Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
By day I am a stay-at-home-mom. And I have to say that this is probably the hardest job I’ve ever had (and that’s after working at places like Goodwill, MCL Cafeteria, and Captain D’s). My house is never clean! No matter how many dishes I do or toys I pick up, my two little ones come right behind me and make a whole new mess. Anyway, this is the first time I have not had some sort of job outside the home since I was 15. Kinda scary!
By night, I am… anything I want to be as I fling myself into the stories that constantly swirl inside my head. One of the main reasons I write is to read the stories that I wish other people were writing.
I live in Oklahoma with my husband, two small sons, two naughty puppies, and a mouse-killing cat. Now you know why I write FANTASY.
I have had one book published so far and its sequel is due to be published in the spring of 2017. I also have another book out on submission.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
In the Blood was published in March (2016). Years ago I bought a story collection called, The Maid of the North: Feminist Folk Tales from Around the World. One of the stories in this collection, “The Twelve Huntsman”, captured something in my mind and would not let go. It was filled with such vivid action and compelling themes that my imagination fired into full roar. So, I began writing a novel-length retelling of it.
But I soon saw that a literal retelling would become incredibly difficult given that there are twelve female characters, who all look almost identical. I decided to take a more figurative take and reduced the number of women down to three – two sisters and a cousin. And then the story kept taking very dark turns – turns into child abuse, neglect, suicide, abandonment, and public shaming. From this quagmire of material, one of the characters emerged and outshone the rest. Ottilde. From then on, I wrote just Ottilde’s story.
It might surprise some who have already read In the Blood, that Ottilde began life as a very different character. She was, in fact, the product of her mother’s rape. As such, she was hated and shunned by her mother’s husband, who Ottilde believed was her father.
Anyone given access to that early material might say I hated Ottilde because I piled crap on her that would have made Job finally throw in the towel. But out of all her suffering came greatness. She, in her own tragic story, was a central figure in the world I created, a mythic warrior crippled by her own humanity and suffering. One could have called her an anti-hero since, despite her many gifts and the fact that she was much sought after by those in power, she hated people in general and wanted nothing to do with serving her god or country.
I made her into a bitter loner, tormented by her past. The only people she allowed near her were her adopted family, people who took her in after her birth family and community cast her out – and they had to work damn hard to gain even the most rudimentary trust from her.
I actually had a complete novel out of that story. But I put it aside because it was an incredibly dark book and I wasn’t sure anyone would want to read such a depressing story (although it did have a really triumphant ending).
Then, I did National Novel Writing Month for the first time and completed a 50,000 novel (that I’ve yet to do anything with). The following January, my husband challenged me to write ANOTHER novel in a month in exchange for a prize. I just love people bribing me! So, I did it. I wrote a novel called The Witch’s Bargain about a young woman who is thrust into a perilous situation when a new overlord takes over her family’s ancestral estate. This was Oriabel’s story. She and her story have remained very similar to this original prototype, though I gave Oriabel a stiffer spine and a lower tolerance for hanky-panky from certain disreputable persons. In this version, Oriabel is forced into becoming the new lord’s concubine by her scheming stepmother in exchange for keeping the secret of her witchbreed nature.
I put this novel aside for over half a year. When I opened the document at last and read through it, I fell in love with the characters once more and decided to make something of it. But I felt that a novel confined to just one location might drag a little, so I tried to think of a way to introduce new locations into the plot. It was then I struck on Ottilde’s story, or at least part of it. I changed Ottilde to a tough but loving and loyal person rather than my embittered anti-hero. The rest… you’ll have to read the novel to find that out.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Recently, I’ve adopted writing on a treadmill desk. So, now I walk and write at the same time. Other habits – not sure if they’re unusual or not – are I have to incubate stories in my brain for a certain length of time before I can ever start writing. If I begin too early on a story, before it’s ready, the process falls apart and I end up putting the story away. I compose a lot of stories while driving in my car listening to music. Just the process of driving while inspirational music is playing, helps open up pathways in my mind. More often than not, I can get over snarls in a story that way.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hmm… I have many. I like different authors for different reasons. But here are a few I can definitely say have had an influence on me and my work: Sharon Shinn, Cormac McCarthy, Lynn Flewelling, Patricia Briggs, Grace Draven, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Orwell, Tamora Pierce, Michael Ende, Charles Dickens, J.K. Rowling, Tanith Lee, Scott Westerfield, Suzanne Collins, Joan D. Vinge, Stephen King, Edwidge Danticat, Charlotte Bronte, Louise Marley, Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Marge Piercy, Sarah Beth Durst, Michel Faber, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Margaret Atwood, Jane Austen, Sherman Alexie, Clare Bell, Joy Harjo, Roald Dahl, Patricia A. McKillip.
My all-time favorite book, though, is The Neverending Story. Over the years, it’s the book I return to time and again as my favorite because there is no other book like it. And I’m not sure there ever will be.
What are you working on now?
Since I have several book projects I’ve yet to complete, my husband has challenged me to complete two of them by 11:59 p.m. November 31st. One is a fantasy fairy-tale retelling and the other is the 3rd book of the Witchbreed series.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I honestly am not sure. Lakewater Press seems to have better luck than me promoting my work and they use mainly Twitter. So, I guess I would say Twitter. I’m a disaster at marketing myself!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
This is always such a loaded question because what works for one writer/artist won’t necessarily work for another.
But one piece of advice that I think works for everyone is this: be honest about your strengths and weaknesses; and be honest about what you want. Too many writers get into self-publishing with no idea how to put out a good product and/or how to market that product. For instance, I could produce a decently formatted book with a decent cover. But I’m HORRIBLE at marketing and getting my book into readers’ hands. So, for me, going with a small press and (as I hope to one day) working with a larger publisher is my best bet for getting my work out there. Even though I get a smaller cut of the profits. So, when you are ready to send your work into the world, sit down and make a very forthright list of your skills and wants.
And, if you ARE determined to self-publish, for the love of all that is holy hire a reputable, thorough editor!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the stories you want to read. Along with that, don’t follow trends, just write the story that is inside you.
What are you reading now?
Several books, actually: It by Stephen King, The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet, The Steel Seraglio by Mike Carey, and Marginalia to Stone Bird by Rose Lemberg
What’s next for you as a writer?
My foreseeable plans include continue writing in the world of the Witchbreed for Lakewater Press. But I also have a paranormal romance (without werewolves, vampires, faeries, or other magical creatures) that I am shopping around. And then I hope to start submitting my fantasy fairy-tale retelling next year (2017) once it’s completed and edited. I would also like to get into writing speculative poetry.
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?
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
Author Websites and Profiles
R. L. Martinez Website
R. L. Martinez Amazon Profile
R. L. Martinez’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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Great interview. You seemed authentic, funny and down to earth. In my interview, umma put your name down for who I’d like to be stranded with thing. Good luck.