Q&A: Mike Martin, Author of A Tangled Web @mike54martin

Mike Martin was born in Newfoundland on the East Coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a longtime freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand. He is the author of Change the Things You Can: Dealing with Difficult People and has written a number of short stories that have published in various publications including Canadian Stories and Downhome magazine.

The Walker on the Cape was his first full fiction book and the premiere of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series. Other books in the series include The Body on the T, Beneath the Surface, A Twist of Fortune and A Long Ways from Home.

A Long Ways from Home was shortlisted for the 2017 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award as the best light mystery of the year. A Tangled Web is the newest book in the series.

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About the Book:

Title: A TANGLED WEB
Author: Mike Martin
Publisher: Booklocker
Pages: 338
Genre: Mystery

BOOK BLURB:

Life is good for Sgt. Wind­flower in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. But something’s missing from the Mountie’s life. Actually, a lot of things go missing, including a little girl and supplies from the new factory. It’s Windflower’s job to unravel the tangled web of murder, deceit and an accidental kidnapping that threatens to engulf this sleepy little town and destroy those closest to him. But there’s always good food, good friends and the love of a great woman to make everything better in the end.

A TANGLED WEB is available at Amazon.

As a book bloggin’ and book luvin’ Princess, I’m always curious to find out how authors got the ideas for their books.  Can you tell us what your book is about?

A Tangled Web is the latest book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series which is set in Newfoundland, on the easternmost tip of Canada. It is the latest adventure for Sgt. Windflower and while there are crimes and even murders, there is also great friends, food and adventure. The series is short on police procedures and long on finding the joy in everyday life.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters of your book?

Sgt. Winston Windflower is a Cree RCMP officer from a remote community in Alberta who finds himself stationed in a small fishing community far from home and everything he knows. Windflower is kind but strong, and fiercely loyal to his friends and family. He tries to stay connected to his Indigenous spirituality and to be open to new ideas and new people who come into his life.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would that be?

Read more. Write more. Take more chances and put myself out there. It took me a long time to learn that lesson. That to be a better writer you have to be a better reader and to practice, practice, practice your craft.

What would you say is one of your interesting writing quirks?

I write fiction from my heart and non-fiction from my head. The Sgt. Windflower Mystery series started when the main character came out of the fog and began telling me the story. I just wrote it down,

Do you hear from your readers?  What do they say?

Readers are very kind. Fans of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series have taken ownership of the main characters and welcomed them into their lives. In fact, they make the story come alive. Many of them write or comment on Facebook about how much they enjoy the series. One of them just lost her husband and told me that reading A Tangled Web gave her some comfort in very difficult times. That’s why we write these stories.

What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

I think at the beginning some people were tough on my writing because they felt it could be better. Better written, better edited, better proof read. At the time I felt hurt, but now I know that it helped me become a better writer. And to ensure that my products would be solid and professional in every regard.

What has been your best accomplishment?

I think that writing and publishing a book is a great accomplishment. I am reluctant to say that this is my best accomplishment because my goal is to create a better book every time. I’m not finished writing yet, so my best accomplishment lies ahead.

Do you Google yourself?

Not myself, but my latest book. I want to see if there are any new reviews or comments. I read all reviews and while I like the good ones, I use the others to improve. The only ones I truly ignore are one-star reviews. Those say more about the reviewer than the book.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

I have a couple kicking around and ideas for another half dozen in outline or summary. There’s never a shortage of ideas. Only a scarcity of time.

Fun question – if you were princess or prince, what’s one thing you would do to make your kingdom a better place?

I would have a day when only the women and girls spoke and on the day after the males would have to tell them one important thing they heard. That might clear up a lot of confusion and open the door to another level of communication.

Do you have anything specific that you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you for being a reader. You make my fictitious world come alive. Without you, I would be yelling down into a canyon. You give my vice and my words echo. You are my partner in creation. Thank you. Without you, Sgt. Windflower would not exist.