For our latest conversation, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Ingrid J. Adams, the brilliant mind behind the smash hit Descended series. Ingrid’s journey into writing began during a quiet moment of transition in her life when her youngest child started preschool, leaving her with a newfound quiet and empty house. Encouraged by her husband, she decided to finally pen the book she had always wanted to write.
In our chat, Ingrid offers invaluable advice to aspiring authors about the importance of perseverance, staying true to one’s vision, and the writing process itself. She also discusses her transition from book writing to screenwriting for the Descended adaptation, sharing the challenges and excitement that come with seeing her beloved characters brought to life on screen.
Ingrid, can you tell us what initially inspired you to start writing the ‘Descended’ series? Was there a particular moment or idea that sparked your creativity?
When my baby started preschool, I was devastated. I’d been a full time mum to four kids for years, and all of a sudden the house was deathly quiet and empty. I think I cried for about a week. And then my husband suggested I use my newly free time to pen that book I’d always wanted to write.
Funnily enough, it was my childhood anxiety that inspired the idea for the series. I was a really anxious kid, and I think the Descended series is my way of exploring so many of the little ‘what ifs’ that plagued my youth. It is a love story, it is infused with fantasy and magical realism, but it also toys with some of the bigger themes I’ve always wondered about, such as fate versus free will, life after death, soulmate love, the complexity of mental health, and life purpose.
I’ve spent decades pondering the meaning of life, and this series is my interpretation of the world, an interpretation that helps me sleep at night, that helps me make sense of the universe, to see the point in the seemingly pointless.
The world of Descended is a world of hope and true love and sense, of healing the deepest of hurts. It is a world where everything happens for a reason, where every soul matters, where we return to those we love over and over again. Because that is a world that comforts me, that keeps me sane. Life is messy and complicated and hard and oh-so-heartbreaking at times, but I have found there is always rhyme and reason to it if we search hard enough. Often the worst things to happen to us happen because they’re meant to change us infinitely.
Balancing writing with the demands of motherhood sounds incredibly challenging. How do you manage to juggle your writing schedule with taking care of your four boys and running a household?
My husband works crazy hours, so during the week I write during school hours (in between house work, meal prep, loads of laundry and all that fun stuff). Some days I knuckle straight down and write and write to the point I catch sight of the time and fly into a mad panic because I realise I’m due at school pickup (now on days like these I set an alarm on my phone for 2.45pm just in case). Other days I write a bit and then I faff around, finding myself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram etc.
I believe weekends are family (and friends-that-feel-like-family) time, but I always try to schedule only one thing a day, preferably in the morning, so I can spend the afternoons writing, knowing my husband is on kid duty and I can tap away and lose myself in my book people and their book world.
But it’s definitely not easy. Just when I get on a roll I’ll be bombarded with cacophonic cries of “Mum!”, then one will wander in and start playing with the dog, another will barge in to tell me they’re hungry and the contents of our pantry suck, two others somewhere start their own no-holds-barred round of UFC, and I completely lose my train of thought.
I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve spent lying next to my kids while they’ve slept, laptop propped on a pillow, working away furiously because I was on a roll. When inspiration strikes I gotta get the story out of my head or it will drive me insane and take over all areas of my brain and life.
It’s hard being a parent, it’s a profession riddled with guilt. This book has been a juggling act, a lesson in the art of blocking out white noise, of being able to shut the door and shut everything out, while still keeping an ear out in case someone’s just gotten a Nerf gun bullet to the eyeball or a hot wheels car to the forehead and needs an ice pack (or a stitch… or an eyepatch…).
And the thing is, more than anything this series is time away from my children, time I will never get back, which is what drives me to succeed more than anything- because if I fail, then what was it all for? I’m a perfectionist, but funnily enough the two careers I’ve chosen – parenting and writing – are careers in which perfection is impossible to achieve.
I never wanted my kids to think that the contents of my laptop screen were more important than whatever was going on in their all-important little worlds. So it’s a fine balance, having the boundaries to knuckle down and get the work down while having my kids know that I am always here and that what is important to them is just as important to me.
Many aspiring authors dream of writing their first book but struggle to find the time and motivation. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing but feels overwhelmed by their daily responsibilities?
Just write. Just bang that first draft out. It will be terrible, I promise you, but that’s what editing is for. Writing is a literal process of rewriting – that’s why you need to write what you love, because you’ll be reading your book over and over again, possibly hundreds of times.
For me, writing is my happy place and brings me joy, so I actually write to unwind, and would actually rather sit at my laptop than watch TV or play around on my phone. Think about how much time you waste when you pick up your phone just to have a ‘quick’ scroll through social media, only to look up and realise an hour or two has passed. If you sat down to write instead, you’d get that first draft done in no time.
Your journey includes not only writing a successful book series but also working on a screen adaptation for Descended. How has the transition from book writing to screenwriting been for you, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
It’s funny, because when I was writing the Descended series, I always saw it as if it were on the screen, even down to the music. Because the books are set in the 90s, every chapter is named after a classic 80s or 90s song, and the books all come with their own QR code that links to a Spotify playlist.
So many readers have told me they, too, saw the books as movies or a TV show when reading them, and that the locations in which the series is set just come alive on the page (Northern Beaches of Sydney, New York, Sedona in Arizona, and Arnhem Land, to name a few). I always said that if it were to be adapted, I’d prefer it to be a series rather than a movie, in order to better capture all the details.
In comparison to novel writing, screen writing is more about dialogue and external actions, and I think you’re relying on the right actors to convey all the nuance and internal thoughts and feelings onto the screen. Essentially, a lot is left up to actors’ discretion, so the writing is a lot less descriptive. There’s no inner thought and it’s very much bare bones writing. On the screen, it’s more about what the characters do than what they say.
I’m a bit of a control freak – I mean, I started writing this series six years ago, and it’s like my fifth child, so it’s a massive challenge for me to rely on other people to bring it to life on screen, to let go and trust the actors etc to do my beloved characters justice.
You’ve been dubbed “Australia’s Stephenie Meyer.” How do you feel about this comparison, and how has it influenced your writing journey and your interaction with fans?
Obviously I’m flattered! Twilight is a very special series that means so much to so many people.
I’m not sure why so many readers compare my books to Twilight. I mean, Descended is an epic romance steeped in fantasy and magical realism, but it doesn’t have vampires or werewolves or any magical creatures. I think the Twilight comparison is because it’s about an endless love that never dies.
The comparison hasn’t really influenced my writing journey much, to be honest. I’ve always just written the story I wanted to write, no matter what, and this series was planned out, book by book, years ago, long before anyone read a word of it.
I think my interaction with fans would have been the same regardless of any comparisons. It’s always a ‘pinch me’ moment when someone reaches out to let me know my books have affected them profoundly, that my writing has made them sob and laugh and feel so deeply for my characters, or made them view life or death in a different way. It makes my day every single time. Although it’s hard to keep up with the plethora of messages I receive these days, I do like to respond to everyone if I can.
With such a busy household, how do you carve out time for yourself to recharge and find inspiration? Are there any activities or practices you turn to for relaxation and creative rejuvenation?
I’m incredibly active and I make sure I do a workout of some kind every day, and I practise meditation and yoga to keep my mind clear. I’m also really big into wanderlust. I find nothing more recharging than travel, so you’ll find us overseas or interstate every school holiday (possibly researching new book locations).
For this particular series, if I need creative inspo, I’ll go for a walk with my headphones and my 90’s playlist and get lost in my characters’ lives. I find I have a whole new scene or plot point by the time I get home.
Lastly, what message do you hope to convey to aspiring authors? What do you want them to take away from your experiences and insights?
I guess my advice would be don’t try to be what you’re not: be true to what you want to write as that is where you will shine. Don’t jump on the bandwagon. Don’t write about trending tropes. Be original and push for your vision no matter how many people tell you it’s too much of a gamble.
Back when I first started querying this series, I had a lot of feedback from publishers that as much as they loved it, my subject matter was too different or too out there, and that it was too much of a risk to take a chance on something untested in the market. I was advised to make my main male character, Indigo, a vampire, and to change the setting to a magic school, as magical creatures and magical settings sell.
But I stuck to my guns, believing that if I changed it too much, the story would lose its heart and soul. And finally I found a publisher who was willing to take a gamble on me, who prided themselves on giving indie authors a go, because they believed we are keen and driven and have fresh, intriguing stories to tell.
The best advice I was given when starting out was to write the book I wanted to read, which is excellent advice. Ultimately, I wrote this series for me. And I didn’t take no for an answer. So I would suggest you be scrappy, fight for your book and your characters, and don’t take no for an answer.
