Bio of Martha Reynolds: She’s a graduate of Providence College and studied at the Universite de Fribourg in Switzerland. Martha returned to Switzerland numerous times and is always looking forward to her next trip. Recently, she ended an accomplished career as a fraud investigator (many stories to tell!) and now writes full-time. Martha and her husband, and their little dog Bonnie, live in Rhode Island, never far from the ocean.
Q & A with Martha Reynolds
Describe yourself in five sentences: I’m living proof that it’s never too late to pursue a dream. Even when I was doing something I didn’t like, I always tried to do it well. When I stopped looking for the perfect man, I found the right man. I inherited my mother’s propensity to gain weight, and (fortunately) my father’s sense of humor. I have an older sister and a younger sister; yep, classic middle child.
Tell us about your books: My debut novel is “Chocolate for Breakfast.” It tells the tale of a young woman who spends her junior year of college in Switzerland. Yes, I spent my junior year in Switzerland! And I lived in a tiny room. And during that year, my father died unexpectedly. Other than that, my life was pretty boring, so I decided to make up a story about a young woman named Bernadette. Her year in Switzerland was much more riveting! ‘Bernie’ makes adult decisions and the rest of her life is really characterized by those decisions. I always said that even if only my friends and family read my books, I still didn’t want them to suck. From the feedback I’ve received so far, I’m very pleased.
What is the writing/editing process like for you? I write freely for as long as it takes, not worrying about spelling, grammar, punctuation. I just write everything that’s in my head. Every thought, every idea that relates to the work in progress. I have used an Excel spreadsheet to sketch out my characters. That’s just so I stay consistent on things like birthdays, anniversaries, favorite colors, etc. When I begin to edit, I slow way down. In the case of “Chocolate for Breakfast,” it took about six months for the editing. I did some of it, then turned it over to my editor, Teresa Kennedy. She didn’t think my original ending worked (she was right), so I completely rewrote it, and I think this ending works very well.
Hardback/Paperback or eBooks? Why? Chocolate for Breakfast is an e-book only. Because it was my first effort, I’d overspent my budget on editing, formatting, and the gorgeous book cover. I wouldn’t have gone with hardcovers anyway, as I think they’re overpriced and most people I know don’t read them. I have had some people ask for the paperback version of this book, and I feel bad that it isn’t available to them, although there’s a free Kindle app that enables anyone to read a book on their computer, or even their phone.
If you could write anywhere, where would it be? Easy question – Switzerland. By the lake in the summer, high in the mountains in a cozy chalet in the winter. As long as I have some solitude.
What are you reading right now? I just finished “Girl Unmoored” by Jennifer Gooch Hummer and am about to start “Where We Belong” by Emily Giffin.
For an author, how important is social media? For me, it’s everything. I don’t know what I would do to market my book without it. For the past year and a half, I’ve worked on building my platform through Twitter, Facebook, my Facebook writer page, LinkedIn, and my blog. Twitter friends retweeted information about my book, Facebook friends shared the Amazon link – I’m very grateful to all of them. And I’ve learned so much about publishing and marketing from the writer blogs I subscribe to. (sorry, I know I ended that sentence with a preposition, but writing ‘the blogs to which I subscribe’ sounded way too stuffy!)
What authors do you admire? Oh, there are so many! Flannery O’Connor, Claire Cook, Tonya Kappes, Amy Tan, the late Maeve Binchy. Just so many wonderful writers! And, of course, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner. Harper Lee. Kathryn Stockett. Stop me, I’ll just keep going.
How did you celebrate your first book being published? Just a quiet dinner out with my husband, then screaming it all over the internet 🙂
Tell us about your daily routine: I wake up around 7:30 most days. Two cups of coffee and usually a power shake (almond milk, banana, protein powder, and frozen fruit), then it’s upstairs to write. I try to write for at least three hours each day. The afternoon is spent with household chores and reading, catching up on e-mail, blogs, etc. I’m usually up until 11:00 at night, and may do more writing, if I’m inspired. And now I always keep a notebook with me, because there are words, phrases, thoughts that must be written down!
What’s the best advice you’ve been given? Probably “to live your life without regret.” My husband has helped me to see that more clearly, and it’s really because of him that I’m writing full-time.
Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects? I’m writing a novel now about a high-school reunion. There’s a lot of angst that accompanies a reunion, especially after so many years. Ghosts from the past can haunt a person for decades, and I’m tapping into some of that.
**Contact Martha:
Blog: marthareynoldswrites
Email: MarthaCFE@gmail.com
**GIVEAWAY**
To enter to win a FREE Kindle download by Martha Reynolds, please leave a comment telling us what your favorite kind of chocolate is, along with your email address! A winner will be picked on Friday, September 7th!
Reblogged this on marthareynoldswrites and commented:
What a thrill to be interviewed for this blog! Thank you, Isabella Louise Anderson, for the opportunity!
It was a pleasure having you! 🙂
Hi Martha! Wonderful interview! I lived in Belgium for two years and remember eating chocolate for breakfast. Those Europeans certainly know how to live! Congratulations on your debut release! Love the title … I hope it results in beaucoup sales!
Thanks for your comment, Kathleen! 🙂
I love the fact that I have known Martha since high school. It is great to see her
accomplish her dreams. I am proud to have her as a friend and look forward to reading her novels! You go, girl!
Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Nice! 🙂
Thanks for the comment! Have a great day! 🙂
My pleasure! 🙂 I bless you with a beautiful day also. 🙂
Martha, the book was delicious, a must read!
And to see you follow your dream to write
Is very inspiring. I will look forward to your
next book. Best of luck my friend xoxo
Thanks for your comment and for stopping by! 🙂
I love hearing about her frequent trips to Switzerland. I dream of skiing and enjoying that someday!
Agreed! 🙂
Martha is awesome! 🙂 I’m looking forward to reaching Chocolate for Breakfast. One of my best friends in university was from Geneva and (whenever she went back home for a visit) she’d bring back the most amazing chocolate! (Which I’m pretty sure I had for breakfast at some point.) Good luck with this novel and book #2!!
Thanks for the giveaway, Isabella! 🙂
Cat
catenabi@gmail.com
Thanks, Cat! I’ve entered your name in for the drawing! I’ll let the winner know on Saturday! Thanks for participating! 😉
Great interview, Martha and Isabella! Now I really want to go to Switzerland… Never been and it sounds so tempting… My favorite kind of sweet is white chocolate.
Thanks for commenting, Libby! 🙂
I LOVE CHOCOLATE! I particularly love milk chocolate. The character in my novel, “Viewer Discretion Advised” is addicted to plain M&Ms, as am I! I can’t wait to read your novel and the one you’re working on about the reunion. cindy writeoncindy@yahoo.com
Thanks for your comment, Cindy! You’re entered in the drawing. 😉
I love chocolate, but don’t eat it otherwise I’d feel guilty and have to get on the treadmill for 40 mins! 😀
A winner has been picked! Thanks for participating!
I am truly looking forward to your two books, Martha. I am one of the people who likes paperbacks, as sitting at the computer to read late at night is not too comfortable after you have a long tiring day. But since the books are luring me, I will do the PC reading since I have not gotten an e-reader yet.
My husband and I have retired and now live ten minutes from RI and in one of your postings you said you made RI chowder. The red variety like Rocky Point used to make is my favorite kind of chowder in the world. Having grown up in CT also near the RI line, we used to go to Warwick, etc. a few Sundays a month in the summer just for the clamcakes and chowder at R.P. then Crescent Park. I think back fondly to those days as I had my mother and my father then. I truly enjoyed your posting about your Mom and can relate to what you had happen as did others.
As to chocolate, I really like dark chocolate with a high fat content. But other chocolate has its uses too. For eating I like REAL white chocolate like that which was made at the ORIGINAL Hebert’s Candy Company in Shrewsbury, MA. That was when white chocolate didn’t have skim milk in it and artificial flavors and was truly creamy and smooth. I miss that quality so much.
As we get older we reflect on the good old days so t speak and when it comes to the original Hebert’s White Chocolate, I remember the “good old days” for sure.
Would love to be the recipient of one of your books. I have my selection of books chosen for next years neighborhood book club and one of my choices is Chocolate Fondue. I will be in touch again about that closer to the month that it would be discussed. I really enjoyed finding out a few things about you on this blog; it makes the readers feel as though the writers are more like friends that way. Thank you.