Author of the All Posssible Orbits
Today I have the pleasure of meeting Adam Perry, who released his latest novel All Possible Orbits yesterday. Welcome Adam! Tell us about your new book.
Adam: Of all the books I’ve had rattling around in my head over the years, ALL POSSIBLE ORBITS is the one I’ve always wanted to write. A lot of people have dysfunctional families, but I’ve always noticed the surprise and laughter from telling close friends about mine. Theirs is that sort of laughter that floats just above their underlying shock and horror that these people really exist. From telling stories about my family for most of my life, I knew the good bits, so to speak. What I needed was a framework. Luckily, it fell onto the page one day while I was stuck in another story. I thought about my cousin who my relatives, for a moment, thought had tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the shoulder with a rifle.
As it turned out, he had been cleaning the gun, gotten into a fight with his girlfriend who snatched the gun away from him, and accidentally fired a round through his right shoulder. As terrible as that was, what struck me is that the lie was concocted on the spot and that anyone in their right mind would believe someone would shoot themselves in the shoulder with a rifle as a means of committing suicide. Just the sheer mechanics of pulling it off versus the better than average chance of survival make this a ridiculous idea.
While I was thinking about this, the first sentences of the first draft hit the page. Once they did, the flood gate opened and all the stories I had wanted to tell seemed to pour out and create their own framework around the suicide of the protagonist’s brother. He did not choose to shoot himself in the shoulder as he was 100% committed to not surviving the act.
The novel is very personal for me. Even though the characters are only partially based on some real people, I found it very cathartic to write the piece. It was great, remarkably cheap therapy.
Helen: It is amazing where ideas come from. The art is recognizing the story within the spark and being able to capture it on paper. I love the colour combination used on your cover, tell us how you came up with the design.
Adam: My cover art was created by Mississippi artist, Drew McKercher, who also designed my website. We’ve known each other a while having played in lots of bands around the same handful of venues in town. A painting of Miles Davis that he put on his Instagram really caught my eye and I asked him to create the cover. The four elements I asked for were the camouflage shotgun, the skinning tree, the skinning rack, and a bucket with either a deer hoof or antler sticking out.
In the story, this tree is where the protagonists brother commits suicide which is the act that sets the story in motion. Its also representative of a traumatic moment in the protagonist’s childhood where he shoots and kills his first deer. In my own life, the camouflage shotgun belongs to my father and the skinning tree is behind is house in Roxie, Mississippi.
Helen: The frame hanging from the tree is quite a desolate image, suggesting this story is addressing some deep emotional issues. How does the title fit with the book?
Adam: The title inspired the work. I was taking a nap one afternoon and had the tv on low playing some Discovery show on Black Holes. I was sort of floating in and out of consciousness and heard Physicist, Michio Kaku, say the words “All Possible Orbits.” It turned over in my brain a couple of times and I liked the way it flowed. I wrote down the title on a piece of paper and went back to sleep. A few days later, the germ of the story started coming together and I wrote the first three chapters very quickly. After that, I knew I was onto something.
Helen: I often hear song lyrics which spark ideas. What made you write this book? It sounds like it wasn’t an easy story to write.
Adam: Like most artists, I created it as way to channel pain and trauma. My childhood was not that great and like the protagonist, Tucker Merril, I was sort of the odd man out. I didn’t like to hunt or fish. I didn’t particularly care for sports. I wanted to be good at something but none of the things I found interesting were valued by my father. Luckily, I had a supportive mother and stepfather who encouraged me to do what made me happy. Over the years, my father and I had our ups and downs but we’ve ben in a good place for the last several years. When I started writing ALL POSSIBLE ORBITS, I was writing it with the idea of what that relationship might have devolved into had we not put in some work to right the ship.
Helen: I’m so glad you were able to resolve your differences. Any relationship worthwhile takes effort and time. Who was your favourite character to write?
Adam: Tucker’s Aunt Puddin’ is my favourite. She has not one redeemable quality which makes her a lot of fun to write.
Helen: She sounds like one formidable lady! What genre would you classify your book as?
Adam: Well, it seems that I work in Literary Fiction which, as I understand it, is the same as Commercial Fiction without the high sales figures. I prefer to classify my work as “Southern Gonzo Fiction.” Southern because that’s the world I’m most familiar with. Fiction because I feel called to work in the field of escapism. And, finally, there’s Gonzo. Obviously, the link to Hunter S. Thompson is undeniable. Certainly, the drugs, guns, and violence figure prominently in my work. What I love most about Hunter’s work and, what I try to bring to mine, is that feeling of speed. Reading Thompson gives me a rush and I want to give my reader that feeling of a near out-of-control downhill run where any grain of sand might send you skidding over the rail to a terrible death.
Helen: This is your third novel. What made you first start writing?
Adam: Reading. Simple as that. Some of my earliest memories are being read to by my grandmother. I loved that feeling of having words create a world inside my mind.
Helen: I couldn’t agree more. Who or what inspired you to start writing?
Adam: I’ve read so many great authors but the stories that inspired me first were Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Those were my first adventures. They spawned a need to create adventures for my toys so that it gave them a purpose.
Helen: They were both amazing movies for their time. It is quite sad that they seem so dated now, but when you think how old they are, much has changed since they first graced the big screen. How do you get new ideas for your books?
Adam: They come to me in all different ways. However, one of my closest friends is convinced that I have to get angry about something and let it stir up my brain before I get down to work. There’s probably some truth to that.
Helen: Emotions are important in being creative, so I’m not surprised. Tell us a little about your writing process. Do you plan you books, or let them evolve as they will?
Adam: I’m a pantser when I start a project. I tried to write to an outline once and it made my writing feel the way a paint-by-numbers painting looks. That being said, once I’ve finished my first draft, I build a loose outline just to keep my thoughts in order.
Helen: Do you prefer writing or editing?
Adam: I love writing. That free- flowing feeling doesn’t always happen but when it does it’s just the best. It feels the same as group improvisation in music where everyone is keyed into the same channel; an open conduit to something outside of ourselves. Editing is a whole different animal. I enjoy it as well because it allows me to indulge myself in rounding out all those rough edges. I spend a lot of time in the editorial process. Some people find it tedious but I’m a tinkerer by nature, so I sort of perversely enjoy it.
Helen: Tell us about a typical day of writing. Do you find it hard to fit it in your daily life?
Adam: I schedule myself a few hours in the morning to write before work. I’m lucky that my job is flexible, so I have a lot of room to get my words in for the day. I don’t write on the weekends or on vacation. Those are times for living and recharging.
Helen: It is nice you can separate the two, sometimes writing can just take over. Do you have a special writing nook which helps the creativity flow?
Adam: I have an office, but I rarely write there. Most of my writing is done at a coffee table in the living room. It’s closest to the tv so I have access to You Tube if music becomes necessary.
Helen: Do you find music helps you write or do you prefer silence?
Adam: I only listen to jazz while I’m writing, if I listen to anything. I prefer the fifties and sixties Blue Note stuff. I love lots of different styles of music but, if there are lyrics, I’ll get pulled into that instead of writing.
Helen: I must admit I have a similar problem, I can’t listen to the radio, because all the talking, the adverts or news are distracting. Most writers read, do you have a favorite book?
Adam: That’s always a tricky question and it changes all the time. Probably the most influential book for me was Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser. It’s still one of my all-time favourites. The novel revolves around Harry Flashman who I would nominate as the top anti-hero in the English language. I was made to read this book as punishment while grounded in ninth grade for throwing a party. The grounding worked out about as well as the “reading as punishment” idea.
Helen: What a great punishment! Having embraced books from an early age, what was the last book you read?
Adam: I’ve been reading Joe Hill lately. I fell in love with his novel, Horns. When I read it, I called a friend and told him I’d run across the next Stephen King which is when he informed me that Joe Hill was King’s son. That apple certainly did not fall far from the tree. His book, 20th Century Ghosts, is on my nightstand right now and has been a lot of fun so far. Also, I’d recommend another book of his short stories called, Strange Weather.
Helen: I didn’t know he was Stephen King’s son either! Who is your favourite author?
Adam: Hunter S. Thompson. Hands down.
Helen: If you didn’t write literary fiction, what genre would you like to try?
Adam: I’d love to take a swing at writing a real horror novel. My novella, SALIGIA, was sort of horror but more dark comedy. I think it would be a real challenge to feel like I broke any new ground in that genre, but if I did, I’d be as pleasantly surprised as anyone.
Helen: I have had such fun chatting with you. It has been great meeting you. As we draw to a close tell us something random about about yourself.
Adam: One of the best jobs I ever had was working as a repairman for Gibson Guitars Warranty Repair Division in Nashville. I did everything from simple adjustments to major restorations. During that time, I restored a Les Paul for myself that was going to be scrapped. Down the road, I had to sell it when I owed money to the IRS. Ten years later, my wife and I located the guitar in South Florida. She managed to talk the gentleman into selling it to her and she gave it back to me as a Christmas present. Needless to say, it’s here to stay.
Helen: What a lovely story. Thank you so much for joining me today. Just to close us out, what is the best piece of writing advice you’ve received and what would say to new writers?
Adam: Elmore Leonard said it best when he said, “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” Sage words.
My advice would be: Write as often as you can. Read as much as you can. Enjoy the process and don’t get consumed by the tasks of handling all the other bits and pieces of making writing your life. Certainly, all those moving parts and pieces are important, but your main job is to write. Do that with joy and enthusiasm because that’s really the pay off.
About the Author:
Born in 1974, Adam Perry is an American novelist who describes his work as ‘Southern Gonzo Fiction.” He was raised in the rural south and became the first member of his family to graduate from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in History in 1998. While attending college, he worked as a professional musician performing across the Southeast. He moved to Nashville in 2001 where he was a luthier for Gibson Guitars Warranty Repair Division. Since 2010, he has written in his spare time self-publishing the novel, BOXING GORILLAS and a novella entitled, SALIGIA. His latest work, ALL POSSIBLE ORBITS, is set for release on October 4, 2021. He lives in Brandon, Mississippi, with his wife, Rebecca, and can be found most days arguing plot points with his bearded dragon, Gonzo.
You can find more about Adam via:
You can purchase Adam’s books from Amazon:
All Possible Orbits
UK: eBook
USA: eBook
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Helen Garraway 