with Bob Adamov
We are delighted to action-adventure mystery novelist Bob Adamov to Omnimystery News today.
Bob's new book is Sandustee (Packard Island Publishing, March 2013 ebook format), featuring Washington Post investigative reporter Emerson Moore.
We recently had a chance to talk to Bob about Emerson Moore's latest adventure.
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Omnimystery News: Sandustee is the seventh book to feature Emerson Moore. Why a series?
Bob Adamov: A recurring character can grow on a reader as they do on me. I birthed my protagonist, Emerson Moore. There will always be a part of me in him. He's an ordinary, likable guy who doesn't have super powers.
Photo provided courtesy of
Bob Adamov
Readers tell me that he is so comfortable that they would like to meet him one day and have a beer with him. A recurring character allows readers to have a relationship with the character as he gets in and out of jams, goes through heartbreak and makes mistakes. Emerson is quite a bit like me, pushing the edge at times, but trying to be a gentleman. Not always possible, though.
OMN: Tell us something about your book that isn't mentioned in the publisher synopsis.
BA: When I began researching this novel, my wife, Cathy, and I had dinner at Kelley's in Key West with treasure hunter Kim Fisher and his wife, Lee. They told us about the Legend of 13. Later, I was amazed as I sat with a pad of paper and began to look at words with thirteen letters and how thirteen was significant. It was very useful as a thread to run through the novel. I was also surprised to see that the names of two characters I had already developed coincidently had thirteen letters — Katrina Bieber and Steve Nicholas.
Following are a few more notes about the Legend of 13:
• The Thomas Jefferson Memorial was dedicated April 13, 1943.
• The Supreme Court Building cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1932.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted 13 days.
• Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed died when their Mercedes struck the 13th pillar in the Alma tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997.
• The Apollo 13 spacecraft exploded at 1:13 in the afternoon (1313 military time) on April 13, 1970.
• Michael Jordan retired from the NBA after 13 seasons on January 13, 1999.
• Companies file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
• There are 12 jurors and one judge in our court system.
• Our barcode system is made up of 13 characters.
• There were typically 13 steps leading to the gallows.
• The hangman's noose has 13 turns of the rope.
• The moon moves 13 degrees around the earth.
• The 13th amendment passed during Abraham Lincoln's term as U.S. President outlawed slavery.
• Sandustee was published in 2013 and released on Amazon on 3/1/13.
OMN: You said when we started that there will always be a part of you in Emerson Moore. Did you base the character on yourself?
BA: Quite a bit. I've based portions of my books on real-life experiences, which I then embellished for dramatic purposes. I'm a relentless researcher. I want the facts to be correct and love the interview process. You never know what comments turn up during an interview and send you off in a different direction. When I have gaps, I turn to subject matter experts to make sure that I'm correct. I've conducted investigations; so it was easy for me to incorporate them into my stories.
I'm also an observer and good listener. I have readers tracking me down on the island and telling me interesting stories. When I researched my Cayman Islands book The Other Side of Hell, I parked myself in Durty Reid's Bar and Grill from 2:00 until 5:00 to interview locals and buy them drinks. I noticed that their stories got better after 4:00!
OMN: Tell us about your writing process.
BA: Usually I begin with a concept. It might be based on a passing comment from someone, an idea that pops in my mind or a newspaper headline. Then, I prepare a very rough outline which I adjust as I write and conduct interviews. Sandustee started with a comment from a bartender about the layout of the city of Sandusky, Ohio being like the Mason's square and compass. That started my research and the story line developed from there. The Other Side of Hell developed when a friend sent me an underwater video of a Soviet destroyer sunk off the Cayman Islands. As I watched the video, a plot developed.
OMN: You said you're a relentless researcher. What does that typically involve?
BA: I go to sites and interview people, especially subject matter experts when I don't have the first hand experience. I do internet research and research archives at museums and libraries. The most challenging topic was scuba diving as I don't dive due to a health issue, but have scuba diving friends who wanted to see diving in my books. I read alot and interviewed, then wrote. Aftwerwards, I had one of my friends check it. My best critic is my brother who is also a diver. He was stunned when he read the scuba diving scenes. Made my day! The most exciting took place two weeks ago as I worked on the next novel.
I went through SWAT training with the Sheriff's department. I was in a surveillance aircraft and on harbor patrol duty. Spent time learning their weapons, explosives and seeing the variety of vehicles they have at their disposal. Another fun one was working with the Organized Crime Commission in New Orleans and spending time in the bayou with Cajuns.
OMN: If you were casting for Emerson Moore in a film adaptation of one of your books, who would be on your list of actors to audition?
BA: My female readers tell me they'd like to see Matthew McConaughey. Other names include Ben Affleck, James Franco and Mark Wahlberg. Matthew has a complete set of my novels and James Franco is reading The Other Side of Hell.
OMN: How true are you to the settings of your books?
BA: I want my books to be believable and I limit taking liberties unless I must. I may add a drawbridge over a river where none exits. I have readers copying the maps in the book and then going to different locations on South Bass Island to see where action took place. One yacht club met me for a tour which I conducted of the island at their request.
OMN: Your books are described as action-adventure. Do you look for the same in the books you read or the movies you watch?
BA: I loved the Hardy Boys and Mark Twain as a youth. Twain influences the humor I include in my novels. Then I enjoyed Ian Fleming, Jack Higgins, and Alistair MacLean. I strives to emulate my most favorite author, Clive Cussler, and created a character similar to Cussler's Dirk Pitt. I've had a chance to meet Clive, speak at two of his Collectors' Conference and tour his auto collection. Clive endorsed my novel The Other Side of Hell as a "Great Read!"
I love action movies, especially the James Bond series. I believe the fast moving action carries over to my writing style.
OMN: What are your interests outside of writing? Do any of these find their way into your books?
BA: I enjoy boating, sailing, jet skiing and meeting people. Yes, they do. I've used some of them in my past novels.
OMN: It sounds like readers keep in regular touch with you.
BA: I try to be very accessible to my readers. They call me on my cell, email me or stop by to see me during a book signing — or track me down on the island. I enjoy getting questions about my next novel or how the potential movie deals are progressing (slow).
The least enjoyable was, When is Sandustee going to be released? It took longer than normal and I hope to be back on the schedule of one book a year. I love interacting with my readers, some of whom have become friends. I have put some of them in my novels when I've been comfortable with the scene. My cardiologist was reading Tan Lines at the pool in Mexico when he saw himself in the last chapter. Was he ever surprised!
OMN: Other than the latest Clive Cussler thriller, what kinds of books do you read?
BA: I read non-fiction, historical books to get ideas for my plots.
OMN: Create a Top 5 list for us on any topic.
BA: Top 5 Places to visit:
1. Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie;
2. Key West;
3. Cayman Islands;
4. Bodrum, Turkey;
5. Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio, the roller coaster capital of the world!
OMN: What's next for you?
BA: Pitching the screenplay for Tan Lines to our producer in Hollywood. Developing the screenplay on The Other Side of Hell. Finishing the next novel Zenobia. Finishing the following novel Missing. Watching the sun set from the dock in Put-in-Bay as the bagpipers pipe the end of another exciting day in the Lake Erie islands — and as I sip a rum and Coke.
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From his home base in Wooster, Ohio, located about 60 miles south of Cleveland, Bob Adamov, a Kent State University graduate, and his wife, Cathy, often travel to the Lake Erie islands in his award-winning, bright yellow 1939 Packard street rod. He also spends time in Key West and the Cayman Islands with his scuba diving and treasure hunting friends.
Prior to the publishing of his first novel, Adamov's writing focused primarily in the business environment. Learn more about the author and his work on his website, BobAdamov.com.
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Sandustee
An Emerson Moore Adventure Mystery
by Bob Adamov
This action-packed novel is filled with murder, cross and double-cross, scuba action, a touch of Knights Templar, Masonic symbolism, and political intrigue in D.C. and the world intelligence community.
Washington Post investigative reporter Emerson Moore is accompanied by a beautiful blonde German antiquities researcher, Katrina Bieber, as they try to stay one step ahead of the shadowy Russian Karapashev in finding and interpreting the clues. Moore is aided by former NSA cybercode breaker Steve Nicholas and retired German BND spymaster Andreas Kalker.
From scuba diving in the Red Sea to the allure of Bodrum, Turkey, Moore and Bieber chase clues in Germany, the island of Rhodes, London, Key West, the Dry Tortugas, New Orleans, the Washington, D.C. area, and Ohio's Huron, Sandusky and Put-in-Bay. Death is close on their heels.
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