Monday, May 14, 2012

Special Guest Hanna Martine!



Authorial Mom Hanna Martine!
Authorial Mom: Welcome to the Authorial Moms blog! Tell us a little about yourself. How many kids do you have? How old are they?

Hanna Martine: I have one. She's four going on fourteen.


AM: What do you write? How many books have you written/published? How old are they?

HM: I write paranormal romance novels and erotic short stories. My first novel, LIQUID LIES, releases from Berkley Sensation on July 3, 2012. Its follow-up, A TASTE OF ICE, doesn't have a release date yet. A novella taking place in the same world will appear in the paranormal romance anthology tentatively titled UNBOUND, also coming from Berkley Sensation. I will have a short story titled "In the Dog House" in Cleis Press's upcoming erotic romance anthology, ONLY YOU.

AM: Wow, that’s a pretty full schedule! Tell me about a typical day. How do you write with kids around? Or do you have to ship them off to school or grandparents’ houses to get anything done?

HM: I cart El Kiddo off to some sort of preschool every day of the week. I write best during the day, especially first thing in the morning.

AM: Did you write before you had kids, or after? What changed with your writing when you had kids?

You should really buy this book.
HM: Yes, I wrote before kids. Even though I literally had all the time in the world, I wasn't very productive or focused. Once I was home with my baby and her schedule became fixed, instead of napping when she napped, I wrote. Those quick sprints of work really forced me to hunker down and focus. I didn't procrastinate or get sidetracked because I couldn't afford to. I credit my child with giving me a work ethic and drive and desire that I didn't own before she came along. She makes me want to succeed. She makes me want to be able to say to her: Look what you can do when you have a dream and do everything in your power to achieve it. No excuses. Go for it.

AM: How old will one or more of your children have to be before they’re allowed to read your books?

HM: Considering I used to sneak my mom's romances when I was in high school (maybe even earlier, I don't recall)? I'm not sure. It will depend on her maturity and where we are in our relationship. I think the romances/books published today are far more sensible and better focused on female empowerment than the ones I read. I'd like to think that I will raise a confident, educated young woman who can read my books with mature eyes.

AM: Becoming an author means having a public persona. How do you combine motherhood with the demands of a public life? Do you feature your kid, keep her shielded under pseudonyms, or leave her out of the equation entirely? Has she asserted her opinion on this matter?

HM: I intend to keep my public and private lives as separate as possible. I use a pseudonym and only call my child El Kiddo online. It's just what makes me more comfortable.

AM: Most Moms I know have a limited amount of free time. Give me a few reasons why they should dedicate some of that time to your characters. What’s in it for us?

HM: Hot, ex-military guy with shaved head and mysterious torso-covering tattoo has got it bad for smart, driven water-magic sorceress he's been hired to kidnap. Want me to go on?

AM: Oh, my…that does sound delicious! Let’s have a little fun with fill-in-the-blanks. “The floor of my kitchen is so ___ you can ___ it.”

HM: “The floor of my kitchen is so full of dog hair you can make another Bernese Mountain Dog with it.”

AM: In what way have you turned into your mother? How are you coping with it?

HM: My mom always had a book with her. Always. I like to tell the story about how she ripped off the cover to THE CIDER HOUSE RULES and used it to wrap around her romance novels. I think she read THE CIDER HOUSE RULES for three years straight. I'm always reading, but I will never cover up what's in my hand. My mom loved books in general, and I'm so proud that she passed that love on to me.

AM: I sort of love your mother right now. Okay, what’s up next for you?

HM: I'm currently working on a novella for Berkley Sensation.

AM: Where can we find you and your books online?

HM: My books are sold through all major retailers.

Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/HannaMartineBooks
Twitter: @Hanna_Martine
Or visit me at www.hannamartine.com

5 comments:

Sarah M. Anderson said...

Hanna, I'm so glad you stopped by today! I can't wait to get my hands on Liquid Lies!

Jaye Shields said...

What a great interview. As a fellow writer, I'm always fascinated by how all these women juggle writing and kids. The thought frightens me. No, make that TERRIFIES me. No kids for this erotica writer...I'll just stick with my cat Nyx. He's such a pervert that he won't mind if I reveal his identity.

The novellas sound like they're right up my alley, I'll have to check them out! Keep up the good work, ladies.

Melonie said...

Great interview with a great Mama/Writer! Love the "Cider House Rules" story, makes me think of that spoofline of book covers that came out awhile ago...http://www.cracked.com/article_15661_harry-potter-book-disguises.html

Hanna Martine said...

Jaye, the thought of kids *still* terrifies me, Hahahaha

Hanna Martine said...

Just remembered another book story about my mom ... she used to read while driving us cross country. Just laid open the book over the steering wheel of our cherry red VW hippie van ... ah, the 70s.