September 2022 4th Circle: Interview with Andrew Adams

DESI D: What film has been the biggest inspiration for your love of horror? And why?

ANDREW ADAMS: I grew up loving the classic slashers from a young age, but it was EVIL DEAD II II that opened my eyes as to what horror could be. Before that, my first and favorite horror movie was HALLOWEEN, but the EVIL DEAD movies were fun, aside from being scary and gory. That was a huge influence on me as far as stretching the boundaries of genre, particularly within short stories. I like the feeling where literally anything can happen next, not necessarily following genre tropes.

DESI D: As a writer, name one horror author you admire and explain how they helped you become a better writer? And your process?

ANDREW ADAMS: Not necessarily horror, but the novel version of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess was the single greatest influence on me as a teenager. Others would be of course Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as EC Comics. All of these sources challenged me to think outside the box because I, myself, do not like reading/watching the same thing repeatedly, so I hope to deliver something fresh to others.

My process is just that, think of an idea I would enjoy and try to keep pushing those boundaries and make something new. Particularly with short stories, I have a tremendous amount of flexibility to try new ideas that might not translate to novel format, so it allows me to think in creative ways. I do also write novels, but I find the short stories challenge me most as a writer.

DESI D: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot and why?

ANDREW ADAMS: My mascot? Definitely a black metal musician with full corpse paint. Perhaps even more than the horror genre, my greatest love in life is death and black metal, and their influence can be seen throughout my writing. I try to throw in the occasional easter egg with band references, as well, for the astute reader. It is definitely not necessary to be a metal fan to enjoy my writing, though it is a massive part of my personal life and definitely my mascot.

DESI D: What is it about the art of storytelling that excites you? And of course, what is the next story we can look forward to reading from you?

I think even more than storytelling, there has always been an itch to do something creative since I was a child. I have dabbled in drawing and painting comic books to film and animation, but what’s exciting about coming up with a good story is that it is an unbeatable challenge; constantly needing to best your previous work until reaching a certain goal that never materializes.

I began this venture in filmmaking, but what I enjoy specifically about writing is the autonomy. I can write when I want and what I want and have nobody to answer to, versus making films when you have to align schedules and work around many different personalities. I have always been a lone wolf, so to speak.

I have been hard at work on Book 2 of the SYMPOSIUM OF THE REAPER trilogy and am one story away from finishing, so that will be available sooner than later. You can find the first SYMPOSIUM OF THE REAPER short story collection wherever books are sold, and my first finished novel, CONSTRUCTING ENTROPY, is available on Amazon. Other than that, I have a few other completed novels ready for publishing when the time is right, and SYMPOSIUM OF THE REAPER Book 3 is in the planning stages, so you will be hearing plenty more from me.