Interview with Crime Mystery Novelist Marta Stephens
Dorothy Thompson
November 21, 2008
Stephens holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism/Public Relations from Ball State University (IN) where she is employed in human resources. She is a member of Sisters in Crime International, Sisters in Crime Speed City Indiana Chapter, and the Midwest Writer's Workshop.
Stephens believes learning is a life-long adventure. Aside from her writing, she is trained in graphic and web design. She co-designed the award-winning book cover of her debut novel, Silenced Cry with friend Scott Parkison (IN), created the book trailer, and designed/administers her website, www.martastephens-author.com, her personal blog, http://mstephens-musings.blogspot.com, and the authors´ blog, MURDER BY 4 http://murderby4.blogspot.com.
Thank you for this interview, Marta. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book,The Devil Can Wait is all about?
The Devil Can Wait is the second book in the Sam Harper Crime Mystery series. The city of Chandler, Massachusetts is plunged into terror when the bodies of three local teenagers wash ashore. While Harper hunts down the guilty, a sinister plot emerges overseas. From the Vatican to the jungles of South America, a cursed black pearl ring, the demonic prophecy it represents, and the men who pursue its powers find their unfortunate way onto Harper's turf.
Enthralled by the ring's story and a front-page spread, newspaper reporter Jennifer Blake agrees to pick up the ring at a local pawnshop for her former college professor. When she does, unforeseen events shoot Blake to the top of Harper's prime suspect list. Soon, the seemingly unrelated cases converge and the heat is on for Harper to expose the truth behind a Vatican secret and stop the self-righteous man who does the unthinkable in the name of God.
Can you tell us what (or who) the inspiration behind writing your book was?
The story behind the story is true. It involved a quarrel and a cursed black pearl ring that nearly killed the object of a jilted young man´s affection. Filled with resentment, he begged her to take the ring as a parting gesture. Within days of accepting his gift, the young woman fell victim to a number of life-threatening accidents that came in quick succession. She survived each incident, but evil remained a constant threat to her life. It was only after she destroyed the black pearl ring that all appeared to return to normal.
Such was the spark behind The Devil Can Wait; fiction with a taste of the unexplained. I was an impressionable eight-year-old, unable to distinguish fact from fiction, yet that event seared itself into my mind. I was always intrigued by this event and the challenge to turn it into a suspense novel was just too irresistible to ignore.
Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?
The Sam Harper Crime Mystery Series was launched in April 2007, with the crime novel, Silenced Cry. It was followed on November 3, 2008, with the release of The Devil Can Wait. Both books were produced by independent publisher, BeWrite Books (UK). My relationship with BeWrite began in 2004 when they administered an authors´ forum and published some of my short stories online.
How has BeWrite Books been to work with?
Nothing less than great. I feel extremely fortunate that BeWrite has accepted my detective series. BeWrite publishes twelve books per year which allows them to give each author personalized attention. BeWrite has an editorial staff, contracts with graphics artists, secures a variety of promotional opportunities for their authors including reviews and interviews. I consider my association with BeWrite Books as a partnership in which we both work extremely hard to secure a win/win situation. Best of all, my publisher´s word is gold, a rare thing these days. Thank you for the opportunity to share this information about BeWrite Books with your readers.
Do you have an agent?
Not at the present time.
Can you tell us how long it took you to write your book and also how long it took from the time BeWrite Books sent the contract and the time it was released?
The Devil Can Waitwas originally written as a novella in 2004. It was actually the first book I wrote in the Harper series. I put it aside while I worked on the other books and it wasn´t until after the release of Silenced Cry in April 2007, that I began to expand The Devil Can Wait into a novel. By then, however, my writing style had changed and the characters were fully developed. I decided to toss the original 45,000 words and start over keeping only the essence of the plot. This rewrite was completed in 83 three days but work continued throughout the year until I submitted the manuscript to BeWrite in December 2007; I received my contract soon after. The delay between the submission, contract, and release date of November 3, 2008, was my choice. The crime in the The Devil Can Wait climaxes on Christmas Eve so although the book could have easily been published several months before, I requested a fall 2008 release.
Do you have any words of inspiration for other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?
Novels don´t materialize overnight. It takes time—often years of dedication, research, and a massive amount of hard work to turn that "great idea" into a polished page-turning story. Here´s a top ten list from me to you!
1. Nothing worth doing is without sacrifice. Are you willing and ready?
2. Never stop learning. It´s the key to keeping ideas fresh.
3. Know the mechanics of writing. Practice them until they become second nature to you.
4. Find your voice. It´s what will make you stand out in the crowd.
5. From beginning to end, the quality of the story depends on you. There are no magic wands, no shortcuts, or easy answers only hard work. Love what you do though and it won´t feel like drudgery.
6. If you´re lucky, you´ll find a few selfless souls who will guide you along the way. Network, give back, and pay forward as much or more than you have received because you never know where the road will lead or who you´ll meet along the way.
7. Listen to the advice given by those whose works you admire, but be sure to give your inner voice equal time.
8. Falling in love with your words can stifle improvement.
9. Find a critique group that will offer constructive feedback. A fresh pair of eyes is key to a polished read.
10. The limelight is brief so remember your "please" and "thank you" (see number 6).
In the end, the fine line between success and failure is totally up to you -- just as it should be.
What´s next for you?
There are several more books in the Sam Harper Crime Mystery Series. I hope to complete the next two by 2010. I´m also tossing around a few ideas for other novels as well as developing a few short stories for a mystery anthology.
Thank you for this interview, Marta. Can you tell us how we can find out more about you and your new book?
Thanks for having me! Please visit my website, www.martastephens-author.com to learn more about me and my writing. There you´ll find reviews, excerpts, past interviews, reader comments, an itinerary of my events and much more. You´ll also find me every week at MURDER BY 4, an authors´ blog.