Author Spotlight: Ada Adams

The lovely & talented Ada Adams, author of ReVamped was kind enough to answer some questions for us!

Can you tell me a little about yourself?
My name is Ada, and I live in Toronto, Ontario. I come from a large, close-knit family, and they play a very important role in my life. Aside from being a writer, I am also an actress. I love being creative and living in imaginary worlds! I also enjoy traveling and spending a lot of time in nature. While I love fashion, I’m definitely the type of girl who has no problem with 10 km hikes and sleeping under the stars! I have a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters of Science in Education. I am currently volunteering in various schools and working with students in reading recovery programs. It’s a very rewarding experience, and a really fun way to get to know some talented children’s authors.

What inspired you to write 'Re-Vamped'?
There are already so many wonderful dark, scary vampire novels out there, so I wanted to put a bit of a humorous, pop-culture spin on a genre that we all love so much. I drew inspiration from our society’s obsession with vampires and explored what would happen if those vampires actually came out of hiding and coexisted with humans. Right away, I realized that most likely, we would treat them like celebrities. However, I also didn’t wish to only write about perfect vampires, so from that began a TV show script about a strong vampire girl who was responsible for revamping these misfits. After writing the pilot, I came to the conclusion that the story would work better as a novel. With Dawn’s insistence (her character often woke me up in the middle of the night!), I began writing.

I have a very long and detailed post on the birth of the book on the “ReVamped” Blog: www.revampedthebook.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/revamped-background

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you? How do you get through it?
Personally, one of the hardest parts of the writing process is realizing that something—whether a scene or a character—just doesn’t work. This is especially difficult if I have invested a lot of time and emotion, only to have to scrap the whole chapter or change the entire character. I think that the first step to getting through it, is admitting that it’s in the best interest of the story.

Do you ever get annoyed at the characters you're writing?
Each one of my character has a place in the story. While they drive me crazy at times, I try to understand their actions and motivations.

For example, in “ReVamped”, there were quite a few instances where I just wanted to hit Brooke over the head with one of her pompoms! However, I had to remind myself that her character served a purpose as a foil to Dawn, and I do have strong beliefs that she will grow and develop as the series progresses. I have also gotten annoyed at Dawn in certain instances, because she has a very hard time admitting and showing her feelings. I wanted to yell: “Just kiss Sebastian/Ethan already!”, but if had I made her do certain things that were out of character, I would be ruining who she was as a person. After all, Dawn has grown up with a father who also had a hard time showing his feelings toward her (even though he loved her and had good reason for being distant), so I have to realize that I can’t force her to do certain things. Instead, I have to slowly let her develop, grow, and come to certain discoveries about love and romance on her own terms.

How much of yourself do you find reflected in your characters?
I do share certain things with my characters. Like Dawn, I love action and adventure and am very loyal to my friends. I also have a black belt in Karate. Like Sophie, I love books, and I was a cheerleader in high school like Brooke (though I could never have done it for fifty years and I certainly wasn’t as self-absorbed as she is). Overall, however, I enjoy making the characters into their own people (or, in this case, vampires). I don’t wish to write or read about what Ada would do (and I don’t think you would either!)—I like to be surprised by my characters’ own independent thoughts and actions.

What are you reading right now?
I just began “Divergent” by Veronica Roth. I’ve heard great things about the plot and the writing, so I’m excited to read it. I have a huge TBR pile waiting for me, especially the YA 2011/2012 releases as I had taken a bit of a reading solstice while focusing on writing.

If you could spend a day with any literary character who would it be and why?
Katniss from “The Hunger Games”. Just kidding! How awful would that be?! I arrive in District 12 to hang out with Katniss, only to be suddenly thrown into the arena without any warning! I wonder how long I would last...

Would you want your book to be made into a movie? Why or why not?
“ReVamped” originally began as a TV show script. In a way, I had always viewed many of its scenes in film-format. A lot of my plotting and scene development is actually done that way. While I have had a few production companies show interest, at this point in time, my main focus is on finishing the series—in book form! :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for our readers! I can't wait to read Dawn's next adventure!
You’re very welcome! Thank you for having me!