A Bouquet for Adam by A.J. Marcus and K.T. Spence

A Bouquet for Adam by A.J. Marcus and K.T. Spence

Review by Lauren

source: copy for review from Dreamspinner Press; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: Adam Stephens’s simple life working in Denver as a computer programmer is turned upside down when his mother suddenly dies. His crazy relatives in Virginia want him to move in with them because they believe his autism makes it impossible for him to care for himself. But life improves, at least for a time. One day while wandering through the botanical gardens, he runs into struggling wildlife photographer Trent Osborn.

As a hesitant love blossoms between the two, Adam’s aunt and uncle push for him to live with them. Adam again refuses. The struggles between his desires and what everyone else wants collide. Adam disappears, and Trent is unsure if he’s run off to escape life’s pressures made worse by his autism, or if something far more sinister has happened. Trent embarks on a cross-country journey in search of Adam. What he discovers changes the course of his and Adam’s lives and the lives of everyone connected to them.

Review: One thing I really loved about this book is that Adam is an autistic young man who is as capable as most people in living his life. He has things he needs help with, yes, but overall, he's an "everyday guy." I thought the authors did a really good job at portraying Adam and his autism. It's not the only defining quality about him, but they made sure to show his various quirks and how he differs a bit from other people. At the same time, meeting Trent and them becoming friends and then boyfriends shows another side to Adam. He can care about new things. He likes getting to know people. He loves.

I initially thought this would be a normal love story, of Adam and Trent meeting and falling in love. However, the book turned into much more than that. There is a lot of familial drama on Adam's side. His mother passes and some people in his family think he should move in with them. They think 'autism' and equate that with 'helpless' even though they are well aware that Adam is smart enough to work with computers and make a decent living. He might need some help, living on his own, but he in no way needs someone to take him away from his home to keep him "safe." He's not a harm to anyone.

I won't go into much detail about the plot, because I don't want to give things away. I will say that it was an intriguing direction to take the story, but I appreciated what the authors were trying to show. People don't always understand things like autism and they don't always treat those with it with respect.

Overall, this is a well-done novel!

Difficulties Writing Authentic Autistic People + Book Giveaway

A Bouquet for Adam: Difficulties Writing Authentic Autistic People

By K.T. Spence

In "A Bouquet for Adam," my co-author, A. J. Marcus and I dove into the deep end when it came to writing a person with autism. For me, this had both simple and complex attributes.

My nine-year old daughter, N, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when she was 5. For two years prior to that, she spent time in occupational and speech therapy including hippotherapy (therapy on horseback) and a play-based therapy called Floortime. 

I felt well-versed in autism. At least, enough to write this character, Adam.

However, the longer A. J. and I wrote, the more I began to question the authenticity of the character. After all, I only have a nine-year old and I was trying to expand what I knew about autism from her behaviors into a thirty-year old male. 

We knew that if we didn't get the character right, the book wouldn't work. Adam had to know what he was doing -- Trent couldn't just "come on" to Adam; he had to know that Adam was gay. We wanted to completely avoid anything that would give the impression that Trent was taking advantage of Adam's innocence, yet we still wanted to show that Adam was awkward in social situations, that he was still on some type of a schedule (as in the beginning when he was driving home from work), that he was mostly dependent upon his mother (who was his rock, or, to use another apt phrase, his port in the storm). 

Our beta readers included some of A.J's normal betas, but I added one more. During the time we were writing the story, I had been introduced to another writer in our local writing group who happened to not only be a psychology professor but who also happened to be autistic as well. We asked him to read the first draft with an eye towards authenticity -- did Adam sound realistic? More importantly, did Adam sound his age? His notes were invaluable to us in getting Adam to sound right.

I hope readers enjoy the book -- on top of that, I hope they learn something from it. Yes, people with autism are "different" in some ways from neurotypical people, but they're not all that different. I know that my daughter has been the greatest joy in my life and I can't imagine what she would be like without the autism. It's not something you can simply separate out and say, "Oh, that's the autism speaking." It's simply an aspect of who they are. 

Now, let's give away a book! For one of the commenters below in the next week, I'll give away one book from A.J. Marcus's back list on Dreamspinner Press!

I'd love to hear any comments you might have, regarding writing, autism, or anything else you'd like to discuss.