I’m happy to welcome back multi-published Canadian author Mike Martin. Today, Mike shares his writing journey and new release, Better Safe Than Sorry.

Here’s Mike!

I have always been a writer. As long as I can remember. And I was a reader before that. I grew up with three older sisters, two of whom were teachers, so I could read before I went to school. Every week they would drag me along to the library where I got my books. I am so grateful to them and to libraries. They opened up a brand-new world where I could travel, explore and find out about the world and myself.

My first published article was an opinion piece I wrote for the local newspaper on the dangers of caffeinated beer. They paid $25 and I thought I was rich. Thousands of articles and 14 books later I think I’m a better writer. Although the pay is still not great.

I write a book every year and have done that for the last thirteen years. This year Better Safe Than Sorry is the 14th book in the Award-Winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series. It usually takes me about 3-4 months to get a good first draft and then it will go to beta readers and my editor for their input and polishing. While I’m waiting for it to come back, I usually get my promo plan together and do outreach to my Social Media connections to get ready for the new book. When the book comes out it’s a whirlwind of activity that doesn’t really subside until it’s time to start a new book.

When I am writing a book I start early in the morning with my coffee and a quiet location. I write for about an hour and then leave it alone to percolate. I have a word count for the day. Monday-Friday 1,500 words a day. If I don’t get that number in the morning, I come back to it later in the day. Like I said earlier, after 3-4 months I have a good first draft to work with.

I never edit my day’s work. I keep writing page after page until I have about 10,000 words. Then I review for spelling and grammar and to see if the story line works. I do the same after 25,000 words. Then I print that off and see if it all makes sense. If not, I rewrite. If yes, I keep moving to 50,000 words and then again at the end. Then it’s off to the beta readers first because they give me the full honest truth about whether it is any good and if it true to the Windflower story line.

I am what they call a pantser. That means I don’t outline or do a plot for the books I write. I start writing from what I call the creative flow and keep going until I’m happy with the story. Here’s the great news about that approach. I never know how the story will end until I come to the end of the story. Just like the reader.

Holding a book with your name on the cover is almost like holding a baby. Certainly, the first book was. Seeing your book in a bookstore for the first time gives you the shivers. Still does. Every time a new book comes out it feels like a cause for a great celebration. Publishing Better Safe Than Sorry is almost as exciting as the first one. It truly never gets old.

Did I make mistakes along the way? Too many to count. I think my biggest mistake was to not invest enough initially in editing and proofreading. That meant my product was not my best and it turned off some readers. Now I invest as much in the front end as I do in promotion and marketing. It seems to work better, and my readers are happier. So am I.

My goal as a writer is to create great stories that people can read for their pleasure and enjoyment. I give them the gift of my book and they return it with the time they spend reading it. It’s a fair exchange. My advice to any new writer is to read. A lot. And not just what you think you like. Read great authors of today and yesterday. Write the best book you can and let the universe decide what happens next. It won’t hurt to spend a few dollars to help the universe spread the word about your book either.

Blurb

When danger threatens Grand Bank, will Sgt. Windflower step back into the line of fire?
Winston Windflower is sort of enjoying his retirement from the RCMP in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, happily spending time with his young family, but feeling a little restless. Corporal Eddie Tizzard is running the Marystown detachment and struggling with the demands of the role while his own family grows. When a new kind of drug threatens the community, a body (the wrong body) is found dead in a hearse, and then another drug-connected mysterious death occurs, Tizzard knows he’s dealing with a deadly menace in their quiet, close-knit community.

Windflower finds himself inexorably and not unhappily drawn back into the action, first in an unofficial role to help snare the dealers and then back to active duty in a community that desperately needs his steady hand and good judgement.

Our favorite Mountie, Sgt. Windflower and his fellow courageous cops in small-town Grand Bank, Newfoundland are back to fight a new threat in this compelling page-turner. Award-winning author, Mike Martin once again brings us a stirring story, blending down-home Newfoundland charm with the warmth of family life.

Buy Links

Amazon CA | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

Bio

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand. He is the award-winning author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 14 books in this light mystery series with the publication of Better Safe Than Sorry.

Mike is also a past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

You can follow the Sgt. Windflower Mysteries on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore