Monday, December 2, 2013

Pirate Lovers...Stop in to meet author Marti Melville!

A Visit with Marti Melville

     Please welcome Marti this week! She's taken time from working on the screen play of her new movie deal about Midnight Omen to chat with us. I, for one, can't wait until her pirate movie is out! When you finish here, you may be inclined to go download her books so you're up-to-speed when her movie is released. She's also holding a contest for those who leave an online review of her books.

Deanna: Marti, thanks for being here. I know how busy you are these days! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Marti:  I am the mother of 5 and grandmother of 7. My beginning at University studies included entertainment in dance. I ended up getting a “real job” as an RN instead and worked 15 years in Emergency/trauma (which I draw upon as I write).
Deanna: What made you want to become a writer?  

Marti: I’ve always written. At a very young age, I was writing plays and stories which would then be re-enacted by friends on the school stage.
Deanna: What type of hero do you like best?

Marti: Vulnerable, “real” heroes – ones that discover their unique “gifts” lie deep within, heroes that still feel afraid but are willing to step beyond their fears to do what is right.
Deanna: How many plots do you include in one of your books?

Marti: Several – there is always a main plot that connects all of the books in the series. Intersecting within each individual book are subplots tying the characters, history and symbolism together.
Deanna: You're a wonderful story teller who draws in her readers! Tell us about a typical day in your life as a writer?
Marti: I am an early riser. My “alone” time in the morning is spent with a hot cup of something and my beagle by my side. The preferred location to write for me is the balcony overlooking nature (I live at the beach). 
Deanna: How lucky! Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?

Marti: There are a few themes interspersed throughout the Déjà vu Chronicles but if I could identify one theme, it would be discovery of self and reinvention of self.
Deanna: How long does it take you to write and then edit a story? 

Marti: It takes a full year to write a 400 page novel. After that, there is about a six month edit and “rest” period before it’s put into the hands of the final editor prior to publication.
Deanna: I'm not sure readers understand how long we spend developing the story and characters. Do you have to be alone to write?

Marti: I prefer to be alone although when I write screenplays, I prefer to be somewhere public (like a coffee house) which gives me visual ideas for characters, etc.
Deanna: How do you go about naming characters?

Marti: The characters in my books are real people so I use their names. The fictional characters are named after doing research on period names and their meanings. Everything is symbolic!!
Deanna: Is it easier to write about the characters if you find pictures of them before you write or do you write then find character pictures?

Marti: Sadly, there are no pictures of my characters (they lived before the advent of photos). I’m only aware of one etching that depicts Captain Phillips and I don’t like it.
Deanna: How do you pick locations for your stories?

Marti: The location of the events in the Déjà vu Chronicles is factual, locations identified by historical accounts.
Deanna: I love pirate books and I know many of our readers do. Tell us about your book and your characters.

Marti: The Déjà vu Chronicles tells the story of pirate Captain John Phillips and his crew of miscreants who sailed aboard the Revenge, circa 1721-1724. Kathryn, a Celtic witch, is kidnapped and taken aboard to serve as the ship’s healer. She falls in love with the Captain and their star-crossed romance develops. Seth joins the crew as well, a rough hooligan who has a “sixth-sense” for sailing the ocean. Adventure takes this crew from Tobago to Barbados as they plunder the Caribbean Seas, meeting Blackbeard, Calico Jack Rackham and “Black Bart” Roberts. Ominous signs darken their travels as the Celtic goddess, Morrigan seeks to destroy Captain Phillips – all foretold by the ethereal warning of the Moon Omens.
     I'd like to thank all of you who stopped in to read about my pirates. Don't forget about the contest below!
 

Midnight Omen Déjà vu (book 1) &

Silver Moon Déjà vu (book 2)

Available in most book stores, 
online through Amazon and

CONTEST:  Leave a link in the comments below where you have written a review of either of Marti's books on your favorite site and you will be entered for a chance to win signed copies of BOTH Midnight Omen Deja Vu and Silver Moon Deja Vu!

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