Welcome to Interview Alley, the place I host author interviews. I met today’s guest at Left Coast Crime in Monterey California years ago. Sgt. Adam Plantinga had just published his first nonfiction book, 400 Things Cops Know, Street-Smart Lessons from a Veteran Patrolman, a book The Wall Street Journal touted, “The New Bible for crime writers.” Four years later, Adam’s second nonfiction book, Police Craft: What Cops Know about Crime, Community and Violence, hit the shelves. Now darn Adam’s hide, he’s turned to fiction. And no surprise, he excels at the thriller genre as well. Adam’s debut The Ascent is an Amazon Editor’s Pick and has been optioned by Universal. Then, of course, there’s the reviews. Please welcome Sgt. Adam Plantinga who generously answered my questions. ~ Donnell Ann Bell
Donnell: Adam, you’re a street cop. You work on the West Coast. What possessed, okay, inspired you to create protagonist Kurt Argento? How long has this book been simmering in your police locker waiting to be told?
Author Adam Plantinga
Adam Plantinga: I started working on it in 2019, so it’s been long-simmering. I’ve always been a fan of books about tough guys, so I figured I’d try to craft one myself. But I didn’t want to write Kurt Argento as Superman. It can be hard to make Superman interesting. So he’s got some vulnerabilities and baggage. But he’s not too shabby at fighting.
Donnell: I couldn’t help noticing that like the author Kurt has an Italian surname. He also came from the Midwest, and when we’re in his narrative uses words like somnolent. How much do you have in common with this guy?
Adam Plantinga: My name sounds Italian but is actually Dutch. But I grew up in Michigan and feel like I’ll always been a Midwesterner, no matter where I live, so I wanted to give a shout-out to the home state. There’s some of me in him, but he’s a compilation of a lot of cops I know. Folks who are hard but fair and won’t ever walk away from a fight.
Donnell: Kurt Argento hails from Detroit. I couldn’t imagine a tougher city to place your protagonist or give him the street creds to succeed. Is Detroit where you got your start as a police officer?
Adam Plantinga: I started out as a Milwaukee cop, which is a city that will test any officer’s mettle, but I wanted my hero to have policed the meanest town I could think of. Detroit fit the bill for that. Plus it gave me a launching pad in the book to reminisce on some of my favorite Detroit sports teams and players. Like Joe Dumars, Jack Morris, and Chris Spielman.
Donnell: Readers are going to love Kurt Argento. He’s everything thriller fans demand in a storyline. Beaten by life, but still a decent human being. I also admired how you showed the dangers of gangs but also the dangers of corrupt law enforcement. Was this intentional or did it just unwind as you wrote?
Adam Plantinga: I didn’t set out to write a message book about police corruption. But the plot required that Argento go to prison and he’s an ex-cop with a strong moral center, so I didn’t want him to commit an actual crime to get there. So he needed to be set up. Enter the corrupt local sheriff’s department. I also thought the bad cops could provide a nice contrast to Argento himself, who has always worked hard to get the job right.
Donnell: You create a scenario in which Officer Argento is thrown in with a politically connected female protagonist. Julie Wakefield isn’t someone who would think twice about a broken nail. She’s fit, a runner and adept in competitive course training. I’m curious how much Julie changed from draft to draft. Would you say she’s the same person you envisioned from the initial blank page?
The author spotting his novel in San Francisco International Airport
Adam Plantinga: She stayed pretty consistent. I didn’t want to write a book where the lone protagonist goes in and makes all the wrong things right by himself. He needed a partner. I also wanted to show the prison and its horrors through the eyes of a civilian, for maximum effect, so I wrote several chapters from Julie’s perspective. I’m fond of her character. She brings it.
Donnell: I found it interesting that Kurt is five-foot nine, but as a Detroit cop, a street brawler. His knowledge of street fighting, as well as the excellent descriptions of what he must do to win those fights, including the backstory behind those techniques were eye openers. Based on your background, were these scenes an effort to write? They were so exact I wondered if you occasionally acted them out.
Adam Plantinga: I have a martial arts background (although I don’t want to overstate it, I’m no Billy Blanks) which helped. I’ve also been through two different police academies along with ongoing training on defense and arrest tactics. Because of that, I’m comfortable depicting brawls. Also, not for nothing, I’ve been in some on the job. I enjoy writing them, but my first few drafts of the book probably had too much fighting. My fear was I’d lose the reader’s interest, so my operating philosophy was that every 4 pages, someone needed to punch someone in the face. Thankfully, I evolved past that in subsequent drafts.
Donnell: Your knowledge of human nature shines in this novel. The characters are three dimensional and crazy believable. You create characters readers will love to hate, characters readers will cheer, characters that will surprise, and characters readers will fear. I love your references to movies in the book, and I can’t help but mention one character that reminded me of Jabba the Hutt 😊 Agree? Disagree?
Adam Plantinga: Oh, there’s a Jabba in there for sure. Good eye. He is a bad bad man. After I wrote his character, I had a brief moment of reflection where I wondered if there was something wrong with me.
Donnell: More like a fearless creator. You warned me The Ascent was gritty and hardcore and wasn’t for everyone. That worried me, so I said I’d let you know if I could finish. Yes, The Ascent is beyond graphic, it’s steeped in realism and prison life. It’s also exceptional writing, making it hard to put down.
In your Author’s Notes, you mention a tour of San Quentin, conversations with Author James L’etoile, who is a retired associate warden for a maximum-security prison. (Jim guest blogged November 2023.) https://www.donnellannbell.com/my-impetus-for-writing-fiction/ which made me segue to this question: Did you research before starting this book? As you went along? As a working police officer, was there anything you learned that surprised you?
Adam Plantinga: My talk with Jim L’Etoile and my tour of San Quentin were invaluable in shaping the novel. As I pointed out in the book’s Acknowledgments, my prison is fictional and horribly run. San Quentin has actual programming and inmates who seem to be genuinely remorseful for the crimes they committed. I remember one inmate who spoke to us who had committed homicide years ago. He named his homicide victim and said he needed to honor him in everything he did. I was struck by that, and put a version of it in the book.
Donnell: If you wouldn’t mind, would you share how much interest and/or rejection you received during submission?
Adam Plantinga: Oh, Donnell, I was an instant success. I didn’t even have to query. Agents were proactively reaching out to me. No, I jest. I had the advantage of two relatively well-received books under my belt, but I was still a debut novelist so I had plenty of folks pass before I found my splendid agent, Caitlin Blasdell of Liza Dawson Associates. She rolled up her sleeves and went to work.
Donnell: I refuse to do spoilers. But included in your book is so much sage advice and life lessons. I found myself nodding as I did in your nonfiction books. What comes next for Adam Plantinga?
Adam Plantinga: My agent got me a two book deal with my publisher, so a follow-up to The Ascent is slated for 2025 with the working title of Hard Town. Kurt Argento is housesitting for a friend when he gets caught up in some sinister happenings in the Arizona desert. Mayhem ensues.
Donnell: One final question: Any plans to retire?
Adam Plantinga: I’ll take a look around and reassess. I think I’d rather err on the side of leaving the job too early than too late.
Donnell: Thanks, Adam! Kurt Argento rocks! I wish you every success!
About the Book:
When a high security prison fails, a down-on-his luck cop and the governor’s daughter are going to have to team up if they’re going to escape in this “jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping” (Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author) debut thriller from Adam Plantinga, whose first nonfiction book Lee Child praised as “truly excellent.”
Kurt Argento, an ex-Detroit street cop who can’t let injustice go—and who has the fighting skills to back up his idealism.
If he sees a young girl being dragged into an alley, he’s going to rescue her and cause some damage.
When he does just that in a small corrupt Missouri town, he’s brutally beaten and thrown into a maximum-security prison.
Julie Wakefield, a grad student who happens to be the governor’s daughter, is about to take a tour of the prison. But when a malfunction in the security system releases a horde of prisoners, a fierce struggle for survival ensues.
Argento must help a small band of staff and civilians, including Julie and her two state trooper handlers, make their way from the bottom floor to the roof to safety.
All that stands in their way are six floors of the most dangerous convicts in Missouri.
To learn more about the author: Home | Adam Plantinga
Terrific interview. Can’t wait to grab the book! Thanks for bringing us this author!
Thank you for commenting, Sue. As you know I love your books. Adam, you need to check out Sue Hinkin in your spare time 😉
From one author to another, thanks!
I also met Adam shortly after his first book came out. We were on a panel together at a mystery conference–I’m thinking Left Coast Crime, but I don’t remember when or where. I confess I haven’t read The Ascent yet, but it’s on hold for me at my library.
Anyone who’s not following Adam on Twitter/X should do so. His posts (Xs?) are day brighteners.
Agree, Terry. His Twitter/X feed is constantly surprising, often times funny, and always thought provoking. Hope you’re staying warm! My kids are freezing!
No need to go outside, so yes, I’m warm. 🙂
Hi Terry! It was Left Coast Crime in Portland 2015. We crushed it. Good to see you out there.
Great interview, as always, Donnell.
Adam, here’s wishing you continuing success
Bailey Herrington
Great interview, as always, Donnell. Adam’s background provides built-in authenticity. I believe writing non-fiction from one’s professional experience often provides vivid characters and scenes.
Bailey Herrington
Skip, as a retired minister, you know firsthand how much nonfiction plays into your fiction novels. I think understanding the human psyche must be ingrained in yours and Adam’s professions. Plus, your education and his (he has a B.A. in English). You both possess writing skills second to none. Thanks for the compliment.
My father is a minister as well and my main character is Lutheran. I think we need more Lutheran tough guys in fiction.
Absolutely agree, Adam. My protagonist, David Elliott, is a Lutheran minister, and he’s tough, not as tough as Kurt, but he can handle himself in a difficult situation. I’d like to connect with you: My email: herringtonbd@gmail.com. Skip
Thanks Donnell and Adam for a great interview. I like the premise and look forward to reading The Ascent.
Steve, with your forensic background, writing both nonfiction and fiction, I think you will enjoy The Ascent. Looking forward to hearing about your next project.
Thanks Steve. It was fun to write.
Great interview and I’m eager to read this book!
Karen, glad you enjoyed. Adam Plantinga is a gifted writer; further he’s a class act, which makes him a pleasure to promote.