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Erika Lynn Adams was born in Helmstedt, Germany in 1986, but has lived in America since 1988. Before she was two years old she was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder, a central auditory condition that effects the way the brain takes in and processes information. As it impacted her memory retention and ability to understand through sound alone, this made reading next to impossible in her early years, and vocal communication and the forming of strong relationships with others a challenge as well.
Thanks to help from numerous specialists, Special Education advisors, and IEPs throughout her school years, Adams' reading comprehension and academic performance greatly improved; she graduated from Lake Superior College with an Associate of Arts degree in 2007 and from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor’s Degree in English in 2013. While taking a UMD course in Childhood in Literature and Culture in the Fall of 2012, a creative writing project provided the opportunity to share her experiences. Seeing the similarities between her symptoms and the faulty logic of the title character of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, |
Adams wrote her first book, Allie's Adventure on the Wonder, the main character being a combination of Alice and Adams at the age of fourteen, the year she entered the 7th grade at a new public school, a transition made all the more difficult by her condition.
It was while donating a copy of the book to the library in Two Harbors, Minnesota that she met a librarian who was also a radio host. Upon hearing of the story review blog that Adams had recently created, she offered Adams the chance to make the blog into her own radio show: The Tale Collector, on KTWH 99.5.
Ironically, APD is what helped to inspire and shape Adams' love of stories and a passion for exploring the various methods of storytelling - cinema, music, and interactive gaming, as well as literature - namely how and why they reach people on a deeper level when real life is unable to.
She currently lives and writes in Duluth, MN and regularly indulges in anime, vintage science fiction, and Mexican food.
It was while donating a copy of the book to the library in Two Harbors, Minnesota that she met a librarian who was also a radio host. Upon hearing of the story review blog that Adams had recently created, she offered Adams the chance to make the blog into her own radio show: The Tale Collector, on KTWH 99.5.
Ironically, APD is what helped to inspire and shape Adams' love of stories and a passion for exploring the various methods of storytelling - cinema, music, and interactive gaming, as well as literature - namely how and why they reach people on a deeper level when real life is unable to.
She currently lives and writes in Duluth, MN and regularly indulges in anime, vintage science fiction, and Mexican food.