PD Martin's Blog

July 26, 2010

Four days of writers’ festivals

Filed under: Events/appearances — Tags: , , — PD Martin @ 11:46 pm

Katherine Battersby and PD Martin at the literary dinner

Katherine Battersby and PD Martin at the literary dinner

Last week was a busy one…

Wednesday I flew up to Mackay as one of the authors taking part in the Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival. The event, hosted at Whitsunday Anglican College, is in its seventh year and brings together primary and secondary school students from around the region. I was the official ‘entertainment’ for years 11-12 so I made sure I threw in a few stories about my weird and wonderful research.

The festival kicked off with the Wednesday night launch and a panel with Jackie French, John Danalis, Deborah Abela and Tristan Bancks. 

Thursday and Friday were the core festival days, with most of the authors/artists giving 3-4 workshops or sessions each day. And then Friday night was party time, with a literary dinner.

Whitsunday Voices was a blast – a great festival and the other authors rocked! In addition to the four authors/artists mentioned above, I’m also talking about Michael Wagner, James Roy, Ruben Meerman, Gus Gordon, Katherine Battersby and last but not least, David “Ghostboy” Stavanger.

I flew back into Melbourne on the Saturday, and it was time to gear up for Melbourne’s Crime and Justice Festival. I was at a dinner on the Saturday night and then on Sunday was interviewed by Sarah Byrne. The session covered everything from how the Sophie Anderson series started to my recent ebook project, Coming Home.

It was a great few days…but on Sunday night I fell asleep on the couch at 8.30!

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May 29, 2010

Is 40 the new 30?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — PD Martin @ 12:50 am

It’s hard to believe it’s been so long since my last blog…again! How do the weeks fly by so quickly? Can you relate?

Anyway, mostly I keep my blog about all things writing, but since I last blogged I’ve clocked a pretty big milestone…I am now 40. And tonight I’m having a party to celebrate – or perhaps commiserate. So I’ve got sushi, hot finger food and a cake organised (very late though – I only ordered the cake yesterday!). And I somehow manage to pick out a little black dress in half an hour (a record by anyonne’s standards, I’m sure).

I’ve also sent my DJ a list of some of the essential tunes for this evening. The list includes:

Stevie Wonder
Sly and the Family Stone
Depeche Mode
Bee Gees
Madonna
ABBA
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
The Smiths
Prince
Blondie
WHAM!

And a few specific song requests like “I’m too sexy”. What a classic!

So, what do you think of my selections? Any favourites? I know – probably not many people who liked The Smiths and Madonna at the same time, but I did/do! Although the fact that I liked Madonna definitely reduced by ‘street-cred’ amongst my Smiths-loving friends.

While I’m Voguing, I might spare a thought for Sophie and my new character, but if not there’s always tomorrow!

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April 27, 2010

Justice for Elisabeth Membrey?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — PD Martin @ 9:41 am

I haven’t blogged for a while, but I felt compelled to send out something this week. As a crime writer I write whodunits…and not knowing whodunit in real-life cases is the worst imaginable outcome. As most of the Aussies would have heard, after fifteen years someone has finally been arrested and charged with the murder of Elisabeth Membrey.

The news of the arrest is important to me for many reasons. First off, one of the personality traits I share with my leading lady, Sophie, is a sense of justice – the need for justice. A young woman was murdered, and there were no answers. While many people were questioned and I’m sure suspected, no one was charged. The case was unsolved…a mystery.

And like most people who’ve followed the case and seen Elisabeth’s parents as they’ve waited and waited for their daughter’s killer to be brought to justice, I feel relief for them. I can’t imagine what the past fifteen years have been like for them, knowing their daughter’s killer was out there, unknown and unpunished. And worse still, her body has never been found.

I also have a personal interest in this case. Elisabeth disappeared in 1994 – however blood in her unit and her car indicated murder. I remember my mum calling and saying: “You remember that girl you used to dance with? Elisabeth Membrey? Well she’s been murdered.” And while I won’t pretend Elisabeth and I were close, we took dance classes together for about five years and while we never socialized outside the classes, we got along well and used to chat about all things dance. During these limited insights into Elisabeth, I was struck by what a quiet and gentle person she was. And somehow that made the news of her murder all the more shocking.

 The accused claims innocence – and while most convicted criminals cry “I’m innocent”, some really are. Hopefully in this case the police have arrested the man who brought Elisabeth’s life to a screaming halt with such violence. Time, and the trial, will tell. I’m sure after all these years the police must have a strong case against the accused because the spotlight is certainly on the murder of Elisabeth Membrey once more.

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March 28, 2010

Slowly but surely

Filed under: Coming Home ebook, Kiss of Death — PD Martin @ 6:47 am

Well, the final chapter of Coming Home has been extremely slow-going. This was mostly because I found it hard to block out dedicated time to finish the final chapter – I haven’t been working weekends so I’ve literally only had a few hours here and there to spend on Coming Home. And I think I almost collapsed in a heap after making the first 11 deadlines (for the first 11 chapters)!

 However, I’ve finally finished, finally written “THE END” in bold capital letters on the last page. Phew! Now it’s time to start the editorial process – first me, then a professional editor.

 I’m also investigating cover design and page layout templates/software programs. This stuff is usually organised by my publishers, so it’s all new for me and a little overwhelming. I am getting there, but the final PDF definitely won’t be available on the original ‘advertised’ date of 2 April. I’ve revised the schedule to 10 May. Apologies to everyone who’s anxiously waiting to find out whodunit.  

 In the past couple of weeks I’ve also been working on US edits for Kiss of Death, which is due out in North America on 1 August – only fours months to go! These edits are generally minor things, although they are more significant than just changing colour to color and organisation to organization.

 Different editors will invariably pick up different things and so my US editors have pointed out some minor mistakes (like getting a day wrong), made suggested cuts throughout plus earmarked a few queries that have led to small additions on my part. I’ve actioned all of these and now have the final page proofs sitting in my inbox for review. That’s my task for this week, before editing Coming Home.

 Thanks again to everyone who voted and took part in Coming Home. It’s been an intense ride and I hope you’ve enjoyed it!

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March 5, 2010

Would you kill me?

Filed under: Coming Home ebook — Tags: , , , , — PD Martin @ 8:32 am

Okay…so I’m nearly finished the online experiment that is Coming Home – and book 6 in the Sophie Anderson series.

 This week is officially the last week of my  interactive ebook – i.e. I’m working on the last chapter, although I’ve got a sneaking suspicion I may need an extra chapter or a epilogue. However, I haven’t started working on the last chapter yet and I’m considering NOT posting it on Monday.

 Three reasons:

  1. It’s a long weekend here in Melbourne and I really want the full weekend off!
  2. I’m thinking it may create much better dramatic tension to hold off on posting the final piece of the puzzle/case.
  3. Then I can write the final few pages after editing what I’ve written so far – and I’ll be coming from a better place editorially speaking.

 What do you think? Would you kill me? Send me an email at info@pdmartin.com.au or comment below! And as they say…speak now or forever hold your peace.

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February 5, 2010

I’m back…bring on 2010

Filed under: Coming Home ebook, Kiss of Death — Tags: , , , , , , — PD Martin @ 4:09 am

Well, it’s been a while since my last blog…instead of blogging I’ve been enjoying the Aussie summer. My husband, daughter and I were at the beach for January. Most days were simple: a walk, coffee, playground, relax a little at the house, then a trip to the beach with lots of swimming and sand-castle building (actually, I mostly watched my husband and three year old build the castles). Nights were generally DVDs – Dexter and Breaking Bad, plus several movies. Sound good? It was! The only drawback was that I did get behind on emails, blogging, and other stuff, and had to take breaks to promote Kiss of Death, which was released in Australia and New Zealand 1 January.

Of course, I’ve also been working on Coming Home (www.pdmartin.com.au/ebook), writing one chapter a week. It’s hard to believe I’m now officially over half way through this process. I never know when a book will end when I’m writing it, but at the moment it doesn’t feel over halfway done. However, I’m hoping it is because I kinda need to stick to the 12-week, 12-chapter plan. Mostly because I‘ve started my new project and really need to focus on getting the proposal and first three chapters to my publishers. After all, with summer almost over it’s time to get another paying gig :) Fingers crossed my publishers will like the new book…it‘s not an ebook or a Sophie book!!! Shock, horror. It’s been really exciting working on it this past week. For a start it’s written in third person, and it’s much, much darker than Sophie.

Back to Coming Home…well, it’s Friday and I haven’t started on this week’s chapter. How does this happen?? So yet again, I’m flashing back to my school days of late-night cramming. It’s also not ideal in terms of the flow and continuity of Coming Home. I definitely feel it’s time for a good, long edit. But where to fit it in between the new book and other commitments? I’ve already identified some of the key things I’ll need in the edit, such as:

  • A deeper exploration of Sophie’s emotional state – she’s investigating her own brother’s murder and at the moment I don’t think that character crisis is coming through enough.
  • Excerpts from a new victim’s POV – I’ve started adding these in, but will need more.
  • Sophie’s gift – seven chapters in and only one vision/nightmare. Even though they’re not the focus of Sophie books, I think I probably need more.
  • General tweaking, including working on the writing style and word choice for a better read.
  • Continuity (I need to do a few checks between books and chapters)

What do you think?

I always do a lot of editing between the first draft and the final draft, so you can expect changes from what you’re reading now and what you’ll read in the final PDF of Coming Home (available two months after I finish the last chapter).

So, I’m off to work on the new book (really need to submit it) and chapter 8 of Coming Home. Wish me luck!

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January 10, 2010

Trials and tribulations

Filed under: Coming Home ebook — Tags: , , , , , , — PD Martin @ 10:25 pm

This week’s blog is a little late – but the timing ties in nicely with the work I’ve been doing this week on Chapter 4 of Coming Home. I’ve just finished it!

As you probably know, Coming Home is book 6 in the Sophie series, and I’m writing it online as an interactive ebook.

I’ve made some changes to the format of Coming Home recently:

  1. I now post each chapter online on Monday morning (Aussie time), along with the questions for the next chapter.
  2. At the end of the 12 weeks I’ll edit the book in its entirety and re-launch it as a free ebook. There could be major edits, major changes!
  3. Given I’m posting each chapter online now, I don’t think I’ll be running my weekly ‘sneak peek’ competitions anymore. They seem a little redundant…what do you think? Write a comment below this post or email me if you have any suggestions.

The new procedure of posting the book chapter-by-chapter has some challenges for me. Already this week I can see edits and changes I’ll need to make. For example, I’ve drafted Chapter 4 with Sophie looking at the most recent victim’s skeletal remains. But I think I may end up having to make the body ‘fresher’ to fit in with other elements of the case and give the detectives and Sophie. What this means is that when you read Chapter 4 this week Sophie’s looking at a skeleton of a boy who was killed six months ago, but when I release the final book this may change!

My other challenge at the moment is that I’m away at the beach, spending 90% of my time on holiday with my husband and three-year-old daughter and 10% of my time writing. I also don’t have Internet down here (except for an hour or two in the local library a few times a week), which means I don’t have access to my usual research materials – being able to email a forensic pathologist while I’m writing and getting an answer back within a few hours or a day, looking up my extensive book collection or spending an hour or two searching for body decomposition states after 6 months in bushland (and whether six months’ decomp is more forensic pathologist or anthropologist). Just your average crime author research!

This may mean even more edits in a few weeks’ time when I’m back into my normal routine.

Aside from that, I’m really enjoying writing Coming Home and being in Sophie’s head again.

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December 26, 2009

Merry Christmas

Filed under: Uncategorized — PD Martin @ 8:06 am

Short post this week:

 

Merry Christmas

 

Happy Holidays to you and your family,

Phillipa

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December 18, 2009

Chapter 2…kinda

Filed under: Coming Home ebook, Safety — Tags: , , , , , — PD Martin @ 12:10 pm

Kiss of Death-50percentWell, I was planning to blog a little bit today about Chapter 2 of Coming Home – you know, how it was going, what I’d written so far, etc. One problem with that: I haven’t started it yet! I feel like a naughty child confessing to something…well, naughty.

Rest assured, I will finish Chapter 2 this weekend – but it might be a busy weekend!

I’ve had a lot on though…I uploaded the new women’s safety section on my website – important tips in there, so make sure you read it and keep safe! I also uploaded the first chapter in Coming Home and the questions for Chapter 2. Then things kinda stalled.

I also received my author advance copies of the Aussie version of Kiss of Death and I’m running a couple of competitions for Aussie and NZ readers - one for my web subscribers and one at my Facebook page.

Plus I’ve decided on the topic/character for my next book (after Coming Home) and it’s NOT a Sophie book. I know, big news. More on my next project later – much later.

But for now I want to leave you with a safety tip: Be hyperaware of your surroundings and actions when in parking lots – it’s one of the places women are most likely to be sexually assaulted.

Tips for parking lots
When you park your car in a lot, park it near the entrance/exit and when you’re making your way to your car, have your keys out and ready. Don’t walk across the lot rummaging through your bag or on your mobile/cell phone. Instead, give your surroundings 100% of your attention. If a van is parked next to your car on the driver’s side, you may want to enter your car through the passenger side. Offenders have been known to snatch women and throw them in a neighbouring van – for the offender, it’s quick and easy. See my safety tips for how to stay safe while getting into your car, while in your car, and other car-related safety tips.

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December 11, 2009

Lift off!

Filed under: Coming Home ebook — Tags: , , , , — PD Martin @ 9:27 am

On Tuesday this week I started writing the new Sophie Anderson book, Coming Home. Check out my YouTube video to see how it looked after 24 hours: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLG7C0Wzb7I

As the voting deadline got closer, a clear leader began to emerge for my first question: What sparks Sophie to investigate her brother’s murder? And it seemed that option A had it: After 28 years with no abductions or murders similar to John’s a young boy is abducted (or found dead) in very similar circumstances.

My personal preference would have been the second option (a similar murder in the US) just because I felt it was the most complex and would give me greater scope as I moved forward with the book.

Having said that, I still had lots of fun writing the first chapter! The chapter’s not quite finished yet (well, I wrote a first draft on Tuesday and haven’t had a chance to do any work on it since) but I hope to finish it off tomorrow.

I also drew the winner of the first chapter competition – Taina. You can see that at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urlw4ypXDYc However, I’m afraid Taina may only get the chapter 24 hours or so before everyone else, as I’m running a little late. First week on the job and I’m lagging behind…not good. Still, I can always ‘owe’ Taina a free chapter read for chapters 2-12.

Don’t forget, I’ll be posting chapter 1 and the questions/voting for chapter 2 at 9am (Aussie time) on Monday 14 December. Mmm…I better get editing/writing!

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