Click Here To Read More About Mary Martin's Novels & Her Amazon Page

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Mary Martin author of The Osgoode Trilogy: Conduct in Question: Final Paradox A Trial of One.

Good day Mary and thanks for participating in our interview

Mary:

Thanks Norm, it’s great to be back.

Norm:

You have a new novel out, The Drawing Lesson and it’s the first in another trilogy. What can you tell us about it.

Mary:

This novel is set in the world of art. The protagonist, Alexander Wainwright is a representational painter and his nemesis, Rinaldo, is a conceptual artist. Right there is the conflict. The two men see the world in vastly different ways. Magical light creates stunning visions in Alexander Wainwright's landscape paintings. His most recent painting, The Hay Wagon, is a marvelous, moonlit scene, with an old-fashioned hay wagon dominating the foreground, with a beautiful, unearthly glow. Yet, at the pinnacle of his career, he is about to lose his muse. Not everyone appreciates his work. Rinaldo, a conceptual artist, mocks Alexander's bourgeois love of beauty, believing Alexander's success proves that the universe is chaotic and absurd. Determined to undermine, humiliate and ultimately destroy his rival, he defaces Alex's painting. Alexander brushes off the attack, but soon he has a frightening vision of misshapen, human-like creatures. These trolls start appearing in his art, and he is beset by questions. Who are these ugly beings? Has he lost both his light and his art? The creatures lead Alexander to journey from London to Venice and from Toronto to New York as he seeks to understand their meaning. He meets many people, each with a story to tell. Meanwhile, Rinaldo waits in New York City, intent on settling a score in The Drawing Lesson

Norm:

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? What keeps you going? As a follow up, how do you approach the work of writing?

Mary:

I think I was always interested in story. As a child I was fascinated to think that whole other worlds could be found in reading and then in writing. What kid doesn’t like to make up stories? After all, the characters are our creations and presumably we can decide their fates. It’s a bit like being god in a world we’ve created.

The reviews and responses to the writing are what keeps me going. When I submitted the Drawing Lesson to the publisher and the editor with his red pen, I worried that no one would really understand the novel. I wrote it over many years in bits and pieces. Scenes would float up to me from nowhere. All I knew was that I’d better get it down and see where it led. But the initial reactions to the novel were very gratifying.

As you know, I have written The Osgoode Trilogy [Conduct in Question, Final Paradox and A Trial of One]. All three novels were well reviewed, but with The Drawing Lesson [and it is the first in another trilogy] I have come to feel that somehow I was able to reach out and touch people where they lived. For me, that is tremendously satisfying.

Norm:

I understand you are now a full-time author, having given up the practice of law. How difficult or easy has it been to make this transition and what motivated you to do this? As a follow up, what does a typical writing day look like for you, from waking to turning in at night, and how does it compare to your previous occupation as a lawyer?

Mary:

After thirty years of practice, I was ready for something new. The law had been a great career for me. It put me in touch with so many people and their stories that I think that was what caused me to start writing. But there came a point where it was possible to retire from the practice, although I worked for another five years on a few clients affairs under powers of attorney and in estate work. One theme I liked to explore in my writing is the rather poor treatment of the elderly in our society. I have been in a lot of retirement and nursing homes and this has had a definite influence. But, because I was really ready for something new, it was very easy to leave the world of law and start writing.

Norm:

Can you tell our readers a little about The Osgoode Trilogy?

Mary:

Certainly. The Osgoode Trilogy is comprised of three novels, Conduct in Question, Final Paradox and A Trial of One. The protagonist throughout all three is Harry Jenkins, a lawyer practising law in Toronto. The trilogy is really a story of Harry’s evolution from a lawyer caught in a dead marriage and a law practice where he is dominated by the senior partner, Richard Crawford. By the end of the trilogy, Harry is his own man in charge of a thriving practice. One of the characters throughout is his love interest, Natasha, a beautiful and wise woman who helps Harry grow into the man he really is. Throughout the trilogy, Harry must deal with a serial killer, a mob boss and sundry other strange characters. Whatever violence there is the trilogy is geared toward Harry’s growth. He himself is non-violent by nature. I think one of the most violent acts which he commits is kicking a waste basket across the room. I like to set Harry certain questions. In Conduct in Question, its—“How much money is enough?” In Final Paradox, he wonders if love can be found amid fraud and deceit. I leave it to the readers to answer the question in A Trial of One.

Norm:

In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much is too much?

Mary:

I don’t know if there ever is too much. I would guess that the answer lies in the story itself. For example, if I create two characters—say a man and a woman, both of them librarians. And then, I have them go on a murderous spree while they’re on vacation. I think that might strain the reader’s credulity, but not if I hinted strongly at the “underside” as they shelved their books at work. [Actually…this could be pretty funny if done well.] But I suppose that the story can push the limits and fly off the rails unless it’s very well constructed so that the reader is “prepared”.

Norm:

What do you think makes a good story?

Mary

For me a good story depends a great deal on two things [maybe three]. First, you need believable characters who are well developed and stick with the reader. You really need to have a good plot. Having written the Osgoode Trilogy, which I call legal suspense, I really think in terms of plot. If things don’t happen in a way that keeps the reader’s attention riveted, I don’t think you have a great story. The third is this—I like to explore themes in my writing. For example, in The Drawing Lesson, the fundamental question is What kind of world do we inhabit? Then different characters have different answers. My protagonist Alexander Wainwright is Britain’s finest landscape artist. He believes that there is a secret, mysterious order to the universe. His rival, Rinaldo, claims that the universe is absurd, random and chaotic. For me, it’s the exploration of those sorts of questions which determine much of the plot. I try to have the plot in some way illustrate one view or another.

Norm:

How do you go about keeping the intensity of the plots throughout your narratives?

Mary:

I try to break the process down into segments. I regard the first draft as simply the beginning. I can stack all the pages of the first draft on the table and say “It exists. Now the real work begins. By the time I’ve completed the first draft, I have a pretty good idea where everything is going. But I know that I must go back over the manuscript many times first looking for where the plot may be weak or confusing. And so, it’s all part of a process. When I feel I’ve strengthened the plot, I’ll go back and check it over with the characters in mind. Then the smoothing and polishing can begin.

Norm:

Did you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?

Mary:

I think I’ve learned quite a bit about writing and what works for me. The most important things I’ve learned about writing is 1] you have to grow a third eye and ear. It was very difficult at first to stand back enough to see the story as a whole, organic thing. 2] to trust myself. I’ve written enough now that I figure that at least sub-consciously that I know what I’m doing. I needed to learn to trust that person inside. 3] in the first draft at least, just to let the creativity flow. There’s plenty of time ahead to bring in the critical function. So, first of all you have to get it “out” and onto the page. Also, the writing of these books has given me the opportunity to reflect at length on human nature, which has been interesting.

Norm:

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

Mary:

I’ve been very gratified by the reader response. It’s funny but women always liked Harry Jenkins a lot, but now I’m finding that both men and women like Alexander Wainwright. A positive review is wonderful. It keeps you going and it’s very special when you feel like you’ve really reached out and touched another person with your story.

Norm:

If you could switch places with a famous author, who would it be and why?

Mary:

Probably Robertson Davies. I read him a lot when I was younger and it is through his writing that I was introduced to Jungian psychology…and the force of mythology through reading all of Joseph Campbell’s writings. I’ve been very gratified by the fact that when I submitted the Drawing Lesson to the Joseph Campbell Foundation, they not only decided to carry it in their online bookstore but also they are adding it to their mythological resource base. www.jcf.org

Norm:

Has a review or profile ever changed your perspective on your work?

Mary:

The reviews have often greatly heartened me because I sense that I am connecting with people. Which is important to a writer who sits in her room alone all day!!

Norm:

Can you tell us how you found representation for your books? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish these type of books? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?

Mary:

My experience with the publishing industry has been very instructive. Any writer today is facing a new publishing landscape and that is a very good thing. It is much more promising for the writer. The business model for traditional publishing is broken. They do not have enough money to fund the publication of anything but a “sure thing.” That is why it is nearly impossible to break into the traditional world. I am a much too impatient person to waste time on perpetually waiting for an answer. What the indie world does is allows the writer full control over his work and that appeals greatly to me. It’s true that as an indie writer you have to put some money into the work yourself. But what’s wrong with that? Isn’t the inventor who labours alone in his basement and mortgages his house a sort of lone hero? Same thing with film.

Norm:

Where do you see yourself (with regards to writing) in the next five years?

Mary:

I certainly hope to be still writing. I want to have completed this new Trilogy of Remembrance and hopefully figured out another one. The problem is that I’m running out of “worlds” in which I feel comfortable…such as the law and art. I’ll have to think of something new. Perhaps I’ll write about a Jungian psychologist or his/her patient.

Norm:

What is next for Mary Martin and where can our readers find out more about you and your novels?

Mary

I’ve just completed the first draft of the next novel in the Trilogy of Remembrance. Provisionally it’s called the Fate of Pryde. Here’s the question: Have you ever met someone who seems to combine the very best and the very worst of humanity all in one person? For Alexander, that may be his brand new patron, Jonathan Pryde.

You can see my work to date at: www.thedrawinglesson.com and www.theosgoodetrilogy.com

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

Mary

Your very welcome. Thank you so much.

Click Here To Read More About Mary Martin's Novels & Her Amazon Page