Mike Martin was born in Newfoundland
on the East Coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa,
Ontario. He is a longtime freelance writer
and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online
across Canada
as well as in the United States
and New Zealand.
He is the author of Change the Things You Can: Dealing with Difficult People
and has written a number of short stories that have published in various
publications including Canadian Stories and Downhome magazine.
A Long Ways from Home was shortlisted for the 2017 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award as the best light mystery of the year. A Tangled Web is the newest book in the series.
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Title: A TANGLED WEB
Author: Mike Martin
Publisher: Booklocker
Pages: 338
Genre: Mystery
Author: Mike Martin
Publisher: Booklocker
Pages: 338
Genre: Mystery
BOOK BLURB:
Life is good for Sgt. Windflower in Grand Bank, Newfoundland.
But something’s missing from the Mountie’s life. Actually, a lot of things go
missing, including a little girl and supplies from the new factory. It’s
Windflower’s job to unravel the tangled web of murder, deceit and an accidental
kidnapping that threatens to engulf this sleepy little town and destroy those
closest to him. But there’s always good food, good friends and the love of a
great woman to make everything better in the end.
A TANGLED WEB is available at Amazon.
Thank you for this interview! I’d like to know more about you as a person
first. What do you do when you’re not
writing?
I’m likely reading. Or when the weather is nice I am outside
walking or riding my bicycle. But I write a lot. I write for fun, the Sgt.
Windflower Mystery Series, and for work, freelance, communications, speeches.
When did you start writing?
I have been a writer forever and a freelance writer for over
25 years. I kept finding jobs that allowed me to write as part of them and
finally bit the bullet and became a freelance and ghost writer. My fiction came
much later, mostly in the last ten years.
As a published author, what would you say was the most
pivotal point of your writing life?
Publishing my first book was the closest I could ever come
to having a baby. I went through the pregnancy, morning and evening sickness,
and a very long and painful delivery. But at the end I had a brand-new baby and
I was, and am, a very proud parent. T
If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing
your next book, where would that be and why?
I love writing my books set in Newfoundland
on the easternmost tip of Canada.
It is my home province and a land of magic and mystery. But I think I’d like to
write a book set in the tropics so that I could visit there a few months of the
year.
If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you
do?
I would write. Writing is food, water and oxygen for me.
There is no shortage of ideas to write about, only a scarcity of time. And
there is never enough.
Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done
yet?
Back to my previous answer I would likely look at Cuba
because I have been there many times and I love the people. And the weather!!
Back to your present book, A Tangled Web, how did you publish it?
A Tangled Web was published by a small independent publisher
in Ottawa where I live. Baico
Publishing provides excellent and personalized service and we have a
cooperative arrangement on sales and distribution.
In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for
research?
I travelled to Newfoundland,
of course. We usually go there for a month each year and that is where I find
my inspiration. The idea for the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series came to me
there. It was like Sgt. Windflower walked out of the fog one night in Grand
Bank and started telling me the story. I just write it down,
Why was writing A
Tangled Web so important to you?
A Tangled Web is the latest book in the Sgt. Windflower
Mystery series and it continues the adventures of Sgt. Windflower. There are
some crimes and even murders, but there is also great friends, food and
adventure. The series and this book are short on police procedures and long on
finding the joy in everyday life. I wrote it because it was fun. I hope it is
fun and enjoyable to read.
Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that
is?
I write fiction from my heart. I try and connect with the
creative flow. I let that inspire me and then I start writing. Once I get
started I commit to writing a certain number of words each day. I start first
thing in the morning when I am fresh and before the rest of my world creeps in.
I write as much as I can and then I review it later. That seems to work for me.
Any final words?
To all the readers out there, I want to thank you for being
a reader. You make my fictitious world come alive. Without you, I would be
yelling down into a canyon. You give my vice and my words echo. You are my
partner in creation. Thank you. Without you, Sgt. Windflower would not exist.
Thanks. It was a very interesting interview. I've always been curious about how professional writers find their main job. It's no secret that writing rarely gives you a stable income. Many writers become freelancers. I have seen many such vacancies on the remotehub service. I think this is a good option for basic work until you write your masterpiece. There are also options for translators. Have you tried looking in such a service?
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