MARTHE ARENDS
(AKA Katie MacAllister!)
 |
Marthe and Am/Can Ch. Hataki's Mjazi Blue Jesmyster (a.k.a. Jaz)
 |
I met Marthe for the first time a year ago at the Emerald City Writer's Conference here in Seattle. I don't know if she remembers me from that wonderful two days but I remember her! I found out right away just how witty and warm she is. Then she started coming to our RWA meetings and I found out just how smart she is, too! And when I read her first novel, THE LION'S SHADOW, I found out what a good writer she is! All in all, Marthe is a very talented lady and it's been fun getting to know her. Marthe consented to answer a few questions, so here she is ... Marthe Arends!
Maggie: Marthe, we would like to know a little about you as a person. Would you care to share with us some information about your background, where you live, your marital status, and children, if any? Don't forget to tell us about your VERY interesting dogs!
Marthe: I was born on the planet Zebula in the year AS996 ... oh, wait, that's someone else. My life is pretty uninspiring and has, in fact, been known to induce sleep. Read the following at your own risk.
I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, Bubbles (name changed for his protection), and my three dogs. The dogs' lives are more interesting than my own - they get to go places and meet people while I stay at home and tap away in front of my computer. That's on the keyboard, not dancing, although I have been known to pop in one of my Celtic CDs and dance a crazed version of the Highland fling now and again.
The dogs are Rhodesian Ridgebacks, which are also known as African Lion Hounds. They were originally bred to hunt lions, but in reality, they are just big 80-pound couch potatoes.
Maggie: How did you start writing? Have you always written romance?
Marthe: In my former life, I was a genealogist, specializing in the subject of computers and genealogy. One day, out of the blue, a publisher called and asked if I'd write a book for them about genealogy software. "Hoo," I thought, "won't I, though! What fun. What a lark. What a piece of cake." Famous last words, those.
Nine agonizing months later I staggered to the post office to overnight the final, final, "really, we promise you these are final, honest Injun" edits. I turned to the friend who was visiting me at the time, and I said, "Well, that's done. I think I'll write me an historical romance!" My friend looked startled. "I didn't know you read historical romances." "I don't," I replied cheerfully, firing up Word. "Never read one in my life. Do you think that's important?" My friend thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nope. Go for it." So I did. THE LION'S SHADOW was the result, and I have to honestly say, it saved my sanity. After writing that blasted non-fiction book, I desperately needed to write something creative and fun. Half-way through it, I signed a contract to write a second genealogy book. I finished SHADOW, wrote the second non-fiction book, edited SHADOW, wrote a third genealogy book, edited the second non-fiction book, edited SHADOW some more, then started sending it off on the rounds.
Maggie: How long did it take to write your first book? Was the second book easier?
Marthe: I wrote the bulk of it in a week (one of those Book in a Week challenges), but after an agent told me it was way short of the historical romance length, I doubled it within a month or so. All told, with research and editing, it took me about four months. The second book was much, much easier, although it took me five months to research because it is set in an area I was not familiar with (Colonial British East Africa).
Maggie: How hard was it to sell your first book? How long did it take?
Marthe: It was almost embarrassingly easy to sell. I sent off a few queries, picked one of the requests to see it (Avon), sent them a copy of the MS. Time passed. A long time passed. Six months later I heard about a new small press and sent them an e-mail query. They asked for sample chapters the next day, the full MS the following week, and offered me a contract two weeks later.
For the record, Avon has never gotten back to me on the MS.
Maggie: Tell us a little about your first book, THE LION'S SHADOW - the story and characters, and any background information you'd care to share.
Marthe: It's the story of a fiesty suffragette who thinks she's really on top of things, but in reality is a bit of a klutz, a snacky but somewhat testy explorer who doesn't like fiesty suffragettes (especially ones who aren't the least bit intimidated by him), and his sister, a woman whose shy, meek exterior hides a brave (albeit rather bloodthirsty) spirit just waiting to burst out. There's a dastardly plan afoot involving the anti-militant suffragette movement, Our Hero and Heroine, and nefarious villains. I used quite a few primary resources to ensure that the depiction of violence against the suffragettes at the time is accurate, so there's also a fair bit of history worked in that I hope will bring a new appreciation for what our female ancestors went through in their fight to achieve the vote.
Maggie: THE LION'S SHADOW was published by Avid Press, which is not one of the large New York publishing houses. What has been your experience working with a smaller publisher?
Marthe: Overall the experience has been very good. The two women running Avid are a delight to work with, and have been very supportive and very enthusiastic about my work. Unfortunately, the drawbacks of a new press (no reputation, limited exposure, and so on) have made me rethink my publishing goals.
Maggie: Your first book, THE LION'S SHADOW, is set in early 1900's London. This is an unusual decade in which to set a romance novel. What prompted your decision to do that?
Marthe: I've always been fascinated with Victorian history, particularly the late Victorians, and that era just came naturally to me when I sat down to write. I've done a goodly amount of research on it just as pleasure reading, so it was a society and era I felt comfortable writing about. I chose that specific time period (1900-1906) because of what was happening in the women's suffrage movement then. It was a very exciting time to be involved in the cause!
Maggie: THE LION'S SHADOW has no sex in it, only a few (very hot) kisses and lots of sexual tension. Will all your books be as mild?
Marthe: Nope. I'm midway through a Regency historical now that is just lathered in smutty bits. Sex everywhere. Starting in the third chapter, if I recall correctly. Oodles of it! It's amazing the characters have the strength to haul themselves out of bed every day.
I tend to be fairly embarrassed when writing about sex (I mean, really! How many ways can you describe where the pointy bits go?), so my love scenes all have a pretty strong element of humor in them. My test readers have rated them high on the tinglemeter, though, so I guess I'm getting some emotion across.
Maggie: THE LION'S SHADOW also has a very good mystery. Are you a big mystery fan and can we expect to see more mysteries in future novels?
Marthe: I'm a very big mystery fan, which is pretty evident in what I write. Even my Regency historical has some strong elements of mystery in it. SHADOW is actually a very cross-genre book; the romance people view it as a romance with suspense, while the mystery people consider it a historical cozy with lots of romance. The subsequent books in that series, however, are all straight historical mysteries. Very little romance, and people going toes up every which way.
Maggie: Your work has been compared to Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series. How do you feel about that?
Marthe: How would anyone feel being compared to the great goddess Peters? I'm flattered to death. I adore E. Peters, and I have the greatest respect for her ability to keep two different audiences clamoring madly for her books. Even her non-fiction books are full of wit and life. I recently did a review of her latest for the Washington Post, and it forced me (oh, it was a sacrifice!) to catch up on her Amelia Peabody series. I am completely in awe of her talent to keep readers chuckling and in suspense at the same time.
Maggie: You are quite a historian and researcher. Have you always enjoyed history and research? I understand you are quite an expert on codpieces. Could you tell us a little about that?
Marthe: Research has always been a love of mine, to the point where I don't want to stop researching to start writing. I have a bit of an Ebay addiction problem with regards to the acquisition of reference books, which just feeds the research habit. As a mystery reader, I always gravitated to historical mysteries; as a romance reader, I only read historicals (and those I consume voraciously, as anyone who's been to my house and seen the Great Wall of Romance Books can attest). There's just something about taking yourself out of the present and going back to a different time and different culture that fascinates me.
As for the codpieces - I'm submitting a workshop proposal to the RWA for next year's National, which will feature codpieces. You'll just have to see me there for the words to the codpiece song I handed out at a recent chapter meeting.
Maggie: Will you always write historical novels?
Marthe: Yup. I would have, as of ten days ago, said I'd never write anything but historicals, but all of a sudden a contemporary women's fiction book burst out of me, and now I'm three-quarters of the way through it, so plbtbtbtbtb goes my theory of historicals only. But they remain my first love, and will probably be something I'll always write.
Maggie: You also write non-fiction. Can you tell us a little about that? Which do you enjoy writing more - fiction or non-fiction?
Marthe: I have three non-fiction books out now, the latest of which just came out at the beginning of October, under the weighty and oh-so-thrilling title of "Create Your Family History Book With Family Tree Maker Version 8." The other two books both deal with using your computer for genealogy; I have a fourth book I wrote about using Internet for genealogical research, but the publisher is sitting on that for some reason.
Fiction is by far the genre I would rather write, but non-fiction has been paying the bills. Bah! Once I discovered the joys of writing dialogue, tormenting my characters, plotting, re-plotting, re-re-plotting (do you sense I hate plotting?), thinking up horrible ways for people to die, and all of the other glorious and wonderful parts there are to writing fiction, I knew I was hooked.
Maggie: Is there any news on publication of your second book? I, for one, am anxiously awaiting it!
Marthe: Hold tight a little longer. I just signed with a new agent, and I recently met with the editor of a NY publishing house who has a copy of the MS.
Thank you, Marthe! Be sure and let us know what happens with Book Two. Good luck and see you at the board!
January 2003
Maggie: We last chatted with you in November 2000. (Has it been that LONG???) Please catch us up on what you've been doing since then.
Marthe: Well, the biggest thing that's happened since 2000 has been selling twelve books in the last eighteen months. I'm now writing as Katie MacAlister for both Dorchester and NAL. I'm writing historical, contemporary, and paranormal romances, as well as women's fiction and young adult romances (the last under the name Katie Maxwell). Really, nothing much else has happened during that time because I've spent every free moment writing. I know, big surprise, huh?
Maggie: What's coming up for you in 2003 and beyond?
Marthe: Oy. My agent calls 2003 The Year of the Katie because I have five books coming out: one contemporary novel (IMPROPER ENGLISH), a novella (Bird of Paradise in the HEAT WAVE anthology), one historical (NOBLE DESTINY), one paranormal (A GIRL'S GUIDE TO VAMPIRES), and my first young adult book (THE YEAR MY LIFE WENT DOWN THE LOO). I'll have four more YA books in 2004, as well as another historical (NOBLE PURSUITS), another paranormal (SEX AND THE SINGLE VAMPIRE), and my first women's fiction book (MEN IN KILTS).
I can't begin to tell you how much fun I'm having writing these books. My editor at Dorchester, Kate Seaver, is a doll, and gives me free rein to write whatever I want. I've had a blast starting a vampire series, as well as the YA books, and am looking forward to trying other things, too. Now I have a second editor, Audrey LaFehr at NAL, and I'm very excited to be working with her, as well.
Looking beyond 2004 ... ouch. I can't. My wee little brain overloads. I
just finished a 2005 book, and am about to dive into the second YA
book ... I'm afraid that's about as far ahead as I can see.
Return to the
Index of Author Interviews.
Copyright � RBL Romantica!
All rights reserved.
Reproducing material from this site without permission is prohibited.
