Up Close & Personal is one of The Writer’s Life newest features. Here we feature authors who don't mind spilling the beans and telling what it's really like to write, get published and sell that book. Today's guest is John P. Adamo, author of the tweens' book, Amiranda: Princess Amiranda and the Tale of the Deciduous Forest.
John Adamo is a Long Island-based author and songwriter who has copyrighted more than four hundred poems and has both written and composed numerous songs and short stories. Music has always been an integral part of John’s life, as he has performed at different venues all across Long Island—both as a professional pianist since the age of seventeen (one year after his father passed away) and also as a disc jockey / emcee for various private parties and public events.
Amiranda: Princess Amiranda and the Tale of the Deciduous Forest is John’s first formal work, which was originally written as a screenplay and copyrighted in 1998. John has always had the visualization that an animated movie would one day be made from his work. The author wanted to put together a story unlike any other, and one that could be enjoyed by people of all ages … both young and old alike. A story that reinforced good values, covered common ethics, and taught morals as John feels those important criteria are so often left out in today’s modern fairy tales.
After having the screenplay sit on his shelf for nearly fifteen years, John felt that it was finally time to let the world know the life and world of Amiranda—a Cinderella-type princess who has everything in the world that a princess could possibly ask for, but is still missing something more in her life. With your help, John hopes that he can help fulfill Amiranda’s aspirations, hopes, and dreams. Last but not least, John hopes you like Amiranda’s story just as much as he enjoyed writing it … Enjoy!
Visit John at Facebook!
On Writing…
I actually started writing music long before writing books, as I always wanted to make music my career at a very young age. I began playing piano professionally for various restaurants when I was 17 and enjoy creating my own renditions of songs as well as developing my own works. I was always inspired by musical animations, which is part of my inspiration behind “Amiranda and the Tale of the Deciduous Forest.”
As
far as formal writing, I have copyrighted two books of poems, quite a
few songs, and this is my first full-length novel, again with the dream
of a full-length animation being made about Amiranda. I try to
incorporate all the ingredients for a classically made fairy tale (a
princess, a castle, a protagonist, a harrowing quest, etc.) and tried to
make it the opposite of the traditional fairy tale. In every fairytale
it seems like every normal girl dreams of one day being a princess… but
what if being a princess is not all that it is cracked up to be? The
story is, in its essence, all about being true to oneself, as the
proverbial grass is not always greener on the other side. This
especially holds true when Amiranda has no choice but to leave her lush
life and beautiful countryside to unwittingly enter the dark, mysterious
forest that surrounds her village.
On Being Published…
Although I worked with Legwork Team Publishing in developing the
work from a storyline to a novel, I actually had to do quite a bit of
“self-publishing.” There were numerous re-writes, proofreading,
corrections, additions, and a lot more work involved than anyone could
originally anticipate. What was nice is that I had a lot of control
over the decision making and working on the artwork with the illustrator
Christopher Donovan, who I think did an amazing job of bring my ideas
to life through his incredible artwork and beautifully detailed
drawings. It made me very proud to see an idea turn into a completed
work, and everything working together to make the story come to life.
On Publishing Industry…
I “published” Amiranda about ten years ago, so a lot has changed
in the publishing industry… some of which I am well aware of, other
parts I admit I am not. But to me it seems like today anyone can
publish their own work, especially with all the resources available
online. As far as choosing Legwork Team Publishing at the
time, it was right for me in some ways and in some ways it was not. As
far as the positive takeaways – I was able to complete my work, I
maintained a lot of control over the finished book project, and they put
me in contact with the illustrator who did such an amazing job, as
stated earlier. Again to me, the finished work would be a full-length
animation, which hopefully will one day be in the works.
On Marketing…
I find marketing to be a very challenging task, or at least that is
the way it used to be when the book was first published, which is why I
am currently trying to use today’s technology and resources to try to
remarket it. When I completed the novel ten years ago, it was always
about book signings and events at various locations you can travel to,
and today it is mass-marketing online. I know it is a great story of a
timeless tale, it is just a matter of getting it to the masses (and
perhaps into the right hands)… but even more importantly, it is a story
about friendship, compassion, morals, action and adventure… all
incorporated into one… and it also makes for great reading!
On Goals and Dreams…
When writing Amiranda, I often believed her to be real (although obviously she is not). I wrote about her thoughts, her emotions, her successes, her failures, and tried to make her character come to life, as well as many of the other characters in the story. I would love for others to “see” her come to life as well, as an animated character. When I was developing all the characters in Amiranda, I was envisioning many of them to be “marketable” like the toys you find in a Happy Meal or kids to play with and use their own imagination to make up their own stories and create their own songs.
As far as making my dream a reality, well that is quite a process and I am hoping the steps I am taking now are part of that process. Today there are many more avenues that can be taken in promoting one’s published work then there were ten years ago, and I plan on trying various methods, but in the end I believe it will be getting my published work into the right hands and hopefully spreading by way of word of mouth and online will help me achieve this. My advice to aspiring authors is to work hard at it, as when your story ends or your book is once finally written and ultimately published, then is the journey is only beginning and then the true work comes. Happy writing and reading everyone!
Title: Amiranda: Princess Amiranda and the Tale of the Deciduous Forest
Author: John P. Adamo
Publisher: Legwork Team Publishing
Pages: 275
Genre: Tweens
Book Blurb
An instant classic tale portraying the life of “Amiranda,” an innocent and brave princess, who unwittingly sets out on a quest that will ultimately determine the fate of her entire kingdom. From her castle window, Amiranda would gaze at the beautiful countryside below-always watching carefully, always observing everything. Gradually the princess realizes that she knows very little of the small kingdom over which she would one day reign. Nevertheless, Amiranda would never disobey her father’s wishes, especially the one to never enter the mysterious dark forest, which borders their kingdom. That is, until one day when she would have no other choice.
Amiranda will take a journey that will lead her on a wild adventure, where the decisions she makes will determine the fate of many lives-the lives of her animal friends, her family members, those who dwell in her kingdom, and her very own life as well. Travel along on this trip where Princess Amiranda hopes to find the missing piece in her existence and ends up trying to achieve the impossible….
Book Information
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Legwork Team Publishing
Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1935905417; 275 pages; $13.95; E-Book, FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FxWgRu
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2QBqk5d
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