Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve always been writing. I wrote dreadfully bad poetry and short stories when I was a teenager, then went on to write a pretty crappy first book at the age of 15. My dad read it and advised me to take up photography (still a passion of mine). Thankfully, things have improved a bit!
I have written three books: Ashgrove Park, which is a full-length gothic horror novel; Where Sunflowers Grow, which is a novella told through 56 vignettes and set in WWII Italy; and Cats, Dogs and Feathered Gods, a collection of my poems.
I am currently working on ‘On Jacaranda Street’, which is book No. 2 in the ‘A Jack & Bea Mystery’ series (Ashgrove Park is book No.1). ‘On Jacaranda Street’ is set in my hometown of Sydney, Australia in the 1920s. I now live in New Zealand – Kiwi parents and New Zealand has always been my second home.
My writing is featured in various international journals, and I’ve won poetry and writing competitions. But what I really like to do is tell a darn good adventure tale, usually featuring a strong-minded woman. Of course, a touch of romance doesn’t hurt, either.
By day, I write for the World History Encyclopedia (the biggest online history resource), and as an editor for a Canadian publisher.
I have three dogs – one grand diva English Pointer named Zsa Zsa; and two young smooth fox terriers, Zoe and Ziggy. Ziggy is a character in Ashgrove Park.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ashgrove Park is my latest book. It was inspired by my interest in a few things – spirit photography at the end of WWI, and how men often suffered shell shock. Millions of people died during WWI and from the Spanish flu in the war’s aftermath – spirit photography was a popular way of coping with grief, but fraudulent photographers often took advantage.
My main character, Lieutenant Jack Collingwood, suffers from shell shock and recuperates at a stately home in East Sussex (where my paternal grandmother was from) – he is not sure if what he sees at Ashgrove Park is a result of his shell-shocked mind or reality. There’s a dark force that stalks the halls of Ashgrove Park – is what Jack sees and senses real?
I combine this with spirit photography (as Jack was a photographer before the war) and seances (also popular post-war). One of my other characters is Madame de Clermont, a flamboyant American spiritualist who helps Jack understand that there is indeed a dark force and only he can resolve the curse that has been hanging over Ashgrove Park for 30 years and solve the mysterious deaths that have occurred.
Along the way, Jack must save the woman he loves, Lady Beatrice Ashgrove.
I describe the novel as part gothic fiction, part historical fiction, part paranormal romance, with a dash of ghost fiction thrown in. A real mash-up!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure it is unusual, but I like to plan a book by taking Post-it notes in various colours and plonking them on a large sheet of paper. I shuffle these notes around (which have ideas on them or character names or words) until I feel a sense of plot coherence. I usually colour-code everything too. So, blue might be for character arc; yellow might be for fast-paced action and so on.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Growing up, I was addicted to Wilbur Smith novels. Still am. I like to read novels from the 1920s up to the 1950s or so – Daphne du Maurier, Elizabeth Harrower, Lawrence Durrell, James A. Michener, Elizabeth von Arnim (whose book, Vera, was said to have inspired du Maurier’s Rebecca). They have all inspired me with their sweeping stories.
More modern writers who have influenced me are the Australian author, Colleen McCullough, Sarah Moss, Sarah Perry, Kate Mosse, Robin Hobb, Kate Atkinson, Tim Winton, Fiona Kidman.
What are you working on now?
I am working on the outline for book No. 3 in ‘A Jack & Bea Mystery’ series – Moon Silver Hill. The setting will be Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1920s. Moon Silver Hill (a grand old home) is built on a site used during the Salem witch trials. Madame de Clermont (who appears in book No. 1, Ashgrove Park) discovers she had an ancestor who was accused of witchcraft. Everyone quickly learns that not all spirits have been put to rest.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Using your family and friends isn’t going to be too much help because after they’ve bought your books (or haven’t!) you need a strategy to get your books out there. I find Twitter and Instagram effective. There are a lot of writers and writing groups on Twitter that you can hook into. You have to be consistent but don’t annoy people by constantly talking about your book or asking people to buy. Share books by other writers or talk about the books you are reading and enjoying. Goodreads is also a great way to connect with potential readers. And, of course, Awesome Gang!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn the craft. Hire an editor. Write as often as you can. Doesn’t matter if it’s not Hemingway – writing is like a muscle, you have to exercise it regularly.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t get caught up in your ego. Be humble. Write the tale you would like to read and hope people will like it.
What are you reading now?
White Fox by Sara Faring. As Macmillan put it:
A remote family estate.
A missing movie star mother.
A lost film script that is part fairytale,
Part clue to everything.
A jolly good ghost story.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Try to figure out how I can write a little bit faster. I have at least six books in the head! Plus a couple of poetry collections in mind.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell.
Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth.
Author Websites and Profiles
K.V. Martins Website
K.V. Martins Amazon Profile
K.V. Martins’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account
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