote d’Ore Toblerone flavor) Gnam, Gnam (Yum, yum in Italiano).
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I’m too impatient to meditate, but I do take a deep breath or two. Even this relaxes me a bit before I begin
the day. I realize that soon I get to eat my cereal with bananas and kiwi on top. I LOVE this. Yes, I AM a
geek. I look in the mirror to see if I’m still me, that I haven’t actually turned into who/what I was in my
dreams. Yikes!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
My wardrobe. I have holes in most of my socks and I possess only thrift store-looking shirts and pants.
The entire country of Italy is high-fashion obsessed; so, that makes me the worst-dressed person here.
Don’t tell Mr. Blackwell.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Aquamarine. I’m assuming this is rather transparent. I like this. I feel I have nothing to hide; I LOVE
honesty and truth and DESPISE secrets and lies.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite: Fred Flintstone. Most like me: I wish I could be as gregarious, cocky and confident as Bugs
Bunny, but Charlie Brown is closer to my reality.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
Duh. The easiest question of all. I spend nearly every day writing about heaven…so that’s got to be
where I’d like to go most. I’d want to see if it’s all it’s cracked up to be. I’d be humiliated if what I’ve written
ends up being horrifically wrong.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’
re writing?
Without question, anything from the 80’s. Favorites: Pat Benatar, Blondie, B-52’s. Yes, I’m lost in time. In
the U.S., country: Martina McBride, Patty Loveless, Terri Clark. I used to listen to classical when I write,
not anymore. Now, I just listen to the noise coming from inside my head. Maybe I should meditate after all.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
FRIENDS, THE GOLDEN GIRLS, ROSEANNE. Movies: THE COLOR PURPLE, SHINE, any movie where
the protagonist has HUGE obstacles and overcomes. Yippee! Again, I love that the movies in Scandinavia
remain in English, aren’t dubbed or subtitled. Also, combined with MTV and Vh1, a great way for
Scandinavian teens to learn American slang (so prevalent in most teen novels, something that can’t be
taught in English class). There, I last saw Kærester (Prime), it was cute. Unfortunately, also while there, I
saw Basic Instinct 2…which SHOULD have been dubbed AND subtitled, because the version I viewed was
so horrible. Oh my God, I could have written a better script on a Post-it note.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Always BELIEVE…no matter what!!!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m not sure. We’ll see what lessons come to me in the meantime.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
