Today on 10 Questions with… I have award nominated author Tamara Martin here discussing writing, what she likes to do when not writing and her favourite childhood books.
- What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
I’ve just binged Penny Reid’s Beard series and Knitting in the City but I also love Markus Zusak’s Bridge of Clay and Katherine Scholes’ The Hunter’s Wife.
2. Are you working on anything new?
I’m working on a new Harrington book, well, a Harrington Friends story and I’m so in love with it. It’s got some saucy bits and a mystery and is set in a health retreat. Jo (who we first meet in Mrs May’s Tea and Toast), has such a wonderful, sassy voice, I can’t wait for everyone to read it when it comes out in May. You won’t have needed to read Mrs May’s Tea and Toast first though, all my books are standalone but like any series, you might enjoy them a smidge more if you do.
3. What is your favourite childhood book?
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and Five Dolls in a House by Helen Clare. I liked a little magic.
4. Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what do you listen to?
Sometimes. Sometimes I like to write in dead silence because my brain is already too full and then sometimes I need the noise to quieten all the other thoughts and I crank it loud. It’s usually something like Kasey Chambers or some great 80’s ballads. My Ipod’s usually on shuffle though so really, you never know what random tune’s going to pop up.
5. When did you start writing?
As soon as I learnt to write words, I began writing stories. Storytelling has been a part of me since birth. It feeds my soul and fills my heart.
6. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing I watch way too much television, way too many detective shows and hospital shows. Netflix is my kryptonite. I try to garden now and then but I’m terrible and everything dies so I’m in a sulking period but I did just plant some lime trees so fingers crossed. When I do leave the house, I love the movies, any excuse to break the diet, hiking rejuvenates me and well, I live in Adelaide so I’m very friendly with the Barossa.
7. Do you edit as you write or wait until the first draft is finished?
I’m a pantser which means I don’t plan what is going to happen, I sit down, it falls out of my head and then I go back and fix it and fatten it up and smooth out the wonky bits later.
8. Do you have a favourite writing space? If so, where is it?
I have a gorgeous study full of books and a big giant computer on my replica Victorian writing desk. The windows open up to my garden and it’s just lovely, especially on a nice day with all the windows open. But sometimes, particularly if I’m writing emotional scenes, I do like the laptop on my bed.
9. Do you struggle to come up with book titles?
Absolutely! Sometimes it takes the whole book and edits before I can figure out the title, it drives me mad. But I get there in the end. Sometimes I get lucky and I start with the perfect title but it doesn’t happen very often. There’s often a lot of brainstorming amongst my friends.
10. If your book was made into a movie, who would play the hero and heroine?
I’m not the kind of author who has particular celebrities in mind when I write so this took some thinking but I’ll say Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth because I love them, they can be anyone, would look amazing together and well… Chris Hemsworth!
Running from Me
From Romantic Book of the Year finalist, Tamara Martin, comes a brand new standalone story about love and friendship.
I’ve been alone a long time, even when I’m not alone, I’m alone. I have too many secrets. On paper I don’t even exist. I’ve never been more than a fictional person because no one can ever find out who I really am or what I did. But I’m tired, I don’t know how long I can keep running, from my past, from myself. I just need to rest, to stop pretending before everything inside me breaks. When I find the perfect place with the kindest people I sleep better than I can remember but when my past starts to close in I’ll need to run, I can’t put them in danger. But then there’s MD, a beautiful man and a skilled detective and he’s not going to make it easy to walk away. But can I trust him, can I trust him with my life and my freedom?
BUY THE BOOK
Tamara Martin
Writer, hiker, tv addict, book nerd, Tamara lives in Adelaide and is fuelled by Doritos, Chocolate Sultanas and Shiraz. She writes stories of young women finding their place in the world, making choices, sometimes in difficult circumstances, there’s suspense and romance and maybe a few laughs. Tamara is a finalist in the 2018 Romantic Book of the Year Awards for her novella The Rise of Jaz.
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