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 Flower Power: An Interview with Martha PowersBy Susan McBride Where there’s a will, there’s a way. That’s how Martha Powers sees it. The author of the new suspense novel BLEEDING HEART could never be described as a wallflower. Read our review of Bleeding Heart. Martha Powers is more like the prickly pear that grows in impossible conditions and is incredibly obstinate. It’s that "never say die" attitude that helped her snag the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart unpublished manuscript contest in the Regency category years ago, which led to a contract for her first book and a career as an award-winning romance novelist. However, it’s the story behind the publication of her debut suspense thriller SUNFLOWER in 1998 that shows the width and breadth of her determination. And that’s one story I’ll let Martha tell in her own words. SUSAN McBRIDE - So, how did you come to sign with Simon & Schuster? I just love to hear about an author being so bold! MARTHA POWERS - Although I’d always wanted to write mysteries, my first books were Regency romances. When I had an idea for a suspense thriller, my editor at the time was not interested. I decided to take the plunge and just write the book. It took me two years to get the story and my style to work together for what I thought was an exciting read. I spent another frustrating two years trying to get an agent. One night, I was watching an interview show and Michael Korda, the editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, was on. He’d always been a personal hero of mine and the one editor I’d be thrilled to have read my manuscript. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I sent him a query letter and told him about my book. Miracle of miracles, he asked me to send it. A month later, he called and, after talking about why he wasn’t going to buy this book, he invited me to New York. After a month of shopping, I headed to New York to meet him. I had an agent by then, and she had asked if I had another proposal. I sent an old one I’d been working on, and she had forwarded it to Mr. Korda. We were meeting in a fantastic restaurant, and I assumed that at the end of dinner Mr. Korda would tell me, if I ever finished another book, he’d be happy to take a look at it. I was more nervous than I’d ever been in my life, so I worked out a solid two-pronged strategy for the evening. First, I would try not to spill anything on my white blouse, and, second, I would try not to knock anything over. It was touch and go because when he started discussing my proposal, my hands started to shake more than ever. My reward came at the end of the dinner when he said that, if I could make the changes we had discussed, he would buy the book. Luckily, my agent remembered what those changes were, and Michael Korda did buy the book. SUNFLOWER was published in September of 1998, and my new thriller BLEEDING HEART is in stores now. Let’s talk about BLEEDING HEART. Where did the idea for this novel come from - your imagination or a real story you’d read in the papers? Once when I was shopping with my children in a department store, my son hid from me underneath a clothing rack. I called for him, and he thought he was being funny when he didn’t respond. The ten minutes he was missing was the longest period of time. One second he’d been beside me, and the next second he was gone. It was my daughter who found him while two saleswomen and I frantically searched the clothing department. All I could think about was how quickly he had disappeared and how one minute of inattention was all that was needed to lose something so precious. I doubt I ever went anywhere with the kids again without worrying that one of them would disappear. Both BLEEDING HEART and SUNFLOWER feature a story line with children as victims. Why did you decide to go this route? When you get right down to it, the only thing parents want for their children is health, safety and happiness. Material things don’t matter. They come a distant second to the welfare of the kids. As a parent, I could control most of my children’s lives while they were little. But once they went out into the world, I felt helpless to protect them in many areas. When I talked to other mothers, they had the same fears. We discussed the things that frightened us most: disease, parents’ illness and death, and our terrors in raising children. My writing about it is just an extension of that process. If I write about it, maybe it won’t happen. Sort of like whistling in the dark. You formerly wrote romance novels - in fact that’s how you started in this business. How many were published and were they released under a pseudonym? I wrote nine Regency romances under the name Martha Jean Powers, Martha Powers, and Jean Paxton. I belonged to a romance writing group, and they literally taught me how to write as I worked on my first book. As a history major, I had no clue what the mechanics were to frame a story, let alone market it. I entered the Romance Writers of America contest for unpublished authors, and I won for the Best Regency. The editor who judged my entry bought the book. What made you decide to cross over from romance into mysteries? What is it about crime fiction that’s so compelling? I was a hardcore Nancy Drew reader. Although I read historical novels, my heart belonged to the mystery market. I consumed them and wanted desperately to write one. I’m drawn to the fear factor and the solving of puzzles. I’m not big on "angst" books. I tend to be pragmatic and have a deep belief in justice and punishment. My favorite book as a child was THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. I’ve read it probably fifty times, so you can see ingrained in my writing the need for the victim to be avenged. I belong to the old-fashioned school of an eye-for-an-eye. How does your writing process work? Do you have set hours when you're at the keyboard everyday? Do you make an outline before you begin a new book? I have a very poor work ethic. The beginning of a book is sheer agony for me. I will stall as long as I possibly can before I get something on paper. I want it to be the best it can be and that tends to hold me up in places. I generally start with a crime. When the book opens, I want the reader to be dropped in the middle of a situation and then flounder around like the main character, trying to figure out why something has happened. It’s the old theory of starting the book with a dead horse in the living room. The reader immediately wants to know how, why, etc. I work the story over in my head and try to get some sort of vague outline on paper, but leave myself open to anything new that comes up in the writing. I always know the ending, because that’s the most important scene. If you don’t like the ending, you won’t want to read any more of my books. What’s next now - another mystery? My next project is a move from Illinois to Florida. Once that’s completed, I’ll get back to the writing. I’m doing the head work on a new mystery. Like the first two, it will be set in the Midwest and will involve someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t know if it will be a child-in-jeopardy book. Any feedback on this would be most appreciated. I’d like a little peek into what you’re currently reading. What’s at the top of your TBR pile? At the top of my pile is the second Harry Potter book. I wanted to find out the appeal of the books and loved the first one, so I ordered all the rest. On the mystery side, I’m waiting for the new Dick Francis, SHATTERED. I love theater and Sue Sussman has a new one out, CRUISING FOR MURDER. She has the most wonderful main character. And of course, I’m waiting for the new Susan McBride book OVERKILL, since I loved the characters in AND THEN SHE WAS GONE. (Thanks, Martha!) What’s the best part about being an author? The worst? The best part is seeing the final copy of the book, and knowing that it was all pulled together by a mind that can’t seem to remember three things on the grocery list when I’m at the store. It’s hearing from people who read something that struck home with them. I don’t feel I have any great insights on life. I write about ordinary women who are forced by circumstances to be stronger than they’ve ever been. They are the kind of women I would like to be, and I think it makes me a better person in the process. The worst part is reading reviews. On the first book, I agonized over every word in a review until I finally understood that it’s totally subjective. I don’t like every book I read, so why should I expect everyone else to like mine? Now I try to avoid looking at reviews. I’m not immune to worrying, just trying to make a conscious effort not to drive myself nuts. What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Write the book of your heart. Write the kind of book you would like to read. Learn what you can and then trust in your talent. Network like crazy, because it’s a tough business and getting tighter every year. Most of all, stick to it. It you want it badly enough, you’ll get published. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the aggravation once you see the book in print. There are endless opportunities to get published: magazine articles, regional magazines and presses, ebooks, or you can spray paint it on the subway walls. Go for it! Anything I missed that you’d like readers to know about you or your books? Buy them often and encourage friends to buy. How can readers reach you? They can email me at MJPowers@aol.com. |
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