Adam Blumer Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A : Thanks for having me. I grew up in Lower Michigan and have now lived in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for almost twenty years. In college I studied journalism, and God opened the door for me to serve two different ministries in editorial roles for fourteen years before He led me to edit books from home in 2006, which I’ve been doing ever since. He also gave me my first novel break in 2007. God has blessed me with my wife, Kim, and my two daughters: Laura and Julia.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A: When I was a child, I wrote wildly imaginative pirate and fantasy stories. My first handwritten story was a fantastical tale about Captain Kidd’s spyglass. In high school, I wrote an unpublished novel called Down with the Ship. It’s such an Agatha Christie copycat that it makes me laugh today. I entered a Veterans for Foreign Wars speech-writing contest in high school and took second place. Then during my senior year, something happened that changed everything. I took first place in a Christian school state creative writing competition. Winning the contest was a turning point in my realizing what God wanted to do with my life. He wanted me to write! I later studied journalism and creative writing in college, and God has led me to this day.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A: I studied novel writing and journalism in college, and I published a number of short story and newspaper articles. After college, I served in editorial roles at two ministries for fourteen years, until a layoff opened the door for me to begin editing from home. Meanwhile I had taken a correspondence course in novel writing through Writer’s Digest. I was contacting various Christian publishing houses, looking for editorial work I could do from home, when an editor at Kregel Publications noticed on my resume that I enjoyed writing novels. He asked to see my latest manuscript, and just like that God opened the door for the publication of Fatal Illusions, my first novel. Unfortunately, due to the recession and a book sales slump, Kregel chose not to publish my sequel, The Tenth Plague, but Kirkdale Press (Logos) picked it up. Now they have released it as a paperback. Meanwhile, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas picked up the rights to Fatal Illusions in 2015, and I love working with them, too.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release The Tenth Plague?

A: After adopting their son, Marc and Gillian Thayer, the amateur sleuths I feature in Fatal Illusions, intend on enjoying a relaxing weekend away at a picturesque resort in northern Michigan. That is, until their friend turns up dead and the resort becomes a grisly murder scene.

A killer, seeking revenge, begins reenacting the ten plagues of Egypt on the resort and everyone in it, including a Bible translation team already drawing angry protests for proposing to merge the Bible with corresponding passages from the Qur’an. Water turns to blood. Gnats attack the innocent. As plague after plague appears, the Thayers must make sense of how their story intersects with those of the others at the resort—and of their own dark pasts.

In this “chilling tale that keeps readers turning pages and pondering its truths” (C. J. Darlington), the Thayers must unravel the truth. But will they uncover the killer’s bitter agenda before the tenth plague—the death of the firstborn son?

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for The Tenth Plague?

A: One day I was reading the book of Revelation and came across 22:18–19. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (ESV). My mind began playing the “what-if” game. Would God really bring a biblical plague on someone who tampered with His Word? I chatted with a few theologian friends, and the plot emerged from there.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: Both the villain and my heroine, Gillian Thayer, grapple with heartbreaking real-life issues from their past. But how they respond shows two very different paths. My hope is that readers will see the stark contrast in the context of biblical truth presented in the story. The bottom line is that God is enough, and He offers the solution to every problem of life. This is a repeated theme in my stories.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: My favorite part is when the firstborn son is revealed and the novel culminates in the tenth plague. This is the most suspenseful and action-packed part of the story, with several key characters in jeopardy. I had a blast writing it.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: I’m not really sure other than that writing is just something God has given me a desire to do. Then as I look around me, I see so many stories in what we call “life” just begging to be told. Story ideas emerge everywhere I go, but of course they typically need a refining process before they are ready for novel material. Everyone has a story to tell, and the more people I get to know, the more stories start simmering in my brain.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: My expectations have been a far cry from reality, to be frank. If I look back before I even considered writing a novel for publication (I’m talking junior high), we lived in a very different world. My mom was a lover of historical novels from Bethany House: authors like George McDonald, Gilbert Morris, June Masters Bacher, Bode Thoene, and others. The only Christian authors I’d ever heard of were career authors. They published novels, and they wrote full-time, as far as I knew. Of course, I wanted to write novels full-time too. But the reality of life is that most male authors I know have families to support and day jobs to work; then they write when they can squeeze it in. I’m grateful that the Lord has allowed me to publish what I have, but it isn’t necessarily the path I expected when I was going into it.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Pray and ask God what He wants to do with your life. If your overriding desire is to write and you show an aptitude in that area, ask God whether He has a future for you as an author. He will confirm His will by granting you publishing credentials, allowing you to win some contests, or opening other publication doors. These are confirmations that you are heading in the right direction.

But before you get starry eyed, take a minute to evaluate your motives. You may never be on the New York Times or CBA best-seller list. You need to be okay with that. You may never be rich or even make enough money to write full-time. You need to be okay with that. You may never be a famous author or even be well known or considered “successful” as an author. You need to be okay with that, too. Search your heart for why you want to write. If you knew that your novels, stories, or articles would never be published, would you still write them? Are you writing for your own glory or because God has lit a fire in your soul that you can’t put out?

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A: I have a third novel in the works, a departure in style from the first two, and I’m very excited about it. I ran Drone, a speculative thriller about mind control, through the ACFW Scribes critique group last fall, to very favorable reviews. The story is close to my heart, because the inspiration came from my father, who passed away from brain cancer in 2011. I’m currently seeking a literary agent for this project, and one interested party has been in touch. Hopefully God will show me His clear direction soon so I can move forward.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A: In my free time, I enjoy reading a good novel, hiking in the woods near my house, watching true crime on Netflix, playing Minecraft with my daughters, or learning new chords on my guitar.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A: You can learn more about me by visiting me website: http://www.adamblumerbook.com. Here are other ways to reach me:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdamBlumerNovelist

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamblumer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2315682.Adam_Blumer

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/adamblumer/

E-mail: adam [at] adamblumerbooks [dot] com

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A:  There are a few unusual tidbits about me readers may find interesting. I took accordion lessons for six years, but every hymn I played somehow ended up sounding like a polka. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a ventriloquist, and I had a dummy named “Andy.” During my college newspaper internship, I almost interviewed Shirley MacLaine. I was sent to her hotel to toss her a few questions when she exited the building, but she somehow gave me the slip. I met my wife during a trip to Israel in 1995; now that’s an unusual way to meet one’s spouse. I’m truly a blessed man. Thanks, Susan, for having me!