Someone asked me, “Hey, why didn’t you use a pen name?”
Fair question. I write horror. I could probably have come up with something mysterious. Gerald Smimmions, perhaps.
But I want to be Jerry Adams.
The way I write and the way I speak to a crowd come from the same person. My humor, my family experiences, the things that have scared me speechless, and the questions I’m still trying to answer all find their way into the writing. It matters to me that my name is on it.
When someone reads Midnight Radio and comes to meet me, I want them to meet the person they’ve already heard in those pages.
And I want to meet them, too.
That part matters. Someone gives your book hours of their life. They spend their evenings with your characters. Then they walk up to your table with a story of their own, or a question, or a book they’d like you to sign.
I want to hear what they have to say.
I also want them to know how hard I work behind the scenes to make my writing the best it can be. My time is precious, and I know theirs is, too. I refuse to waste it. If someone spends an evening reading my book, I want to give them a reason to be glad they did.
I’ve been thinking about signing books lately. I want to write something personal inside each one. Something for the person standing there. I even ordered pens.
Apparently, this is getting serious.
There’s nothing wrong with a pen name. But for me, putting Jerry Adams on the cover feels right. That’s the fellow who wrote the book, and that’s the fellow you’ll meet.
A Texas book signing tour is coming, too. As dates and locations are confirmed, I’ll share them here on the website. Stay tuned. I’m looking forward to meeting you and hearing a few of your stories.
If you come over and say, “Hey, it’s good to meet you,” I hope you know I mean it when I say:
“It’s good to meet you, too.”