Adam Johnson, the author of Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous, lives in a very generically named suburb of San Francisco California. When Adam isn't writing he is most likely to be found haunting bookstores, wrestling heroically with the stock market, or driving erratically in circles around the greater Bay Area. Welcome to the Underground, Adam.
AB: When I tried to make comparisons to your novel, I kept coming up with movies. You embrace the slapstick elements of Monty Python, Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. But I couldn't think of any literature to compare your work to. What authors inspired you to write Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous?
Adam: I actually started writing Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous during a trying semester in college. One day in order to get my mind off of things I decided to write something light and fun, a fairy tale (which was in fact the book’s working title) and the book just sort of happened from there. I was inspired by the light tone of The Princess Bride (both William Goldman’s book and the movie) and also by the extreme ‘anything can happen’ vibe of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Also I think that there’s a bit of T.H. White’s Once And Future King in there as well.
AB: The main character, Alethia, is a quick-witted princess with a mind of her own. Did you have real-life inspiration for Alethia, or is she completely fictional?
Adam: In general I don’t overtly model characters after specific people. The closest Aletheia has to a genesis was an Ancient Greek class I had to take in college: ‘Aletheia’ is Greek for ‘truth’ and I thought that that would make a good name, and ties in with the idea of a character who is stuck in an age where civilization has fallen off of a bit of a cliff. But otherwise I wanted a heroine who I could enjoy and relate to, and who would be immensely fun to write.
AB: When I tried to make comparisons to your novel, I kept coming up with movies. You embrace the slapstick elements of Monty Python, Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. But I couldn't think of any literature to compare your work to. What authors inspired you to write Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous?
Adam: I actually started writing Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous during a trying semester in college. One day in order to get my mind off of things I decided to write something light and fun, a fairy tale (which was in fact the book’s working title) and the book just sort of happened from there. I was inspired by the light tone of The Princess Bride (both William Goldman’s book and the movie) and also by the extreme ‘anything can happen’ vibe of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Also I think that there’s a bit of T.H. White’s Once And Future King in there as well.
AB: The main character, Alethia, is a quick-witted princess with a mind of her own. Did you have real-life inspiration for Alethia, or is she completely fictional?
Adam: In general I don’t overtly model characters after specific people. The closest Aletheia has to a genesis was an Ancient Greek class I had to take in college: ‘Aletheia’ is Greek for ‘truth’ and I thought that that would make a good name, and ties in with the idea of a character who is stuck in an age where civilization has fallen off of a bit of a cliff. But otherwise I wanted a heroine who I could enjoy and relate to, and who would be immensely fun to write.
AB: I think Loud Disorderly and Boistrous would appeal to readers of all ages. When you were writing it, were you aiming for an adult or young-adult audience?
Adam: My attitude is to simply write the story and hope that it eventually finds an audience. I feel that the main characters should be relateable to the vast majority of readers and I think that this is definitely the case here. If you are a teenager or have ever been a teenager you should definitely be able to sympathize with what these people are going through.
AB: Your humor is largely situational. Do you have methods to develop off-the-wall scenarios, or do the scenes simply come to you?
Adam: Humor is one of those things that you can’t really force – things that are amusing just sort of seem to develop naturally out of a situation that I’m writing, or strike out of the blue, at least for me. Though in at least one instance I can remember asking myself ‘what’s the last thing that a reader would be expecting to happen in this situation?’ and coming up with a really unexpected answer.
AB: In my review, I mentioned that the book could use some more editing. I understand that you now have an updated, refined version. What have you done to polish it up?
Adam: Alas, guilty as charged. One drawback to Amazon is that you can simply submit a project, and I think that after a while in your haste to give birth to your new creation you put it out when it could still use a bit more work. I have gone back and subsequently fixed up errors that I and other readers have found.
AB: As far as current projects go, you've recently published another book called Oh God, What Now? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Adam: I’m a big fan of the Onion, and I’ve found that I have a knack for coming up with Onionesque articles. So I wrote up a few and collected them into a short book. Sample headline: “Best Book Infinite Number of Typing Monkeys Can Write Turns Out To Be Twilight” and “Lacking Actual Gay People, Wyoming Votes To Outlaw Gay Marraige Between Gay Bison, Gay Groundhogs.” I would note to readers that the humor is more adult and much more overtly political than Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous.
AB: Most authors have a few unfinished books in their closet before they actually publish a complete manuscript. What projects do you have sitting around, collecting dust? Do you ever think about returning to them, or do you have new plans in progress?
Adam: The first book that I ever finished – in terms of piecing together a complete draft – was a science fiction epic about a futuristic empire that uses religion to control it’s citizens, and about a former believer who eventually leads a rebellion against the system. I’ve considered taking a new stab at the basic idea but haven’t gotten around to it yet, as I’m currently at work with a project about the Devil showing up in the middle of a California suburb and what happens when he announces the world it about to end.
AB: Thanks, Adam, and good luck on your writing adventures!
LINKS
Buy Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous on Amazon.com
Find it on Goodreads
If you enjoyed this review, you can subscribe to the Underground or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Adam: My attitude is to simply write the story and hope that it eventually finds an audience. I feel that the main characters should be relateable to the vast majority of readers and I think that this is definitely the case here. If you are a teenager or have ever been a teenager you should definitely be able to sympathize with what these people are going through.
AB: Your humor is largely situational. Do you have methods to develop off-the-wall scenarios, or do the scenes simply come to you?
Adam: Humor is one of those things that you can’t really force – things that are amusing just sort of seem to develop naturally out of a situation that I’m writing, or strike out of the blue, at least for me. Though in at least one instance I can remember asking myself ‘what’s the last thing that a reader would be expecting to happen in this situation?’ and coming up with a really unexpected answer.
AB: In my review, I mentioned that the book could use some more editing. I understand that you now have an updated, refined version. What have you done to polish it up?
Adam: Alas, guilty as charged. One drawback to Amazon is that you can simply submit a project, and I think that after a while in your haste to give birth to your new creation you put it out when it could still use a bit more work. I have gone back and subsequently fixed up errors that I and other readers have found.
AB: As far as current projects go, you've recently published another book called Oh God, What Now? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Adam: I’m a big fan of the Onion, and I’ve found that I have a knack for coming up with Onionesque articles. So I wrote up a few and collected them into a short book. Sample headline: “Best Book Infinite Number of Typing Monkeys Can Write Turns Out To Be Twilight” and “Lacking Actual Gay People, Wyoming Votes To Outlaw Gay Marraige Between Gay Bison, Gay Groundhogs.” I would note to readers that the humor is more adult and much more overtly political than Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous.
AB: Most authors have a few unfinished books in their closet before they actually publish a complete manuscript. What projects do you have sitting around, collecting dust? Do you ever think about returning to them, or do you have new plans in progress?
Adam: The first book that I ever finished – in terms of piecing together a complete draft – was a science fiction epic about a futuristic empire that uses religion to control it’s citizens, and about a former believer who eventually leads a rebellion against the system. I’ve considered taking a new stab at the basic idea but haven’t gotten around to it yet, as I’m currently at work with a project about the Devil showing up in the middle of a California suburb and what happens when he announces the world it about to end.
AB: Thanks, Adam, and good luck on your writing adventures!
LINKS
Buy Loud, Disorderly and Boisterous on Amazon.com
Find it on Goodreads
If you enjoyed this review, you can subscribe to the Underground or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
