Have you ever been so inspired by something that you wanted to write about it? To share a grand idea with the world that others could relate to? For Cherry Hill West teacher Adam Fincke, his interests compelled him to write his novel, Where DREAM Fades To Nightmare.

   When I interviewed Fincke, he described the plot of his first published piece of literature.  “In a nutshell, monsters start attacking DREAM (Desired Reality Established And Materialized the book’s setting) and it is up to Graham Garnett (the narrator) and his squadmates to figure out where they are coming from. The more twists or turns their investigation takes them on the more of DREAM’s corruption and dirty little secrets come to light. All the while an inner struggle within Graham consistently continues to put him and his squadmates in danger as they encounter monster after monster”.

   Fincke’s When DREAM Fades to Nightmare was inspired by much of the dystopian genre, such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Maze Runner, as well as Harry Potter. Video games like the Final Fantasy series and Kingdom Hearts were also a major influence on his novel.

   Fincke wrote his novel to serve as something that he himself would like to read, as well as a relatable piece for others. “Even though this story is set in a futuristic setting, I think the characters are very relatable to people you know and interact with in your own life”.

  Fincke came up with the idea for When DREAM Fades to Nightmare in 2015 and started putting more effort into writing it in 2017. By the summer of 2020, he finally had a product he could be proud of and started pitching it to publishers. After a year of literary agents, he made the decision to self-publish.

   “Self-publishing was actually a really cool experience. The blessing and curse of it are that you have all the control.” 

   Although he had to find his own editor, format his novel, market it, and make all of the big decisions himself, self-publishing on Amazon was easy and straightforward. 

   “The awesome thing about self-publishing is that anyone can do it,” he said.

   Self-publishing is a great technique for new writers who don’t mind having creative control.

   Fincke described his writing process and strategies for writing his novel. “There’s no secret formula to writing a novel”, he said. “I think one of the biggest things is just taking it one word, one page, and one chapter at a time. It’s super easy to get overwhelmed if you’re looking too far ahead as you’re drafting and editing”. Staying at a steady pace and planning ahead is definitely something that new writers have to learn when writing their first novel.

   Fincke explained his way of outlining the events of his story.” I –mapped out–specific events that I knew I wanted to happen and then asked myself, given my characters and climate in the story at the time, how one of my major events should tie its way to the next”.

    He also advised fellow writers to “have people read what you’ve written and be open to constructive criticism. He said that “ You as the writer know exactly what you want to say or portray, but sometimes it doesn’t come across clearly to the reader (even if in your mind it does)”. Getting opinions from those around you helps you to improve your writing and create the best story possible.

   The reception from Fincke’s readers has been great so far, with When DREAM Fades to Nightmare having a five-star review on Amazon and a 4.57-star rating on Goodreads. It appeals to fans and newcomers to the sci-fi and dystopian genres and has received acclaim from his friends, family, coworkers, and students. Fincke said “Honestly the coolest thing has been sharing with my students that I’ve written a book. I’m a math teacher, so when students find out I wrote a book they think it’s really cool (even if they don’t like to read)”. 

   “I like that it—inspires them to really pursue their own passions and dreams,” he said. “If a math teacher can write a book, you can do anything you set your mind to.” 

 Where DREAM Fades to Nightmare is available to check out through the Camden County Library System and is also available for purchase on online vendors such as Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Barnes and Noble. 

   Fincke’s email is [email protected]. He would appreciate thoughts and feedback.

   To follow writers, Fincke said to “keep on reading, keep on writing, and keep working to get better!” 

   Writing an excellent novel is something that takes time, effort, dedication, and lots of practice, but with a great work ethic and a dream, you too can write and publish your own novel!