“Once you start understanding someone as a person, not a role, it’s impossible to make them a villain anymore.” — Christina Adams
Today’s episode of Uncorking a Story shines the light on co-authors Anthony and Christina Adams—writing as A.C. Adams—who unpack the personal odyssey that inspired their debut novel, Chasing Shadows. Fueled by Christina’s search for her vanished father and the shocking truth behind his secret double life, the couple shares how trauma, love, and forgiveness shaped both their storytelling and their souls. From Emmy-winning productions to Broadway dreams, this episode is a testament to creative healing.
Art Imitates Life, Then Heals It: Chasing Shadows began as a real-life investigation into a father’s disappearance but evolved into a fictional exploration of abandonment, identity, and reconciliation. Behind the Curtain of a Secret Life: Christina discovered her father had been a secret Catholic priest involved with an obscure Vatican-linked order—raising questions about faith, duty, and deception. The Emotional Truth Matters More Than the Facts: Though inspired by real events, the novel focuses on emotional authenticity, exploring how trauma reshapes relationships and self-perception. Creativity as Catharsis: Writing the novel served as a form of therapy for Christina, allowing her to transform betrayal into understanding and anger into empathy. Screenwriters Set Free: For two industry veterans, novel writing offered a liberating shift from screenplay constraints—letting them dig deeper into character psychology and emotional nuance. A Cinematic Blueprint in Book Form: With its visual storytelling and taut structure, Chasing Shadows was crafted to resonate as both literature and a future limited series. Breaking the Publishing Mold: Their choice of a hybrid publisher allowed for creative control and a streamlined path to publication, reflecting a changing landscape in storytelling.
Buy Chasing Shadows
More conversations
Becoming Your Own Best Friend
Janice Erlbaum left home at 15 for New York City's shelter system. Twenty years after Girlbomb, she talks about owning her part of the story, the teachers who saw her, and why she tells everyone to keep writing it down.
Listen →
When Small Towns Censored Hollywood
Novelist Glenn R. Miller on the small-town ministers who once censored Hollywood's silent films, the family note cards that inspired his satire Rough Cuts, and why censorship is never black and white.
Listen →
Living Your Own Truth
Singer Machan Taylor, who toured with Pink Floyd and Sting, on the loneliness behind a glamorous life on the road, writing a memoir she never meant to write, and why holding the finished book finally let her let go.
Listen →