⭐A Bookish Conversation with 'Safe Harbour' Mike Martin⭐ #interview

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the author of the award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 10 books in this light mystery series with the publication of Safe Harbour. A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. Mike has also published Christmas in Newfoundland: Memories and Mysteries, a Sgt. Windflower Book of Christmas past and present.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writing Guild and Ottawa Independent Writers.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: www.sgtwindflowermysteries.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mike54martin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore

Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself?

I do my research as I go along and when things come up I go searching for as much information as I can about that topic. In Safe Harbour there is some suspicion that someone was the victim of insulin poisoning. How does that work? Google knows…

Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?

I’ve used bot models and now utilize a hybrid model where we share expenses and the publisher looks after distribution and I take care of most book promotion.

If self-published, did you hire someone to format the ebook version for you or did you do it yourself?  Can you tell us what that was like?

I have always used experts to format all book versions. I don’t want to take any chances with that. My publisher looks after this right now.

If self-published, how did you determine the price?

That’s discussed with the publisher.

If published by a publisher, what was your deciding factor in going with them?

The publisher I chose was local and could deliver books on the schedule that I wanted to write them. That’s not always the case.

If published by a publisher, are you happy with the price they chose?

I’m fine. This time we decided to charge $3.99 for the ebook versus the usual $2.99. We’ll know soon if that makes any difference.

Did you purposefully choose a distinct month to release your book?  Why?

Yes. May and October are the best months, at least for me. May to capture the summer reading market and October to be on shelves for Christmas shoppers.

How did you choose your cover?

I work with the cover designer. Usually, I have a picture or photo in mind and she crafts it into a full book cover.

Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?

I write about 10 chapters and then revise. Repeat until the book is done the first major draft. Then a long review before I send it to the beta readers for their comments and input.

Did you come up with special swag for your book and how are you using it to help get the word out about your book?

I have done this before, but did not because of covid. I don’t think they make a big difference unless you are at a conference or event.

Did you consider making or hiring someone to make a book trailer for your book?  If so, what’s the link?

Nope

What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other copies of your book?

I agree. With a series of 10 books I often give away the first and/or second in the hopes of gaining a long term reader who will read all the books in the series. It works, at least for me.

What are three of the most important things you believe an author should do before their book is released?

Make it the best book possible in all ways. Have a promo plan ready before the book comes out, including a blog tour with PUYB. Get some early reviews so that other readers can be inspired to go but this book.

What are three of the most important things you believe an author should do after their book is released?

Put your promo plan into action. Get even more reviews. Blog about the book and your experiences with the book and try to engage your readers.

What kind of pre-promotion did you do before the book came out?  

All of the above

Do you have a long term plan with your book?

Just to have the best possible book every single time. To make each book better than the rest. And to sell a million copies. lol

What would you like to say to your readers and fans about your book?

Thank you for reading Safe Harbour. You have given me the gift of your valuable time and I really appreciate it. It you like it, tell others.

 

Inside the Book

Title: SAFE HARBOUR
Author: Mike Martin
Publisher: Ottawa Press and Publishing
Pages: 264
Genre: Mystery

BOOK BLURB:

Sgt. Windflower is on a special assignment in St. John’s and adjusting to life in the big city. He is navigating traffic, a difficult boss at work and what seems like an epidemic of missing girls. He becomes more interested when he discovers that one of the girls is from Grand Bank. Then a girl approaches his RCMP van one night and he is pulled into the underlife of the capital city. But he still manages to enjoy all of the good things in life. His family, old and new friends, and the love of living so close to the Atlantic Ocean. Welcome back to St. Windflower Mysteries.

PRAISE

“Safe Harbour is a thought-provoking, fast-paced read. The mystery woven around his home life is very nicely done, containing just the right amount of tension and development to make for an inviting leisure read.” – Midwest Reviews

⭐Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tour Kick Off⭐Ancient Tales and Legends by Cheryl Carpinello @ccarpinello #Teen #YA #HistFic⭐

 

"Unforgettable Characters...Ancient Mysteries Solved...Time-Defying Travel...A Teen / YA / Historical Fiction Must Read..."

By Cheryl Carpinello

Title: Tutankhamen Speaks
Author: Cheryl Carpinello
Publisher: Beyond Today Educator
Pages: 81
Genre: Teen / YA / Ancient Egypt Historical Fiction

From over 3000 years ago comes the voice of the Boy King.

Scrolls found buried in the basement of the Egyptian Museum. Transcribed in an ancient hand. Record the words of King Tut for all to read.

Tutankhamen answers all of the lingering questions, including the big one.

Discover the real story behind this famous pharaoh. Transport yourself back to an Ancient Egypt filled with mystery, magic, and danger!

Book Excerpt:

Growing up in Akhet-Aten

From the time I was able to walk, I had the run of our palace. Usually it was just me and Ankhesenpaaten. We played the normal childhood games.  We would run through the palace chasing and hiding from each other. The gardens and the pools were great places to hide. All too often one of us would fall into one of the pools as we raced by. Then we would move the game outside into the heat so that our clothes would dry. In Egypt’s heat, it didn’t take long. [missing text]

Sailing toy boats

When I was small, palace carpenters made me toy boats. Sometimes these were made to resemble the barges that would carry crops and animals down and up the Nile from one settlement to another. Some were fully outfitted royal barges complete with sails and the poles used when the barge was moving up river. I started playing with these in the palace pools. Later, as I got better at loading them and maneuvering them, I would find a place near the palace where the Nile ran slower. There I would dig out canals for the boats to float in. Sometimes Ankhesenpaaten would help me. One time we had so many canals built that it took all afternoon for our crop barges and the royal barges to enter into the canal system and then sail through and re-enter the Nile. I loved those days with Ankhesenpaaten and the Nile.

Senet

 In the evenings we would play Senet. My sisters and I became skilled Senet players, and our games would often last late into the night. My favorite were the casting sticks.

 

Title: Sons of the Sphinx
Author: Cheryl Carpinello
Publisher: Beyond Today Educator
Pages: 189
Genre: Teen / YA / Ancient Egypt Historical Fiction

A grandmother’s gift usually bring happiness. Rosa’s gift: a very different story. Hearing the dead alienated her from classmates. Not good for a 15-year-old.

Many times very insistent, the dead cared little for her surroundings. They even bothered her in class. Dates? Forget that.

Then one day, he shows up in her room. An old dead guy. A really old famous dead guy. In living human form!

Thrilling story of battling good and evil in an ancient world.

Book Excerpt from Chapter 11:

A well-traveled dirt road leads back into the valley formed by the hills on either side. Although not high by my experience, rising up from the sandy floor, the Theban Hills are impressive. Jagged crevices run up and down the sides of the hills, and in many places, man-made square arches can be seen. The Tombs of the Pharaohs. I’m walking in the footsteps of an ancient people. How cool.

I hurry to catch up with him. A mistake, sweat stings my eyes and grit scrapes my cheek when I wipe my face. My shirt is sticking to me by the time I come even with him. Does Re never find a cloud to hide behind? Did I say Re? Now I’m starting to think as an Egyptian. Good grief. Must be the heat. There is no shade anywhere. Like a shimmering mirage on a hot highway, the heat rises in waves off the barren hillsides. No trees can withstand this burning furnace. The only shelter exists under the entrances to the tombs.

Tut hurries ahead, but I may never get here again, so I take my time. We pass one entrance, and I walk over closer to it. Heavy wooden doors covered in hieroglyphs bar the way. Ancient rope—rough, scratchy, and strong—twisted around the door handles and knotted tight, holds them closed. On the right door handle there is a clump of mud molded like those wax seals used on letters. It covers the handle and the rope. Symbols are pressed into it.

“Tut, what is this for and what does it say?”

He hurries over, curious.

“Why the rope and this lump of mud?”

“Lump of mud? Oh Roosa, you are looking at the Necropolis Seal placed here by the priests. That it is still here means that the tomb is intact. No one has entered since the burial.”

“Does the seal say whose tomb this is? Is it a pharaoh?”

“No, not a pharaoh. Here.” He points to a set of hieroglyphs. “These state that this is the tomb of the dignitary Ramose.” He pauses. “I remember hearing stories about him when I was young. He was the governor of Thebes during Thutmosis IV’s time.”

“Do all the tombs carry this seal?”

“Yes, but even in my reign, it was becoming difficult to keep the tombs sealed. Thieves continually broke in to steal the property of the dead.”

“Tomb robbers.”

“Yes. When they were caught, their hands were chopped off.”

I gasp at such horrible consequences.

“You are shocked. I understand that in your time, there does not exist an undisturbed tomb here.” He waves his hand around the entire valley. “Who are these people who think they have the right to touch a Pharaoh of Egypt, even a dead one? They disturb our sacred resting places and steal the items left for our journey into the afterlife. May they all be cursed along with their families.”

I stand beside him, my mouth agape. Up to now, Tut has been determined in his mission, angry at Horemheb, but he hasn’t lost his composure. Until now. I try to find words to soothe him.

“They only want the world to know about the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. How magnificent they were. How they lived.”

He turns on me. “You don’t learn about a people by stealing what is sacred to them. In my time and yours, they are nothing more than common tomb robbers!”

“Scholars have shared what they learned. They search for knowledge. I learned about you from the artifacts in the exhibit.”

“Harrumph! What do you and they know? Nothing. Nothing at all! All you do is seek the treasures and the gold to make yourselves rich.” He spits in the dirt. “You wouldn’t know wealth if you were buried in it. Tomb robbers, the whole lot.”

He stomps away almost at a run, propelled by his anger. I hurry to keep up with him. We round a bend and to the left a small path winds up a cliff and then disappears. His chest heaves with ragged breaths and he’s actually vibrating he’s so enraged.

“We aren’t all like that, you know.” I whisper, wanting to avoid a harsh response. “Some of us understand that true wealth comes from within, from one’s heart, from love for others, and from respect for family.” I pause. “Some of us do.”

He says nothing; he doesn’t turn to look at me, but his breathing slows; his fingers unclench.

 

Cheryl Carpinello taught high school English for 25 years. During that time, she worked with numerous students who didn’t like to read for a variety of reasons. However, she discovered that even the most reluctant readers became engaged in the classroom and in reading when she introduced units on King Arthur and the works of ancient world writers. Upon retiring, she set out to write fast-paced, action-filled stories in these setting to encourage young readers to read more. When not writing, you can find her reading, spending time with family, and traveling.

“In 2008, my husband and I spent three weeks traveling around Egypt via train and visiting all those magnificent archeological sites. Since we returned home, Egypt has never been far from my thoughts. I truly believe that I left part of my soul in that ancient land. To satisfy my longing to return, I wrote Sons of the Sphinx and Tutankhamen Speaks.” Visit her on Twitter and Facebook.

OTHER BOOKS BY CHERYL CARPINELLO

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⭐Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tour Kick Off⭐Awakened by Grace by Darlene West #ChristianFiction⭐

An encouraging story about love, loss, despair and the eternal optimism for a soul graced by faith….

By Darlene West

Title: AWAKENED BY GRACE
Author: Darlene West
Publisher: Resource Publications
Pages: 252
Genre: Christian Fiction

After the tragic death of his wife, Katie, Professor Franklin Franklyn blames himself. Filled with anguish, he walks away from his family and removes himself from all social interactions, which augments his suffering. But soon after the second anniversary of his wife’s death, his self-imposed reclusive lifestyle is interrupted by an unplanned visit from his eight-year-old granddaughter, Maggie. From that point on, Maggie’s faith-filled answered prayers manifest before Franklin’s eyes. As the two experience God-led divine appointments, Maggie encourages new people to become part of Franklin’s life. In spite of all Franklin witnesses, he finds it difficult to let go of his guilt and move on without his wife.

“Awakened by Grace is a touching story of a man whose wife was killed. . . . His granddaughter, Maggie, opens the heart of her grandfather and teaches him to look outward instead of inward. . . . It is a wonderful story of overcoming adversity.”

–Susan Osborn, author of over thirty books

“You will love Awakened by Grace and never want it to end. If you’re looking for a book that portrays love, hope, forgiveness, and redemption, this is it. You can’t help but root for Maggie. Her faith is unending and her tenacity is infectious. I highly recommend you grab a cup of coffee and snuggle in for a good read. It will be hard to put down.”

–Veronica Dixon, Christian, wife, mom, legal assistant

“In my opinion, Darlene West’s book Awakened by Grace is very well-written and engaging. Through the trials of the characters in her book, I love how Darlene has used her faith in the Lord to illustrate how she believes that God can bring light to situations that are very dark.”

–Ron Wells, music aficionado, Seattle, Washington

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3ehd1SV

Professor Franklin Franklyn would have never been in church that night if it hadn’t been for his granddaughter’s Christmas play. He enjoyed spoiling his six-year-old princess, Maggie. When he and his wife, Katie, had arrived, the play had just begun.

At the entrance of the foyer, an older gentleman greeted them. Un­buckling her tan coat’s belt with one hand, Katie took the program from the greeter, and thanked him. Franklin proceeded to unbutton his winter coat as they dashed toward the coat rack.

Franklin helped his wife with her coat. “I hope we didn’t miss her dance.”

“I don’t think so.” She glanced at her gold watch, “We’re only seven minutes late. We didn’t miss it.”

As he shoved their coats into the packed cubby-space, Franklin felt someone bump his hip. He swiveled around. Looking around at his six-foot-four eye level, he didn’t see anyone. That is, until he felt another bump against his hip.

Next to him was a thin woman hunched over with her body wob­bling. Teetering, her red scarf swayed from her neck. Her red-furry hat covered most of her salt and pepper hair. Franklin leaned over a bit.

The woman was having difficulty. Her crooked fingers struggled to hang her coat on the hanger.

Franklin extended a hand toward her. “Young lady, may I help you with your coat?”

When she stood straight, she appeared shorter than he had per­ceived, but a bit taller than his petite wife.

Page 2:

“Young lady?” her broad smile exposed her large yellowish, crooked teeth. “I don’t have to guess that you’re a charmer. I am proud to say that I have eleven grand-children and five great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild in the oven. I’m ninety-two years young.”

Other than a few aging lines under her eyes and around her full lips, the smoothness of her light beige skin presented a much younger woman. “Ninety-two! Impossible! You look like you’re in your fifties.”

“Your charm won’t get you anywhere with me, young man. But since you’re a kind gentleman, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“I’d be honored.”

Katie assisted the woman with her scarf. “Mrs. McKinney, did you come alone?”

She must know the woman.

“Yes I did! I can drive myself though my family doesn’t think so.” She handed Katie her hat. “Timmy is narrating the play tonight.”

“Yes I know. I saw him during dress rehearsal last night. He’s very talented.”

Katie touched her arm. “Mrs. McKinney, I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce you to my husband, Frank. Honey, I’d like you to meet Mrs. McKinney.”

“This is Frank?” She appeared as ecstatic as a child who had caught Santa Claus with his bag of toys.

Franklin shook her cold and frail hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m so happy to meet you. I’ve been praying for you.”

Though he perceived prayer as a ridiculous ritual used to comfort religious people in times of need, he took no offense by her comment. Besides, he knew from experience that prayer neither helped nor hurt anyone.

“Katie, he’s tall like my darling Grant was. I can’t believe that it’s been three months since he went home to be with the Lord.”

A shiver jolted Franklin’s body. “Mrs. McKinney, I’m so very sorry.” He grabbed Katie’s hand. Just the thought of losing her disturbed him.

The corners of Mrs. McKinney’s lips turned upward. “Thank you. I know he’s with Jesus and I’ll see him soon, but I do miss him.” Her droop­ing eyelids contrasted the divine contentment written in her face.

“Granny!” a young-bubbly blond screeched, “There you are!” the long-legged teen wrapped her arm around Mrs. McKinney’s shoulders. “You should’ve let Daddy pick you up. We were worried about you.”

“I’m not completely helpless.”

 

Darlene West has a bachelor’s degree in English with a writing minor in the concentration of fiction, as well as a master’s in adult education. Darlene is a retired corporate developer, program designer, evaluator, training needs assessor, and curriculum specialist. Though she grew up in and loved the restaurant business, her favorite regular job was being a Christian radio disc jockey in Champlain, New York. She loves being a wife, mother, and especially a granny.

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