- Please tell us about yourself?
Well, let’s see, I’m a retired nurse and former small business owner. I retired from nursing back in 1995 and then went into medical management. I spent some years managing a pharmacy and DME supply company before opening my own medical billing service in Oklahoma.
I spent twenty years in a not-so-good marriage before finding the courage to move on with my life. I’d pretty much resigned myself to spending the rest of my life alone when fate stepped in and threw me a curve. I met what turned out to be the love of my life in a chat room in 1997 and we’ve been happily together ever since. He was living in Oklahoma and I was in Tennessee when we met online, and it wasn’t long before he talked me into moving west! He was every fantasy I’d ever had all rolled up into one, and a few I’d never even imagined! The man positively oozes sex appeal and romance, and to top it off, he’s a decade younger than I am! People tell me that makes me a real life cougar J
Hubby and I’ve traveled all over the world, and lived in quite a few places. He’s originally from England, and has family all over the Orient so we never lack for places to travel to. Right now, we’re living in California near the ocean. That’s a first for me, since I spent most of my life in the south.
We don’t have children together, but I do have two beautiful stepdaughters who are in school in Minnesota and Oregon. We do have three baby boys that have a special place in our heart. Their names are Beau, Midnight and Bubba! No, I didn’t give them those redneck names. J We rescued them from shelters and they already had names they answered to. Beau is part Himalayan and 10 years old, Bubba is part Bengal and only 3 years old, while Midnight is just a plain ole alley cat and 7 years old. They weigh in at 22lbs, 20lbs, and 10lbs – that’s a lot of cat for a 2-bedroom apartment!
- What’s new? Can you share something about your latest work?
As far as my writing, my newest release is “Discovering Her Wolfen Heritage.” Siren/Bookstrand released it on December 30th and it’s something I’m very proud of. It’s the first book in a trilogy called “A Wolfen Heritage.” The trilogy centers on a family of wolf shapeshifters and is an erotic, thriller romance. The reviews it has been getting are phenomenal! I couldn’t be more pleased.
The second book of the trilogy, “Denying His Wolfen Heritage,” is about ready to be turned into my editor, and it will be quickly followed with the final installment “Changing Their Wolfen Heritage.” Since I have to multi-task to stay fresh with my ideas I’m also working on a few others at the same time. There is the sequel to “Table for Three” called “Catch Her When She Falls,” and a paranormal, erotic thriller called “Screams on the Mountain.” I’m counting on 2010 to be a banner year for my writing!
As far as what’s new on a personal front, well I’m recovering from surgery right now, but doing quite well. I’d suffered from Pulmonary Hypertension all my life, and been on oxygen for the last year. On December 22nd, I underwent gastric bypass surgery to make sure I could lose a lot of weight very quickly. The idea was that the excess weight was pressing in on my lungs and heart causing problems. I’m happy to say that as of two weeks prior to my surgery, I’ve lost
- What was your inspiration to begin writing?
It’s going to sound a little strange, but my husband, as a sort of therapy, goaded me into it. I suffered a series of strokes in 2002 that left me unable to communicate for quite some time. We discovered, by accident, that I could type out what I wanted to say even when I couldn’t make myself say the words.
I was forced to stop working after the strokes, with the knowledge that I would probably never be able to work outside the home again. I recovered for the most part, but still have problems with short-term memory.
I spent a couple of years just watching daytime television and reading romance novels. I think I had sunk into the pits of depression about as far as I could go when he decided he had to do something to bring me back. He told me that I’d read enough of those “silly” novels by then to be able to write one myself, and he dared me to do it. I pretty much ignored him for the longest time, until he started wanting to know why I was afraid to try. He knew exactly what buttons to push because I started giving it serious thought. It wasn’t long before I began writing “Table for Three”
The inspiration for it came from my own life. She’s a woman who spent twenty years in an abusive marriage (same here), who takes a chance and finally divorces her husband (same here), and moves away to start her life over (same here). She meets up with two men who just might be the loves she’s been looking for her entire life! Okay, you got it, “same here,” except that my love is only one man and Cass got two in the book! I guess you can’t have everything J.
- Do you have a favorite author?
I have a lot of favorite authors, for different types of genre. For erotic romance it is Leah Brooke hands down, although Diana Palmer runs a close second! For paranormal romance it is divided between Dana Marie Bell, Annmarie McKenna and Stormy Glenn. If I’m in the mood for mystery then I turn to Mary Higgins Clark, and action adventure has me pulling out the Clive Cussler. With my taste in reading so varied, it would be impossible for have only one favorite author.
- What do you like best about that author?
Hmm, well Leah’s books are the best of everything. They have romance, hot sex, drama and humor all rolled up into an interesting story. Once I start them, I can’t put them down. Diana Palmer’s “Long Tall Texan” series is a killer! It’s amazing to me that she’s been writing on it as long as she has, and still manages to bring back favorite characters and familiar story twists from time to time. I’ve never missed a one, and have them all in either hardback or paperback.
Dana Marie Bell’s “Halle Puma” series was what inspired me to want to create my own shapeshifter characters. She is a master at developing her characters and their inter-relationships. There’s so much humor, blended with the drama and romance that you’re literally kept on your seat during the story. Annmarie McKenna’s Mate series brought me my first taste of real suspense in a paranormal romance book, and her books “The Strength of Three” and “Blackmailed” were the first ménage books I ever read. They are what made me want to make “Table for Three” into a ménage. They had caused me to have so many fantasies that I had to put them down on paper!
Nobody can tell a mystery like Mary Higgins Clark, keeping you guessing and laughing until the end of the book. As for action adventure, Clive Cussler’s character “Dirk Pitt” is the modern day version of James Bond, only more interesting. When you throw in the fact that many of his underwater plots of sunken ships come from the real life experiences of Mr. Cussler, you can’t go wrong with his books!
- Do you prefer to write at a particular time of day or night? We’d love to know something about your writing process.
It’s a strange process really. I do my best thinking in the wee hours of the morning. I’m usually awake then because I suffer from insomnia something terrible. But the writing itself is only done during the day, after my husband leaves for work. I’ve found that I cannot write with him in the house hovering over me!
Because of my problems with short-term memory, all my books start as intricate outlines. I can do this anywhere because I do it on legal pads. I begin by creating all my main characters, giving them physical descriptions, personality traits, and defining their relationships to each other. I do some of the secondary characters at this time too, and of course add on characters later as needed.
Then I create an outline for the story itself. I don’t write out every word, but I do outline it scene by scene so I don’t forget anything. The outline will include any research I’ve needed to do to make the story more authentic. Once the outline is completed, I’m ready to start typing chapters.
- What do you find to be the most difficult part of writing?
Writing the love scenes is the hardest part for me. Because of my memory problems I have to make sure that all the love scenes in the book don’t sound the same.
I suppose the strangest thing I do in my writing is for my love scenes. I keep an excel chart describing each love scene I write for any book, keeping track of the words used, positions used, and every other detail. It keeps me from being repetitious in the sexual encounters of the book. Crazy sounding I know, but it works for me. J
- What is your favorite of your works?
“Discovering Her Wolfen Heritage” is my favorite so far. I think it’s because it was a paranormal romance and it allowed my imagination to run wild. There are fewer rules when you’re creating an imaginary world with fictitious characters, and I like that part of the creative process.
- Can you tell us where readers can purchase your works?
All my books can be found online with Siren/Bookstrand at http://www.sirenpublishing.com/missymartine/
while “Table for Three” can also be purchased at Mobipocket http://www.mobipocket.com/EN/eBooks/eBookDetails.asp?BookID=253408 and on Kindle at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Table-Three-Siren-Publishing-ebook/dp/B0030WDJRQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261953331&sr=1-1
http://www.bookstrand.com/node/805931
- What is the best way to reach you?
I can be reached through my website at www.missymartine.com
At my email address of: missymartine@comcast.net
On my Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000107833768
And at Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Missy_Martine
Thanks so much for having me as a guest; I’ve enjoyed telling you about myself! How vain does that sound? LOL If any of you visit my website please sign my guest book. I love to know when people have checked me out!
Post a Comment