Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
Mary lives in Magna, a little town west of Salt Lake City, Utah. Together with her husband, she has six grown children, and six wonderful grandsons and five beautiful granddaughters. She loves to spend time with family and friends–she includes good books as friends!
Mary and her husband love to travel, especially to the Caribbean for relaxing, and Italy for the wine. And most recently she discovered she was Irish and Scottish, of course they had to visit Ireland and Scotland. Mary fell in love with both, but the green hills of Ireland felt like home. With the experience from the exotic places she has visited, she is able to fill her books with colorful descriptions of cities, painting a colorful backdrop for her characters. One of her favorite US destinations is New York/Brooklyn, where her beloved Beckett’s live. When she visits, she can wander their neighborhoods, favorite parks, and visit their favorite pub, Putnum’s.
They are avid concert ‘Ho’s’! Yes, they pretty much want to do them all. They love outdoor amphitheaters the best and attend as many during the warmer months as possible.
Mary writes mostly romantic suspense, romance, women’s fiction, and she has just begun to dabble in young adult mystery. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA). During her writing career she has been a conference coordinator, workshop presenter, and chapter president for the Utah Chapter of RWA. In 2007 she was presented with the Utah RWA service award in acknowledgment and appreciation for outstanding service. Mary has also participated in numerous library panels on writing and co-presented a workshop on writing a series at the League of Utah Writers conference.
Mary and her husband are also enthusiastic college football fans. They have season tickets to the UTES, University of Utah Football and they tailgate every game. They love tailgating so much, that they were married at a tailgating in 1999.
GO UTES!
What is/are the story(ies) behind your book(s)?
All my books have a different story. Watching Jenny, I was driving to the day job, listening the radio as loud as come be and a song by Alanis Morissette. And that was all it took for an idea to bloom. A rock star, a band, and a stalker.
What inspires/inspired your creativity?
Life in general. Every day I can find something to spark an idea. I have pages of ideas that I carry with me at all times.
How do you deal with creative block?
Take a walk. I find if I cannot move on in the story I will take a walk and let me mind wander. Or if I am at a writing retreat I will brainstorm with my writing friends. Sometimes getting another POV on a scene will help start my thought process again.
What are the biggest mistakes you can make in a book?
Lose the reader’s attention. The story needs to be interesting, compelling, and always moving the story moving.
Do you have tips on choosing titles and covers?
Make sure the title isn’t too long, something memorable. One to three words. And the cover needs to be relevant to the current covers on the market. If you have no graphic talent find a good cover artist. I use LDMgraphics.com
How do bad reviews and negative feedback affect you and how do you deal with them?
I do my best NOT to read reviews.
How has your creation process improved over time?
I feel myself getting better, but when a reader tells you they can see your improvement, you know it’s true. How has it happened? Write, write, write. I guess that would be practice.
What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?
The connection I feel to my characters. They are like real people. I feel I have walked their neighborhoods, they favorite haunts, etc. By the time I finished the 6th book of the Beckett’s I had walked their neighborhoods, and they were my friends.
What are your plans for future books?
I just completed a fantasy. I’m in the editing process. It spans from before the measurement of time through contemporary time.
Tell us some quirky facts about yourself.
I listen to music. And not just any music, it goes with the story. Watching Jenny I listened to Gwen Stafani and Alanis Morissette. With this new fantasy since the setting starts and finishes in Ireland I listen to the Celtic Woman and other Irish folk songs.
When can you find Mary?
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Martinez/e/B006MWJ1T6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaryMartinez/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marylmartinez
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormarymartinez/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/marylmartinez3/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTww3B2ofa11UPFrSe0WGAg