Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Trudey Martin lives, works and writes in Lincoln, England. She has worked in social care for many years and likes to incorporate this experience into her writing. Trudey has previously written and directed plays and several academic articles but hadn’t until recently published a novel. Her first, No Deadly Medicine, introduces Verity Spencer as the protagonist. It is set in Lincoln, England and London and delves into the world of child trafficking. Trudey has always enjoyed reading suspense, crime and mystery thrillers and wanted to create a resourceful heroine, who she says contains elements of herself, but is “much more confident and resilient than I would ever be!”
There are now three full length books, and a short story, in the exciting, action-packed Verity Spencer series, in each Verity’s character develops, there is a hint of romance and there is some high-adrenaline adventure.
A fourth book will be released in early 2022.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest in the series is called Unring the Bell. In this book, Verity is asked to look into the cold case of a murder that happened ten years previously, when 11 year old Margaret-Elizabeth was abducted from her bed and strangled. All my books have some inspiration from the years that I worked in children’s social care, and this is no exception. I also wanted to explore how well people could cover up what they had done!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, I set out my plot and I’m a bit haphazard to start making notes in lots of different places – notebooks, work books, my phone, post-it notes!! Then I bring it all together into one place.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I loved the Matthew Scudder books by Lawrence Block – I really enjoyed the conversational style, as if the narrator was just talking to you, telling you the story of what happened. I also have enjoyed a host of action thrillers and mystery books from Agatha Christie to Steigg Larsson, and really admire female authors with strong female characters, like Val McDermid and Kathy Reichs. If I can emulate the suspense, the high-adrenaline page turning elements of these sort of crime thrillers, then I will be very happy.
What are you working on now?
I’m completing a short story, where Verity goes on holiday to Spain and gets embroiled in a mystery. Then I am starting book 4 in the series, which hopefully will be released in early 2022.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have an awesome group of followers on Twitter, a great set of people who have joined my list, and I also use promotional sites every now and then to get a little extra publicity. Local radio is another interesting avenue for promoting books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it!!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My Mum used to say, ‘we can’t all like the same thing, otherwise there would only be one book’. This is a great thing to fall back on when someone doesn’t think your book is the most amazing thing they’ve ever read, ha ha!
What are you reading now?
I’ve just started reading The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am going to keep on with the Verity Spencer series. I am also thinking of some spin-off series, featuring some of the main characters in the books, such as Sam Charlton and Mike Nash.
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?
Ooh that’s hard…I think I would definitely take at least one of the Matthew Scudder series by Lawrence Block. I’d take The Catcher in the Rye, that is my favourite ever book and it really captured me as a teenager. Then I’d take the latest Orphan X book, which is on my to read pile as I haven’t read it yet and I’d have to take The Shadow Hour to find out how that ends!
Author Websites and Profiles
Trudey Martin Website
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