Today we are welcoming Mary Martin to the blog with an author interview.

Do you write under your real name or is this a pen name you use? 

  

 I use a pen name

Where are you from? 

 Derby

List 3 interesting facts about yourself.    

I have always enjoyed writing in the form of correspondence and one short story when I was very young but didn’t get round to starting a book until I was 67.  Apart from Mary Wesley, I don’t know of any other authors who started so late in life.

I supported my husband in his interest in sailing often experiencing inclement weather, but my most lasting memory is of an overnight  crossing in the English channel from France back to England when a force 9 gale blew up and we were blown 9 miles off course.  I think I can say in truth that this was a life and death situation and I can feel the emotion as I write.

Twenty years ago I persuaded my husband to accompany me to a ballet.  We were both smitten and have followed live theatre ballet ever since having the great privilege of seeing some of the best performers in the world.

What was the first thing you ever had published?   

My current book ‘The Club’

Do you have any writing rituals?

 I make notes about my characters and possible situations in which I see them.  I always have a notebook and pen to hand so that I can record an idea or observation quickly.

Where did the idea for your most recent book come from?  

 I belong  to a country club which is a leisure and golf complex and found the close community  entertaining and intriguing and was inspired to create the fictional Club and its’ rather eccentric characters.

Who was the first person you shared your book with?  

 My husband

Do you have any advice for budding authors?  

 As a first time author I don’t really feel qualified to give advice other than to say enjoy what you write.

About the Author

 In December 1946 my father, who was a biochemist, moved the family from Salisbury to Derby to take up a post at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary.  Two months later I was born and apart from a few years in County Durham, have lived all my life in Derby.  I was educated at a local girl’s grammar school and spent the majority of my working life in local government.  I retired in 2007 and became a member of a local country club which eventually inspired me to write The Club.  I entertained family and friends for many years with correspondence in the form of short stories and wrote a short thriller as a very young girl but The Club is my first published work.  I am an avid reader and have a constantly changing reading list as books are read and others added to the list.

Author links – http://www.austinmacauley.com/author/martin-mary  

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29437448-the-club

Book Blurb- 

In The Club you will find glamour, intrigue, gossip and the story of everyday life for the members of an exclusive golf club and spa. The book reflects the hopes and fears, trials and tribulations which we all face, reflected in an absorbing, dramatic and humorous tale which focuses on a small set of the membership.  Will Marigold, recently widowed, find happiness on her own or with a new partner? How will Doug and Alice cope with the serious problem they face? Will the dilemma facing the Club destroy the friends' refuge or bring them closer together? And where does a knight in shining armour come in? With exotic holidays, good-looking men, beautiful women and intrigue in and out of the Club, enjoy the fun of the action and share the worries of the members and staff as they both clash and co-operate in this gentle, entertaining book by Mary Martin.