I was recently interviewed by Pam DeVoe, President of the Greater St. Louis Sisters in Crime and am honored and humbled by what she has written.
Warren Martin's debut novel Forgotten
Soldiers is a compelling story which begins in the Vietnam War and runs
through the Cold War period. Warren’s
documentary style of writing makes this riveting tale more real, more
apparently credible and honest, than any other style could possibly
create. As with Martin Limón’s style (note
the August 2012 blog interview), Warren’s voice is Hemmingway-esque. Perhaps this is the voice best suited to
military based mysteries, I can’t say, but it works for both of them and for
their readers. I actually forgot that I
was reading fiction until I reached the very end of Warren’s Forgotten Soldiers. It seemed that real.
Warren’s
own background was perfect for producing Forgotten
Soldiers. He was in the military,
serving in the Infantry, Military Police and Special Forces (Green Beret) for
21 years. So, he is himself a veteran of
the Cold War and is intimately aware of the POW and MIA issues and the stories,
both real and maybe-real, surrounding those issues and concerns. While you will find a few editing issues in
his initial volume (even with his having hired an editor), they are minor, don’t
let them bother you. This noteworthy and
powerful MIA/POW mystery should definitely be on your must-read list.
Given his
sharp, terse style of writing, it was his voice that I was most intrigued with
initially. Warren said that his
paramount concern is getting his readers to suspend disbelief and to fall into
the story as a true, plausible tale.
At the same time, while suspending disbelief in his audience, he wants
to entertain, enlighten, and educate them.
The latter is what he calls the 3 Es: entertain, enlighten, and
educate. Thus, he uses the fiction
format to create awareness of issues close to his heart. In the case of the Forgotten Soldiers, it’s the issue of
POW/MIAs. As a result, he creates his
story line first and, as he goes along, his characters develop as he works
through the story. It’s not that
characters are unimportant, but they have to carry the plot, therefore, plot
come first.
Tips for
Writers:
Write for yourself, not for others. Many people will read your book,
everyone of them will have a different opinion.
Remember to be true to your own vision, to what most satisfies you as an
author. In other words, Warren believes
each author should take into consideration comments from others, think about
it, and decide if it makes sense within the parameters you’ve set for your
story. This is your work in the
end. “Write what you love.” “Write for
youself.”
You’ve got to get an editor. Know what you’re doing, but
still get a good editor.
On the publishing side: do your homework.
There are a lot of people out there who claim they will help you, but
they just want your money. If you’re an
Independent Author, it will cost you money, at least $1,000.00, and that’s with
an inexpensive editor. But remember,
it’s a business and you must “do your homework; don’t jump into anything right
away.” As you do your homework, you’ll
change your mind (he did) as to what you want to do and to understand what’s
good and what’s not.
Use the 3 Es: That is, Entertain, Enlighten, and Educate
people. Fiction matters. It can influence the way and how people
think.
Join writing groups.
Warren belongs to about a half dozen groups, such as the Military
Writers Association, St Louis Publishers Association, and the St Louis Writers
Guild. “People learn from each other. They get inspired by going to meetings
once a month.” Groups can keep you motivated, keep you going. When you meet with other writers you feel
“Okay, you’re not wasting your time and you can get through it [whatever your
problem is].”
Where to find more information on Warren Martin and his future books: Go to
http://www.warrenmartinbooks.com/
http://warrenmartinbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Soldiers-Happened-Walden-ebook/dp/B007WMQWGK/
Where to find more information on Warren Martin and his future books: Go to
http://www.warrenmartinbooks.com/
http://warrenmartinbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Soldiers-Happened-Walden-ebook/dp/B007WMQWGK/
Enjoy!
Pam
De Voe
