I borrowed from the most basic issue so many of us face in our lives–divorce and the consequences on the family of a broken home. This is an issue so many of us can relate to in our own lives.
Alessa Adamo – 21 February 2013
The Back Flap
This is a fast-paced novel set between L.A., San Francisco, Bangkok and Tokyo, and features people fighting against seemingly impossible circumstances to come together and find a love that was lost long ago for some, and keep a newfound love alive for others.
After a bitter divorce, Melissa finds love in a same-sex relationship, but this further alienates her from her daughter. Melissa is obsessive about winning back Amy’s love and after years of rejection proposes a truce and a plan for reconciliation. Everybody is supposed to come together in a neutral location to get reacquainted with each other – a sort of vacation where they could all rediscover each other and maybe find a way to rekindle lost feelings of mother – daughter love. All the participants to this ill-conceived plan reluctantly agree, but from the outset, events conspire against the trio. This is the story of how each person deals with the events life deals them.
About the book
What is the book about?
Night Flight is about people and the issues we face. Some decisions have greater impact on us than others, but all of our decisions have consequences. And more than anything else, this book is about how we deal with those consequences. I framed the story with respect to one of the most pressing issues facing society today–same sex relationships. But Night Flight is not a screed on gay rights. It is a fictional novel where the characters face sometimes overwhelming events, events that can affect anybody. These characters simply see the world through a different lens. And whether they react to the world with guilt, anger, shame, or indifference, all of us can relate to their struggles.
When did you start writing the book?
I began writing Night Flight in 2008 after a trip to Thailand my spouse and I took. It began as a short story based on our own experience at having to separate from each other mid-trip. Although the events in the book have no relationship to our own situation, I thought the experience might make an interesting backstory to the book.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took about three years to write Night Flight. I worked full time and wrote mostly in the evenings and on weekends. It was a great escape after long days at the job.
Where did you get the idea from?
The idea came from my experiences in alienating my former spouse and children because of my decision to change gender from male to female. Although my experiences have no relationship to the story in Night Flight, I borrowed from the most basic issue so many of us face in our lives–divorce and the consequences on the family of a broken home. This is an issue so many of us can relate to in our own lives.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
How to begin and end the book were the toughest decisions I had to make. Thankfully, my writing group gave me valuable input on those and other issues, such as the use of flashbacks.
What came easily?
Character development and plot were easiest. It is hard to explain, but characters tend to take the story from you and guide themselves through the events. It’s as if they have lives of their own that you are only watching and recording. As bizarre as that may sound, I found that to be the case for me.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Writers are observers and thieves. We watch the world around us carefully and use those observations, including traits of people we know, to round out our own characters. So, in a sense, we steal from real life. I certainly did that, but as with most writers, no character is fully formed from one person I know. My characters borrow different traits and experiences from multiple sources, which makes them unique individuals in their own right.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I love to read, and I often find that my reading interferes with my writing. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was the book that got me hooked on reading in my teens. The vivid scenes Sinclair depicted thrilled and haunted me. I had never experienced such emotions from reading a book before. I was hooked.
I prefer to read literary fiction, historical fiction, and science fiction. I have not been able to make the leap to fantasy including vampires, werewolves, zombies, magicians and the like. My favorite author is Alexandre Dumas. My favorite book: The Count of Monte Cristo. But I also love The Three Musketeers and the subsequent books that detail their adventures throughout their lives.
I’d say if I was influenced by any writer, it might be Steven King. The first book of his that I read was The Shinning, and it scared me beyond what I thought a book could do. But what I learned from King, was that a book could borrow from real life, but could be so much more. Writers are not confined to the laws of the universe. We can take a story anywhere and our characters can do virtually anything.
Do you have a target reader?
I’d say women including young adult women would be the target audiences for Night Flight. Although the main characters are a lesbian same-sex couple, the audience is not limited to the LGBTQ community. The story is much deeper, and one that we can all relate to.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I write alone at home in a quiet spot on my 13” MacBook Pro. Sometimes at the table, sometimes in a big easy chair. I face the window so I can look out on the world around me. I prefer to belong to a writing group where we meet periodically and review each others’ work. My group was at The Mechanic’s Institute Library in San Francisco, and they were a great help to me.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Instead of outlines I create the skeleton and the arc of a story. It is not quite as complete as an outline, but it is a helpful guide on how to proceed. I have a yellow pad of paper close by to make notes on because the story often goes in a different direction than I intended when developing the roadmap.
I fully develop my main characters before I begin a story, including what they look like, their traits, and their history. This helps me see how a character may react to a certain situation in the story or if they are doing things out of character.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Both. Editing is a never ending process and is the bigger part of my writing technique. After writing a chapter I print it and read it back, making corrections in the margins in pencil. I incorporate those edits, then let my writing group have a crack at it. More revisions. When I have a completed manuscript draft, I read through the entire story with an eye to making sure the events, backstory, and flashbacks are in the right places. Sometimes this means moving parts of the text to areas in the book that allow the reader a better experience. Then I reread again–and again until I finally decide that I have to let go. I find it’s better to read the text on paper instead of on the screen. It’s too tempting to edit when reading your work on the computer.
Did you hire a professional editor?
The first versions of Night Flight (versions 1 & 2) were published without the help of a professional editor. I thought that my work with the writing group would provide sufficient expertise to catch the typos and grammar errors. I was wrong. I subsequently gave the manuscript to a professional editor who cleaned up the inevitable errors, and I released that in version 3. It was well worth the money, and one can see the difference.
I think writers owe the best reading experience possible to the reader, and that means a clean manuscript with minimum errors, among other things.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I try to minimize distractions when I read and write. I am not an effective multitasker, and music or background noise simply distracts me. So I write in a quiet environment which enables me to totally immerse myself into the developing story.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I submitted Night Flight to one agent and one publisher. The rejections were expected and received. I decided it was unimportant for me to be published by the mainstream publishers. Their agenda is to make money (I have no problem with that), and they can’t afford to take many chances on unknown writers. Some of us break through, but not as many as there could be. So indie-publishing was a great option for me. I used Create Space for the paperback version and distributed the eBook versions through Smashwords. I highly recommend both platforms for indie-writers.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
About the time I was writing Night Flight, indie-publishing was coming into its own. Its image was transforming from being a vanity press to a serious vehicle for writers. Competition was escalating for helping writers publish and market their work. It was becoming less expensive for writers as the industry moved to publishing on demand. And our work was placed on the virtual bookshelves of powerhouses such as Amazon, Apple’s iBookstore, Barnes and Noble, and others. Essentially, writers no longer needed traditional publishers. Although most indie-writers will never see their work on bookstore shelves, that’s often not the most important outlet these days. For me the choice was clear; Get my work out there and let the readers decide.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
My book cover was professionally designed. We are fortunate in San Francisco to have a great talent pool, and I am very happy with Randall Homan of Gestalt Graphics. I think the cover is as good as any coming from a traditional publishing house. Maybe better.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Marketing is an area where most indie-writers fall short–including me. I think the best marketing technique for most of us is to keep writing. The more quality work you have out there the better your overall sales will be. I believe I have to make better use of social media, including blogging and other virtual connections.
I also have had some success getting local bookstores to stock the book, including an author reading at one. That’s fun, and the more of that I can do the better. Maybe now that I am retired from my job I can devote more time to marketing.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Don’t be afraid to experiment with form; the old rules are falling. But do get your work professionally edited. Try and join a small writing group. The ideas keep flowing that way. Don’t be afraid of the reader. Once you’re finished writing the book, it belongs to the reader, and they may see it differently than you do. Don’t worry about occasional poor reader reviews. No book pleases everybody. But overwhelming negative reader reviews may mean you have more work to do.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Rochester, N.Y. and moved to Lake Havasu City, AZ with my mother and two siblings in my late teens when my parents divorced. I was drafted into the armed forces in 1972 and was moved to California. I’ve been there ever since.
Where do you live now?
I have lived in one part or another of the San Francisco Bay Area since 1975. My spouse and I recently moved to Napa to be close to my father who just turned 94 and lives at the Veteran’s Home of California at Yountville. Now we live close enough to see Dad every day.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I mentioned before that I am a transsexual woman. I advocate for equal rights for same-sex marriage, and have done my part testifying before California’s Senate Committee on Equal Rights in the early 2000’s, and supporting our LGBTQ community, including the Transgender Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights – both headquartered in San Francisco.
However, my lifestyle doesn’t totally define me. I live a very normal, quiet life with my spouse and two cats, and support my community in many ways. From volunteering at my local food bank to helping human services organizations become better prepared for disasters, my life and my work have been guided by how I can better help my community.
I am very proud of three grown children I have living in Southern California.
What are you working on now?
I am working on a novel which is based in the Vietnam War era. The working title is DEFCON 1. The main character is a young man who was drafted into the service and is stationed overseas as a crew chief on a B-52, the most fearsome heavy bomber ever developed. International tensions, the raging war, and mistakes and missteps bring the world to the brink of nuclear war. And this young airman is right in the middle of it all. The novel should be released in early 2014.
End of Interview:
As a special offer for our readers For two weeks Alessa is offering Night Flight for free on Smashwords. (For those not familiar with Smashwords, they have ebooks in formats compatible with all major ereaders.) Go to the Smashwords link below and enter coupon code MY86D before checkout. She asks the following:
All I ask is that the reader post a review on Smashwords and Amazon after reading. Positive reader reviews are incredibly helpful to indie-authors, so I appreciate the opportunity to provide you a chance to obtain the book for free in exchange for a review. I hope for a positive review, but have no requirements for one. I appreciate honest objectivity.
To get your copy of Night Flight, visit Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.