Marta Perry Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A. Thanks so much for inviting me to be with you! I’ve spent my life in rural Pennsylvania, and when I first started to write, I wanted to create stories about exotic people and places. Luckily, I finally realized that the stories I had to tell were the stories right in my own backyard—stories of faith and family, stories of people deeply rooted in their communities, stories of everyday people reacting courageously in challenging situations. I’ve had over 50 books published, with over six million copies of my books in circulation, and it’s still a daily pleasure to slip into my story world.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. When I was eight, my family moved to a small town which actually had a library, and I could ask for nothing better than to spend time browsing through the shelves, peeking into one magical world after another. I vividly remember the day I picked up my first Nancy Drew mystery—The Secret in the Old Clock. I loved the book, and more importantly for me, for the first time I realized that the books I loved were actually created by a real person, and that maybe one day that could be my job, too.

Q: What do you write and why this genre?

A. After that early exposure to Nancy Drew, it’s not surprising that I especially enjoy the romantic suspense novels I write for HQN Books. My long acquaintance with my neighbors among the Plain People has allowed me to write Amish romances as well, and it’s great fun when I can combine the two, as I do in my current book, WHEN SECRETS STRIKE.

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?

A. I often pick up mannerisms or characteristics of people I know, but otherwise, the characters are entirely products of my imagination.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release WHEN SECRETS STRIKE?

A. WHEN SECRETS STRIKE, the second book in my Secrets Suspense series from HQN Books, involves an Amish quilt shop owner in a tangled web of secrets and lies as she tries to protect people she cares about from someone who will stop at nothing to gain his ends.

Q: Where did the idea for this story come from?

A. As I mentioned, I live in a rural area, and one of the things we fear is a barn fire—especially so when there’s an arsonist on the loose. That happened in our neighborhood some years ago, and I’ve never forgotten the fear that sprang into being whenever the dogs up and down the valley began to bark in the night. Those dogs were our early warning system, alerting the neighbors that something wasn’t as it should be. As a writer, it’s second nature for me to mine my own life for those feelings to transpose to a story, and the idea of writing about the panic that grips an area in the face of an arsonist was born.

Q: Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her.

A. Sarah, the Amish quilt shop owner, appeared as a secondary character in the first book in the series, and I always intended to give Sarah a story of her own. Unlike most of her contemporaries, Sarah has never married, because the man she loved married someone else. She put aside her dreams of a family of her own to devote herself to her quilt shop and her friends and family, but when she is first on the scene of a barn fire, she becomes entangled in a dangerous, even deadly, mystery, finding she must step outside her comfort zone and find the courage to clear the man she loves of suspicion.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A. Right now, I’m writing HOW SECRETS DIE, the third book in the Secrets series, as well as doing the final edits on THE REBEL, the third book in my Keepers of the Promise series for Berkley Books. There’s always a new story lingering, waiting its turn to be told!

Q: What are some ways that readers of your books can help you as an author?

A. Readers may not realize the power they have to influence others to read our books. Leaving a comment on Goodreads or Amazon, mentioning a book you love to other people, even dropping a note to the author or publisher can make a big difference to an author. Especially at a time when reading habits and publishing in general are in such a state of change, even what seems a very small act can have a valuable impact.

Q: What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand?

A. That when I’m staring into space, my fingers quiet on the keys, I’m still working!

Q: Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.

A. I’m not sure I can think of three, since my life is fairly predictable, but here goes: I have at least one granddaughter who will, I think, become a writer like Grammy. I’ve visited over twenty other countries. I once spent half the night in a tree stand so my son could go hunting. Guess which one I don’t want to repeat!

Q: Milk or dark chocolate? Coffee or tea?

A. Milk chocolate, please, with nuts or peanut butter. And definitely tea. I’m very particular about my tea, and my current favorite is Double Bergamot Earl Grey tea.

Q: Favorite TV show or shows?

A. Much of the time in the evening I’m reading while my husband is watching sports, but I do love some of the PBS shows, especially the Masterpiece Mysteries series. Death in Paradise is a current favorite, as is the new Father Brown series. And we both love Doc Martin.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A.  Visit me at http://www.martaperry.com or on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/MartaPerryBooks. I frequently run giveaways on Facebook, and I really appreciate it when people pass the word along.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A.  If readers contact me on Facebook or my website or write to me at marta@martaperry.com, I’ll be happy to send them a signed bookmark and a copy of my Pennsylvania Dutch recipe brochure.

Thanks for having me here today!