Adam Fleming: World traveler and literary world builder

By Christina Clark

There are worlds being built in Goshen, Indiana.

Author Adam G. Fleming guides readers through many worlds, all from the comfort of their favorite reading spot. His 13 books cover a range of genres, too.

There are dystopian, steampunk adventures in “The Satchel Pong Chronicles,” a five-book series, with more books on the way. There’s “White Buffalo Gold,” a coming-of-age tale which brings readers to a dying town in Nebraska. A cowboy western series, “The Adventures of Stetson Jeff,” mix genres that, according to Fleming, are “part ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ part ‘Forrest Gump.’”

To round out the mini galaxy that Fleming is creating, there’s “Vortex Street,” which includes some of his travel writings and poems. He even has a self-help book, “The Art of Motivational Listening: Creative Ideas for Effective Leaders,” which can help readers with coaching and listening skills, which the author says he implements in his everyday life, and, likely, in the creation of his characters.

Fleming has no shortage of ideas and stories, and he is working hard to get his books into the hands of readers across the world.

“I think life is beautiful. I think that life is a little bit crazy. I like both of those aspects,” says Fleming. “I have a certain sense of humor, and it is in my nonfiction books as well.”

Inspiration

And he finds inspiration everywhere: travel, family, friends.

In the online description for his 2017 e-book, “How to Make a Positive Cultural Impact,” he describes an interaction: “A friend of mine complained that he had too many leadership books to read on his shelves and wished someone would sum it all up. Challenge accepted.”

In fewer than 40 pages, the book makes quick work, educating readers about team leadership and creating a healthy culture, while utilizing empathy and creativity in the process.

Travel is especially important to Fleming in his life and in his books.

“There’s not really much to be said about a character who sits at home and does nothing for their whole lives,” Fleming says. “Whether [my books] are nonfiction or fiction, there’s some travel happening and some transformation.”

The adventure for Fleming began in central Illinois. When he was 13 years old, his parents moved the family to central Congo.

“We lived in the center of Africa for a year,” he says. “That’s oftentimes what happens to my characters, some inciting incident.”

In the first installment of “The Satchel Pong Chronicles,” “Satchel Pong and the Great Migration,” Pong finds himself leading his people away from a hostile climate to a safer location. In many ways, Fleming’s characters find themselves traversing worlds in ways that he also experiences.

World building & travel

As Fleming’s wife Megan, a painter, read through the series, she noticed that the main character kept exploring further out into this fictional world. She wanted to visualize the settings, so she used Adam’s sketches as a guide for painting large maps of the Chronicles world.

Fleming says that he adds to the world as the character travels. It’s not all mapped out in advance.

“If you can imagine concentric circles, like a target, [with the character in the center], and wherever they travel, I may need a new culture over here,” Fleming says. “I wonder what’s on the other side of that [fictional landmark].”

Fleming’s own travels have now surpassed 20 nations and territories. He has pushed his own target out further across the world. The notion extends to his family.

“We wanted [our children all] to have some kind of intercultural experience,” he says.

The family had their most recent adventure in Cairo, Egypt, starting in the summer of 2019. The original plan was for a full year doing non-profit work, but they stayed only eight months because of COVID-19.

“We were busy. My wife taught at a small American school, and I was traveling around the country doing some training on teaching things in the field of leadership coaching,” Adam says.

The Fleming’s children were all between still school-aged, between third and 11th grade. March 2020 arrived, and the family had to navigate the pandemic restrictions impacting travel.

Once home, they settled into a slower pace of life created by heavy pandemic mandates. Fleming poured his adventurous energy into writing. He finished and published four books in 2021..

Not limited to local

Though a hefty amount of writing was completed through 2020 and 2021 at the Fleming’s house, the “home” location does not define Fleming or his work. He hopes his work continues to speak to audiences near and far.

While Fleming is involved in his local community, doing occasional events at Fables Bookstore in Goshen, and bringing his work to the St. Joseph County Public Library’s first BookCon in March 2022, he does not think any author or artist should be sidelined or pigeonholed as a “local” creative.

Much of Fleming’s business is done online, connecting with readers and fans through email, social media, and selling books through Amazon.

“You can cultivate. You don’t have to be a ‘local author,’“ he says.

Fleming describes his work as “writing along the fine line between the absurd and the sublime.” To continue that fine line, Fleming has more stories, more worlds, already in the works with plans to publish in the next year or so.

Fleming says that he takes writing very seriously.

“I get accused of trying to write ‘the great American novel,’” he says, and the “accusers” are not wrong.

He invites prospective readers to visit his website, find the books on Amazon, and see if anything appeals to them.

“I write across so many genres,” he says. “There’s a good chance [readers] will find something that they might enjoy.”