Author Interview with Avis M. Adams ~ New Release: The Christmas Wish Knotts ~ #WRPbks #Blog

Please help me welcome today’s guest, Avis M. Adams…

Good morning, Avis…please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets? 

I am a Pacific Northwest native, and I love this area. All of my books take place in this region (so far). I live on a farm that was my grandparents homestead of ninety acres. I still have 3 ½ acres. I have two grown children, a son who is married and lives a mile down the road on a beautiful lake, and a daughter who is married and lives in Portland with my granddaughter. I have one rambunctious dog named Zero after the ghost dog in A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Where did you get the idea for The Christmas Wish Knotts?

I chose The Christmas Wish Knotts for my title because it is part of the TWRP Christmas Cookies Series, but also because of the importance of the changing name of these cookies. They begin as Knotts, then become Wedding Knotts, then Friendship Knotts, then Thanksgiving Knotts, and finally by the end of the book, they are Christmas Wish Knotts, because Sif’s wishes come true.

Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?

I wrote this book as a challenge from my crit group. Almost all of us took a stab, and two of us got ours published. I’d never written romance before, so I enlisted my best friend Nancy. With her cat, Mr. Martini, we sat for hours laughing and plotting out this book. It was so fun, and we had done so much plotting that when I sat down to write, the book practically wrote itself. Nancy died last spring of renal failure, but I have the memories of writing this book with her, and all the fun and laughter, and the pride I took in telling her the book would be published.

Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc, you’d like to share?

As I said, I’d never written a romance, and my friend Nancy loves romance, so I picked her brain, and she told me: this is when they have their first kiss, and this is when they have a disagreement, and this is when the misunderstanding takes place, etc. Her cat was on her lap the whole time, so he was given a major role, but Nancy’s condo and her million-dollar view really stole the scene, pun intended. It was a blast to write, and I miss my friend with all my heart, but she is alive in this book! She is the bad-ass lawyer.

What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular? The most difficult thing about this book is Nancy isn’t here for the release party. She’s here in spirit, though, lifting her glass and toasting. P.S. Her favorite drink was a lemon drop martini. 😊

Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and do you like it?

I’ve been an English Instructor at Green River College for almost thirty years. I had a coveted tenure-track position but retired early so that I could focus on my writing. I still teach one class, though, because I love working with students to help them become better writers. Also, I love to read and write, and I get to do both at my job, which is more vocation than job. I still can’t believe I get paid to do this!

What do you love that most people don’t like and wouldn’t understand why you do?

I love to write poetry, and many of my friends and relatives can’t understand why and tell me they don’t understand poetry or even like poetry. I’ve also published a book of poetry, Quilcene. Over the years, I have published many single poems, and some have won awards.

Do you collect anything?

I collect many things, but books are a major love of mine, and one type is graphic novel versions of Beowulf! I love seeing the artists’ rendition of Grendel! My favorite version is by Gareth Hinds. He draws an amazing Grendel and a fierce dragon. I have since given that collection to my eleven-year-old nephew. I also collect picture pop-up books, and my favorite was a book that started my collection. I bought it thinking it was an illustrated “Jabberwocky,” and I wanted to see how they imagined the monster. When it arrived, I was so confused them delighted to find it was an amazing and beautiful pop-up book.

What was your first job?

My first job was veterinary assistant and horse farm worker. I lived and worked on Blue Spruce Farm where the vet I worked for raised thoroughbreds, had a stallion he used for breeding, and a horse hospital with an operating room and barn for animal recovery and rehab. I assisted in operations and learned to give injections, dress wounds, and the special care these beautiful animals needed. My first love has always been horses, and this was an amazing job, but it was also physically demanding. Once when they brought in a truckload of hay, the men were so disgusted to find me as their helper. They thought I was a runty boy until I took of my stocking cap, and they saw I was a girl. I was eighteen and looked twelve. I was so angry that I pushed myself to keep up with them, and later vomited for my efforts. I didn’t let the guys know, though. They let me drink beer with them after, slapping me on the back, and teasing me about being the toughest runt they’d ever met.

What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time?

My farm and my dog. I’m in the process of doing that now, and it’s breaking my heart. The housing market sucks, and I love my dog, so each day I’m still here is a blessing because I really don’t want to do this, but financially it’s a must. My dog is going to a new home, and I’m happy that she’ll be on an even bigger farm with people who know how to handle tough dogs. My big house and yard still need to be vacuumed, mowed, and tended, and the dog still needs to be walked, but I look forward to the days when I can spend my mornings writing without interruption, and save my energy for revisions instead of marathon lawn mowing sessions, window washing, and worrying about the bills that come with a big house and farm.

What do you want readers to come away with after they read The Christmas Wish Knotts?

I want my readers to think about our planet, or think about relationships, or about an ever-changing world and our place in it. My first novel is about climate change. It’s a genre known as clifi with elements of dystopia. I wanted to discuss this important issue without preaching or being too pedantic, but I wanted people to think about climate change, and perhaps do something about it. I love dystopian novels, but they always show a world after something happened, and the reader often doesn’t find out what it was that destroyed the world. I wanted to write the book that showed the event that changed everything, and created a world where people had to struggle and work together to survive. I guess the short answer is I want people to come away with the fact that our world can change at any moment, and we need to pay attention and prepare if we can. We need to make good decisions if we want to continue to enjoy the privileges we enjoy.

Would you rather have a bad review or no review?

I would rather have a bad review. I’m not afraid of bad reviews. They are thought provoking, and I think readers want to know why a person only gave a book one or two stars. It brings attention to the book. I just hope not all my reviews are bad ones! So far, I’ve been lucky. 😊

One woman’s journey from jilted bride to independent woman who believes, once again, that wishes can come true.

Excerpt:

Sif dropped her bouquet. “This is all my fault. If I only . . .”

“None of this is your fault.” Nanc took her hands and gripped them. “Look at me. He did this. Not you. We’ll see him in court.”

“What will I do with two-hundred Wedding Knotts?” Sif rubbed her eyes trying not to smear her mascara. Who cared about mascara?

“Send them to Boris’s family?” Dad said. “I thought it was odd when they didn’t show.”

Mom brushed a strand of hair from Sif’s face. “I never liked him, by the way.”

Buy link: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGCD575F/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Bio:

Avis Adams loves to write. Her first YA novel, The Incident, released in 2022. Several of her poems have won awards and been published online and in various literary journals, and Quilcene, her first chapbook was released in 2019.  She belongs to the Baker Street Writers Group, and the Flamingo Writers, and is an active member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. She loves to present sessions on writing craft at local conferences. She lives in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, where she writes, hikes, kayaks, gardens, and walks her dog. She teaches English at a local community college.

webpage: https://avis-m-adams.com 

twitter: https://twitter.com/Adamsavis

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avismadams/ 

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amadams53/