Q&A With Madeline Martin 

This evening I’m doing a Q&A with Madeline Martin who is the New York Times Bestselling author of “The Last Bookshop in London,” her recent novel “The Librarian Spy: A Novel of World War II (which I have on hold at the library) and her Heart of the Highlands series and The Mercenary Maidens series. 

Q: So Madeline do you prefer to write series or standalone novels more? 

A: It depends on the genre. For historical fiction, I prefer to do standalone as I want to focus wholly on the POV character(s) alone and their journey through the war. For historical romance, I really do prefer to do series. There’s just something so fun about watching the friends/siblings start off as supporting characters and then find their own happily ever afters.   

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to any of your novels?

A: Not at present, but that would be amazing if so! I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

Q: What advice do you have for anyone wanting to write, especially someone who wants to write historical fiction and historical romance like you do? 

A: Take the time to learn about the craft of writing in addition to the time period(s) you are writing about. Absolutely no author is perfect – there are always opportunities to learn and grow and there are always new ideas being introduced. Learning is such an integral part of the writing process, whether it’s a book on craft, workshops at a conference, online courses, etc. Just never stop learning and always strive to write the current book even better than you did the last. 

Q: What is your advice to someone who has writers block or lack of inspiration? 

A: Try to get to the root of your inspiration for writing. For me, it’s having a fully fleshed-out plot. I know when I’m having difficulty writing, it’s because my plot isn’t sufficient to keep the words flowing. But I have friends who are pantsers (meaning they ‘write by the seat of their pants’) and if they have too much of the story plotted, the magic of it disappears. Play with these concepts a little and see if plotting (or not) seems to help the words come faster.  

Q: What are your favorite novels you read so far this year?

A: There have been so many good reads this year!! I loved Kelly Rimmer’s new release, The German Wife that I recently read. I also listened to and really loved Erika Robuck’s Sisters of Night and Fog (the narrator did a beautiful job!). Then there was The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel and The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight. Oh, and The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull. LOL There are SO MANY! I could go on forever! 

Q: Are you writing a new novel now? If so can you spoil a little bit about it? 

A: I am! I’m currently working on The Keeper of Hidden Books set in Warsaw, Poland during WWII where two friends are separated by the ghetto wall during the Nazi occupation, each fighting their own way to inspire hope amid despair – one by operating secret libraries within the ghetto and the other by participating in the Polish Home Army. Goodreads has a link up without a cover or blurb as yet, but you can add it to your Want to Reads and see updates taking place as I add more to the review I have up giving details on the book’s progress: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60317191-the-keeper-of-hidden-books 

Q: So far you’ve written historical fiction that takes place in World War II and historical romance whether its regency era or during the highland era? Are there other historical eras you would like to write about in the future? 

A: I absolutely love history, so I’m sure I’ll explore others at some point as well. I’ve written medieval romances and would love the opportunity to write a medieval historical fiction at some point.