The 11th Day of Christmas with Adam Dodd by Gerri Brousseau

Welcome to Nights of Passion.  We're so excited to have Adam Dodd here with us today.

NOP:  Please tell our readers about Daydream Terminal.

Daydream Terminal is an existential treatise on the human condition. It follows an untitled narrator through a world where reality manifests through peoples subconscious. Whatever your hang-ups, fears, passions, or doubts are that is the world you are faced with. When ideas think for themselves and personalities can spread like viruses nothing is as it seems. The protagonist is in a struggle for a sense of truth and identity in a world where ego and self-image can warp even the basest of notions. He is on a search for the woman he left behind before the Change in attempt to fix the biggest regret of his life, letting her go. But before he can save anyone else he must face the darkness and self-doubt that haunts his own psyche.

NOP:  What inspired you to write Daydream Terminal?

I have always been fascinated with the sublime ease that we bleed from one dream to the next with in the course of a night and how they always feel so sincere while you are in them. Coupled with Freud and Jung's view that dreams are manifestations of what our subconscious holds on to, I wondered what it would be like if both of those elements were brought to waking life and the repercussions that would follow.

NOP: Of all the characters you have created, do you have a favorite?  If so, who is it and why is he/she your favorite?

Although the protagonist of Daydream Terminal is near to my heart as a lot of his life mirrors my own. The most fun I had in writing for a character was in my other work, Ad Infinitum. The character Sallos Paimon is the quintessential adversary, I even love his name. He is the slimiest manipulator imaginable. He is more than just evil, he is arrogant and vain, and his greed is unparalleled. An aging man, he is of no physical concern but it is in his ability to deceive and tell those around him what they want to hear that makes him dangerous. He is the ultimate manipulator and his plans are like intricate mechanisms, labyrinths you are unaware you have walked into until it is far too late.  He's a bit Moriarty, Benjamin Linus, Randall Flagg, and a Dickensian robber baron all rolled into one.

NOP: How would your hero and heroine have spent Christmas?

There is no hero in Daydream Terminal, just a man like many of us struggling to find who he is a world that in more and more alienating. But I imagine he would try to ignore the holiday entirely. Not because he is a Grinch, but the difficulty in his world is that the stronger an idea is the more real it becomes. An idea such as Christmas is incredibly powerful and well-spread, if he wasn't careful he would find himself surrounded by elves and freezing in a world as cold as the North Pole. That being said, imagine how out of hand Halloween could get!

NOP: If you were to give a Christmas gift to your hero, what would it be and why?

A stack of comic books. Little things like that from his childhood would keep his spirits up.

NOP: What advice do you have for new writers who are striving to get published?

You have to first write and hone your craft before you worry about publishing. More than likely your first book will be rather mediocre when you look back on it. It is supposed to. The only way you can excel is by practice. You'll get a sense of your own style and figure out what works for you this way. Never be too attached to a work that you refuse to acknowledge that you can do better. But once you do feel satisfied, I suggest you take it in your own hands and go to sites like lulu.com. There you can make your book on a print to order basis and sell and promote it as you see fit. Also, send letters to publishers and literary agents (there's hundreds); just make sure you know their submission guidelines. Be relentless in this and never get discouraged when you get a rejection letter. Believe me, you'll get plenty.

NOP: If you were unable to write, what other profession would be of interest to you?

Scary thought. I'm a moderately talented illustrator. So imagine if I didn't write my focus would be centered on comic book penciling and trying to get into that industry, which I still may.

NOP: How do you deal with the dreaded "doubt monster"?

Being a practitioner of Chaos Magic has given me a sense of self-reliance and faith. But I am always my worst critic and full of potential self-sabotage. The best bet to beat the demon of doubt is to simply ignore it. We all are haunted by it; it's just a way of life. But we are the ones who give it its power. Just muscle through and stay in the moment. I'm reminded of the advice from the sage Baba Ram Dass, "Be here now". That's all we can hope to do.

NOP:  Do you ever get writer's block and if so, how do you deal with it?

Not necessarily a block, more like a lull where I am no longer inspired. When the fun is gone so is the magic. That said, I usually have several projects going on at once, so if I get a lull in one I shift over to something else as a refresher. Also, taking a five minute break to do some exercises, sit ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, etc, helps get the blood flowing to the brain. Oh, and it helps to have eaten something. When I'm hungry I can't concentrate at all.

NOP: If you could be any fictional character, who would that be and why?

Who wouldn't want to be Tyler Durden from Fight Club? He is, by definition, everything you want to be.

NOP:  Who is your favorite author?

A lot of people dismiss comic writers as hacks, and although some are, Grant Morrison never fails to blow my mind. His ideas are big and they always gets me to think in new perspectives. I can't recommend his series The Invisibles enough. Also, Chuck Phalniuk really speaks to my jaded side. Aldous Huxley is near to my heart as well as Phillip K. Dick.

NOP: What is your favorite novel?

Geez, just one? Let's see…Lord of the Flies, The Stand, and 1984 all define my teenage years.

NOP:  What's next for you?

You can follow all my projects and updates at http://www.adamdodd.net I'm currently writing a new work entitled Parapsyche which, without giving anything away, is an insane sci-fi romp across time, space, and all possible planes of existence. I am also looking for an illustrator to collaborate with to pitch some ideas to Image comics. I'll take on the art detail if I have to but I would rather form a partnership with someone who also wants to break into comics. Any  takers?

Adam has agreed to give away a copy of Daydream Terminal to one lucky reader.  In order to qualify, you MUST put the words "I want 11 Pipers Pipping" into your comment.  Let's show Adam how excited we are about his work by filling his post with comments. Good luck to all.

Filed under: romance