Major firm to publish VW native’s book

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert native Adam McOmber has wanted to be a writer since he was 16. Now it appears that dream is at least on the threshold of becoming reality.

Although he already has a book of short stories — This New and Poisonous Air — in bookstores and on Amazon, McOmber’s first fully realized novel, Empyrean, will be published by Touchstone, a division of publishing heavyweight Simon & Schuster, in the fall of 2012.

McOmber, the son of Michael McOmber and Denise (Skevington) Wehri, says he has spent the time since his graduation from Indiana University in 2001, where he earned a master’s in fine arts, learning his craft and developing a “unique voice” for his writing.

“It takes a long time to do,” he said of finding his own writing style. “It took me nearly 10 years to get to this point.”

That voice, which he calls “historic with a strange fantastic bent,” is also surprisingly contemporary in its outlook, McOmber said. That contemporary feel could also explain its appeal to publishing house editors who liked the book when it was submitted to them several months ago.

Empyrean (the name comes from the ancient Greeks, who used it to denote the highest level of heaven) is based loosely on one of the short stories in This New and Poisonous Air called “Beneath Us.” That story is set in 1860s London and is about a woman who senses things emanating from the graveyards she’s mapping.

“It’s not the same character, but the book shares the same time period and city setting,” McOmber explained.

The novel’s main character is a young girl who has the ability to sense “souls” in inanimate objects. “It’s kind of a detective story as she tries to solve a murder that occurs,” he added.

The 1994 Van Wert High School graduate, who also earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a focus on creative writing from Ohio University, readily admits the entire process of getting a book published has been an education.

The process began when he sought out a literary agent shortly after completing the 370-page novel, a project that took him about two years. McOmber said the book took so long because the writing was sandwiched between his “day jobs” as an adjunct professor teaching creative writing and mythology at Columbia College in Chicago –where he moved following his graduation from IU — and as associate editor of a literary magazine, Hotel Amerika, funded by the college. He also teaches English composition at a Chicago city college to make ends meet.

The agent he found, Eleanor Jackson of New York City-based Markson Thoma Literary Agency, was nearly a perfect fit, since she is known for seeking out books with “deeply imagined worlds” and writers who are not afraid to take risks with their work. She also represents David Wroblewski, whose book, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, was an Oprah’s Book Club Selection shortly after it came out.

Both of Jackson’s stated interests would seem to point her to McOmber and his “historically twisted” writing — which he said is inspired by the writing of Edgar Allan Poe, Angela Carter and others.

After Jackson and McOmber spent some time collaborating on the book, the agent decided it was time to take the next step: submitting the novel to publishing houses. McOmber said sending his novel to publishers was a scary process, but ultimately positive.

The book was submitted to publishing houses on a Thursday — with the literary agent allowing eight weeks for a response, while also warning the young author there might not be any interest at all the first time out.

With those words still fresh in his mind, McOmber said he was surprised when he got a call from Jackson the next Monday. “I was wondering why she was calling me so soon,” he said, adding that the answer was pleasantly surprising: not one, but five publishing houses were interested in the book. “They had apparently read it over the weekend and called on Monday.”

Then came a process he said was nerve-wracking: the “auction” of the book among the five publishers. While ultimately rewarding financially, McOmber said it was difficult finding the patience to wait until the bids were in.

Even though the book has now been accepted for publication, McOmber said there remains nearly a year before it actually hits the bookstands. After Touchstone bought the book, his editor at the publishing house, Sally Kim, then began working with the author on rewrites of the book. McOmber said she read the book many times and then sent McOmber her thoughts on how to improve it.

“She sent me a six-page letter with some ‘big ideas’ she wanted me to think about and work on,” McOmber said.

He spent the rest of this past summer doing just that and then sent the product of that work back to Kim.

Now the book will be edited line by line, with copy editors getting involved, checking for spelling and grammar and verifying historical and other facts contained in the book.

McOmber said Kim told him he would likely read his book more times than he would think possible, since galleys containing proposed changes would be sent out regularly to him to read and then decide whether he wanted them in the final product.

Cover art will also be created for the book and then published galleys — sort of like paperbacks — will be sent out to bookstores to generate interest. A book tour is planned, McOmber said, but he doesn’t know exactly what that will entail.

Meanwhile, the about-to-be-published novelist had some advice for people who want to be writers. “You have to put writing at the top of your priority list and try to write every day,” McOmber said, adding that he usually writes about two hours a day after he gets home from teaching.

He also recommended that writer wannabes not only read, but also read widely. “Don’t just read fiction,” McOmber said, noting that his interests in psychology (he enjoys reading Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud) and mythology have both factored into his writing style.

He also acknowledges the help and support he received from his high school English teachers – especially retired teaching legend Elizabeth “Bitsi” Clark. “Miss Clark was very supportive,” McOmber said. He recalled one time when, without his knowledge, Clark took a short story of his she liked to then-principal Wally Grimm and Grimm then called him to the office.

“I kept wondering if I was in trouble, but then he congratulated me on the story I wrote,” he said with a smile.

McOmber, who stressed that writing should be “almost a calling” for novelists-to-be, added he hopes Empyrean is successful enough that he can eventually “teach a little less and write a little more.” “I don’t want to quit teaching … I love to teach … but I would like to have more time to write,” McOmber said.

He’s also trying to ensure he’s not a “one novel” novelist and already has the first draft completed on a new book that features famed wax sculptress Madame Tussaud that will include factual information, along with some decidedly fantastical elements.

“There will be more research involved, since we’re talking about a historical figure, but the story will also be a product of my imagination,” McOmber said.