We’re delighted to welcome author R.L. Martinez to the Pantry today. With her first fantasy, In the Blood, released today (review to come), it seems like a fitting time to question her about all things writing related!

Hi R.L., thank you so much for joining us. So, let’s start at the beginning, what were you like at school? Were you good at English?

I was one of those middling students – not popular, but not an object of ridicule. In high school I took part in colour guard so I had a small, tight circle of friends I enjoyed spending time with.

Besides maths, school was pretty easy for me so I maintained high grades throughout college and university – particularly in English and literature classes. But I think the main reason for that is I actually love to learn. I think I would still be in school today if I could afford it. And I was always an avid reader, so I had bits and pieces of information floating around in my brain at all times.

Do you write full-time or part-time? Do you have a special time to write, or how is your day structured?

Well, that’s a tricky question. I stay at home (my husband works) but not necessarily by choice. I’ve tried finding paying work outside of the house for three years now and have been unsuccessful. And, though you would think that allows me to write all day, I have two small sons (four and six years old), one of whom is not in school yet. So, I’m not able to spend very much time on my writing during the day.

How do you think you’ve evolved creatively since the first thing you wrote?

One of my biggest developments as a writers is losing my penchant for over description and purple prose. College and various writing workshops/critique sessions have whittled me down to a cleaner, more straightforward storyteller. I sometimes still meander towards overwriting, but am better able to see that when doing revisions. Plus, I have beta readers and an editor who help shave off unnecessary descriptions and words.

This book is part of what looks set to be a bestselling series; tell us a little about it?

The Witchbreed is a loose trilogy that follows members of the Dominax family and their adventures (e.g. misadventures) in a pre-industrial world on the verge of world war. The first two books revolve around twin sisters Oriabel and Ottilde Dominax, while the third book focuses on Oriabel’s child.

Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors? What book/s are you reading at present? If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?

Reading is my second favourite pastime! I try to read a book a week – though that doesn’t always happen. Some of my favourite authors are Sharon Shinn, Jane Austen, Stephen King, Marge Piercy, Joy Harjo, Margaret Atwood, Charles Dickens, Sherman Alexie, Toni Morrison, and Michel Faber.

Hmmm… If I could have authored any book… well, I guess I would say I wish I had already authored the books that are still in my pipeline. I wish they were all already out in the world.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers? Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?

1. Keep EVERYTHING you write. Even if you think it’s horrid and will never use it, keep it.
2. Read. A lot. Nothing irritates me more than hearing other authors dismiss the need to read widely and deeply. And you might be surprised to know just how many writers think reading is unimportant to their craft. To me, that is the height of disrespect and amateur thinking.

For readers I would say, don’t force yourself to read a book you aren’t absolutely loving – I say that even if you are reading MY book at the moment. What a waste to slog through stories that do not engage you! Life is way too short for that sort of nonsense.

As for writers hoping to be published, I advise taking a good, honest look at your skills when deciding between indie and traditional publishing. For example, I like many aspects of indie publishing (ultimate control over product being paramount), but I just do not have the marketing mind to make it successful. So, I might be able to put out a decent book with a pretty cover, but it will never go anywhere because I don’t know how to get it into readers’ hands. Take a look at my one – and only – indie-published title, Wild Horses Don’t Stop at Whoa. I have still never received a penny for it because I’ve never been able to reach the minimum number of sales for Amazon to send me a royalty check.

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful? How can readers discover more about you and you work?

Write a review! Reviews and person-to-person recommendations are the best marketing out there. Every time you tell someone about an author you’ve enjoyed, you’ve helped increase that author’s reach.

If you want to learn more about my work, visit my website at http://robinLmartinez.com

Yes, we say definitely check out and follow R.L., if the first reviews of her book are anything to go back, she’s about to make some serious waves in the fantasy book network! And, if you’d like to read – and review! – In the Blood, these links might help!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Witchbreed-Book-1-ebook/dp/B019X8WCWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458575808&sr=8-1&keywords=in+the+blood+martinez

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121315.R_L_Martinez

Thanks so much for joining us, R.L., we wish you all the best!

Can you tell Ink Pantry about your Video Theatre?

My Video Theatre project had varied reasons for its emergence; personal and professional reasons dictated a new start. When I left Sheffield, I no longer had a band or studio. I’ve always wanted to ‘get on with it’, and also finding the right band can be a long and disappointing task. Moreover, studio allows for your full imagination and bands have been a skeletal idea – like acoustic versions of an idea. I wanted to draw on all my musical inspirations in a flexible, eclectic way. It has allowed me to explore with complete freedom from classical to dub, prog and pop. Anything! I like the holistic, and wanted to explore my interest in the elements of all the arts, hence each song has its own symbolic video that relates to the lyrics via a collection of animated stills. I play with the relationships relating the translation in a kind of vice versa symbiosis. So metaphors become literal and so forth. It’s fun!

I didn’t want it to be a simulation so I make it obvious that it’s a studio production. I mix the tracks via PA at volume; very dry so it has a live flavour. The beats are basic and percussive and the sounds are cut and paste loops, like how dance music is created. The bass parts are BIG and done as performance with traditionally played bass, which for me is crucial. The organic flavour creates the juxtaposition against the laptop; the irony – Primitively Modern: the title of the project. The overall content explores this concept throughout from Mayan history to modern issues. The stuff we talk about round the campfire!

You have been writing lyrics for many years. Can you give us a history of your journey as a songwriter? 

My journey as a lyricist has emerged from the punk ideal. Allowance to speak. Having something to say was the motivation to play. An observational approach has diversified over the years and inspiration now comes from spiritual issues and imagining being born under a paving slab!

Can you share with us a couple of your own favourite lyrics?

There are many of my lyrics I like. The crap gets thrown away. One of my faves is anecdotal; simple but big like a haiku. ‘Rooms in houses uncannily did this to me.’ This comes from a focus on idiosyncrasy/constructs. ‘Rooms in Houses’ is from a collection of songs called ‘Common Scenarios of Quite a Strange Man’.

Who inspires you, lyrically? 

Again, loads of inspiring lyrics and writers. Peter Gabriel’s US album is lyrically beautiful, and the Lighthouse Family say some nice things. In contrast, I like the inarguable and simple statements that Discharge used to make too. Hawkwind’s single sentence ‘Space is there’ is, of course, implosively poetic.

Do you read a lot? What book has affected you the most?

Never get time to read. A Kestrel for a Knave has done much to shape the way I think, particularly the implications in institutionalised learning. Billy’s skills and motivations are not on the curriculum. When he finds his true interest, he’s an A-star pupil.

You live on a boat, away from the rat race. Is this the perfect, peaceful setting for a creative person? 

Paint a picture of your day for us.

I live two lives on the boat; week on, week off with my boys. This is a good symbiosis because my domestic week grounds me from a workload that has me awake at ridiculous times and drinking too much coffee. It is delightful when I get to do boater things. I like the resourcefulness such as having solar energy, sawing logs, etc. The relaxing moments with candles, fire and hooting owls are well earned. Of course, my ever changing ‘garden’, I’ve no doubt, is unconsciously calming and inspiring.

Do you think like a poet, perhaps in images, or do ideas come first, then images?

I think in an integrated way, but the visual arts have much to do with the abstraction. It’s all about juxtaposition, texture, composition. I work lyric to maximise meaning in a mind map way and choose words that strengthen a previous reference; like an echo. Put simply…moon, dark, night, stars, etc. It seems obvious but clearly when writing it’s more interesting than that. It has to be, of course!

How do you motivate yourself to write? Or is it an innate passion that constantly needs release?

I used to sit and sing nonsense with guitar and catch/shape lyric as it spilled out. These days, I build soundscapes starting with experimental sounds and loops as well as conventional playing. The ‘painting’ in turn inspires lyric and story.

What do you care about? Which themes keep cropping up in your work?

Spiritual freedom, harmony, peace and being happy. I used to have a lot to say. Now I change the world from where I can actually do something about it – from within. I trust my feelings. I try to be nice. I’m absolute about boundaries. If I’m uncomfortable, I have the right to leave and not have to answer for it.

Tell us about one of the best days of your life.

I have two best days: the days my boys were born. I love them to bits – as you do! They map my future and fill me with purpose. They grow and provide me with continually changing interest.

Any plans for future projects?

Every intention for continual future projects. I have irons in a few fires. I’ve been enjoying writing top lines with harmony for some great producers recently and now have an opportunity to travel too. The variety is great stimuli and takes me to fresh musical/lyrical places (mainstream with a touch of craft). Such co-writes yet again present new landscapes from the imaginations of other artistes, thus stimulating new lyric territory. It helps give my own work a rest and recharge. My Video Theatre remains paramount as it is the vehicle for my deepest thoughts and experiences. It also grants poetic licence unlike the former, which comes with a label brief. Quite difficult at times.

https://www.facebook.com/thevideotheatre/?fref=ts
 

‘This is not an autobiography. I would never write a history of myself. On the other hand, throughout my young days at school and just afterwards, a number of things happened to me that I have never forgotten…I didn’t have to search for any of them. All I had to do was skim them off the top of my consciousness and write them down. Some are funny. Some are painful. Some are unpleasant. I suppose that is why I remembered them so vividly. All are true.’

At some point, probably within our earlier years of life, countless of us will have been captivated and enthralled by the words of Roald Dahl – a gifted writer who brought his imaginative stories to life with a succession of memorable fictional characters in books such as: ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘The BFG’ & ‘James and the Giant Peach’.

A lesser-known book of the author – who would have celebrated his 100^th birthday in 2016 – is a 1984 autobiography, simply entitled ‘Boy’. Within these pages lie a multitude of adventures and tales from the author’s childhood during the 1920’s and 30’s. It is also the first half of Roald’s autobiographical accounts, being followed by his amazing story during World War II in a book entitled ‘Solo’ – a thoroughly recommended read.

‘Boy’ begins in his father’s native Norway and gives a fascinating account of the Dahl family.  At times, even though the accounts are true, it’s difficult not to get caught up in Roald’s writing style and wonder if he is building up more fascinating characters for a new novel. Tales abound, such as how his father lost an arm aged 14, yet successfully managed to adapt without it and never saw it as a problem in life…the only mild inconvenience ever aired being the fact that he could never manage to remove the top from a boiled egg.

Clearly, school years play a pivotal role in Roald’s childhood and it is here that we gleam fascinating insights into life during the 1920’s. In particular the reader is witness to the cruel barbarity of life within the interior of educational facilities; mostly undiscovered by the parents of the poor children enduring often-terrible treatment by vicious teachers.

Not that Roald was an angel. Carried along by his words, the reader is exposed to the planning and operation of ‘The Great Mouse Plot of 1924’ – a true escapade of naughty boys doing naughty things.  With a suitably wincing expression we can also discover how adenoids were removed in the 1920’s and also how Roald nearly lost his nose when the entire Dahl family decided to drive an early, massive car along tiny country lanes, complete with just an hour’s driving lesson. (No tests required back then).

The writing style of the book is magnetic, but then it’s Roald Dahl and perhaps we might expect nothing less from a writing master. However, there is something magical occurring between the pages of ‘Boy’. Writing this in 1984, Roald was already 68 years of age and yet the writing appears fresh; spoken like a child in a child’s wondrous, enquiring voice.

Through his words we witness the horror of public schools, with often-vile headmasters and the rigmarole of ‘fagging’. Yet we also hear of pleasant, inspiring teachers. We also visit the Norwegian fjords and delight in Roald’s innocence at encountering such natural beauty, alongside his loving, caring family.

By the time we reach the final pages of the book we have walked alongside Roald through his entire childhood and watched him arrive at a responsible adulthood, just prior to the outbreak of war in 1939. The fact that this is the easiest of processes is due to the beautiful writing structure of Roald Dahl.

Always the story-teller.

 ‘The writer walks out of his workroom in a daze. He wants a drink. He needs it. It happens to be a fact that nearly every writer of fiction in the world drinks more whisky than is good for him. He does it to give himself faith hope and courage. A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul and that I am sure is why he does it.’