We are delighted to welcome author Mike Martin to Omnimystery News today.
Mike's fourth mystery to feature Sgt. Winston Windflower of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and his trusted side-kick Corporal Eddie Tizzard is A Twist of Fortune (Booklocker.com; April 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the opportunity to spend some time talking about the series with him.
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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to your series lead. What is it about him that appeals to you as a writer?
Photo provided courtesy of
Mike Martin
Mike Martin: Sgt. Winston Windflower is an RCMP Officer and a Cree from Northern Alberta who finds himself stationed in small communities in Newfoundland on the easternmost tip of Canada. He is the ultimate outsider and yet he finds a way to not only survive but thrive in a culture and community far different from his own. But it is his zest for life and the courage to seek out new things and new experiences that makes him such a great character. That, and his internal moral compass that gives him and the stories he inspires a solid foundation.
OMN: How is the character changed since you introduced him in The Walker on the Cape?
MM: Sgt. Windflower's character is deepening and expanding as the series continues. We find out more about him and because the times are changing around him, he has to change and adapt too. Perhaps his biggest area of growth and development has appeared in his personal relationships. He is learning to not just express himself, but to allow himself to feel another level of emotions and to confront his own fears and insecurities.
OMN: Into which fiction genre would you place the series?
MM: I am fortunate that my chosen genre, Crime and Mystery, has a wide swath of sub-genres and mini-definitions. So I can pick and choose a little. I describe the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series as a soft-boiled police procedural that is probably closer to a cozy mystery than any other sub-genre. The labelling makes it easier for readers to decide if they might like the stories, but it can also discourage other readers from trying a new series.
OMN: Give us a summary of the series in a tweet.
MM: The Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series. Set in beautiful NL. Food and fun in the fog. And oh yeah, a few dead bodies. SgtWindflowerMysteries.com.
OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience have you included in the books?
MM: The settings for all the books are real and most of the situations that arise are based on real life events that are happening or are happening in the area. The names of people involved have been changed to ensure the anonymity of the people, and to protect me from both libel and/or personal harm if certain characters seem too real. I have researched all of the background and historical information to ensure its validity.
OMN: Describe your writing process for us.
MM: I am a truly creative writer in that I draw my writing from my imagination and try to connect to the creative current that's inside all of us. I never plot out stories but simply write when I am inspired. I do have to be disciplined and write every day. You never know when the creative muse might decide to leave. The fun of writing, IMHO, is in watching the story unfold from your imagination, just like the reader does. The characters come. They tell the story. I write it down. I get to say where the story begins, and where it ends. At least for now.
OMN: How true are you to the settings.
MM: Scenery and setting are crucial to my stories. I have often joked that the weather is a character all to itself and in an ocean-side setting that is often the case. There's always a little bit or a lot of wind, and almost always the threat of some form of precipitation. The small communities also have their own personality and character. That has been true ever since Jessie Fletcher showed up in Cabot Cove!!
Certain things can only happen in certain settings, although as fiction writers we do stretch that as far as our reader's imagination will take us. For my books, the small coastal communities are tightly knit and full of secrets. My job is to pry them loose. I also have a responsibility to portray an authentic voice for both the setting and the communities. The words and actions of my characters are visitors to their world and I have to try and allow both to interact with integrity.
OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world to research the setting for a book, where would it be?
MM: Cuba is my second favourite island in the world and in the winter my absolute perfect vacation destination. It is hot and quiet and vibrant and the warm ocean waters allow me to both relax and dream a little. That's essential for my creative process and I always come away from Cuba re-energized and ready to write.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?
MM: The best piece of advice I ever got about writing was to start writing and then no matter what, don't stop. So I always tell aspiring writers to do exactly that. Because while it is hard to write a book, the only way to make it any easier is to start writing. You can start with an outline, you can start with identifying your themes or main characters, or you can start by writing a short story instead of a book. If you want to write a book then pick up your pen or turn on your computer and get started. Once you get started there a billion suggestions about to make it a good, even great book, online or from successful authors. But you have to start. Forget about getting a publisher or an agent or what you will say to people at your book launch and just write.
OMN: Tell us more about the covers for the books in the series.
MM: My books have all been inspired by settings or scenes in real life and they have all been on or close to the ocean. That includes a lighthouse for The Walker on the Cape, a boardwalk for The Body on the T, an iceberg for Beneath the Surface. And an actual shot of the interior wharf of Fortune, Newfoundland for A Twist of Fortune.
OMN: What kind of feedback have you received from readers?
MM: Most people ask what kind of books I write and then give their verdict on the mystery or even fiction genre. But many also ask if it was hard to write a book. I tell those people that it is very hard, and that the hardest parts are the beginning, the middle and the end. Then there are people who tell you about the book that they either have inside their head, their idea of a book that might be inside their head, or the book that they are sure will be a best-seller, if only they can get it out of their head. The best questions are from kids or their parents who want to know how to become a "real writer". I usually look around to see who they're talking to.
OMN: We understand that the Sgt. Windflower mysteries may be adapted for television.
MM: Yes, the series has been optioned for television. I have talked to people who had been through this experience before to see what to expect. They said to be patient. So I am, but there are on-going discussions and hopefully new developments to announce soon. I just want to be part of the creative team that brings Windflower to life on screen.
OMN: Have any specific authors or books influenced how and what you write today?
MM: I admire every single person who has written and published a book. My favourite authors are Donna Leon and Elizabeth George. And I will always read and enjoy Stephen King. I think The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit had the most influence on me when I first read them. I continue to read them again every year. Having the movies is great, but nothing can beat my own imagination combined with Tolkien's words.
OMN: What are you reading now?
MM: I just finished Stephen King's Revival an am reading Colm Toibin's Nora Webster, along with a whole pile of junk that's great for the summer.
OMN: Create a Top 5 list for us on any subject.
MM: Top 5 Mystery/Crime Writers:
• Agatha Christie
• Ruth Rendell
• Ian Rankin
• Donna Leon
• Elizabeth George
OMN: What's next for you?
MM: There's always more writing!! That is exciting. I am thinking about the next book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series but I am also taking the time to give A Twist of Fortune a good send-off. Every book is like a child to an author and we have to support and nurture it until it can stand on its own. My hope is that sooner rather than later, the TV aspect of this endeavour will kick in and I can then turn to writing for the small screen and seeing Windflower and all the other characters come to life.
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Mike Martin was born in Newfoundland and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a longtime 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.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at SgtWindflowerMysteries.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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A Twist of Fortune by Mike Martin
A Sgt. Windflower Mystery
Publisher: Booklocker.com
A Twist of Fortune is the fourth book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series and it continues the adventures of Sgt. Windflower as he tries to solve crime and experience the joy and the sadness of life in a small maritime community.
Follow along as he feels the sometimes bitter taste of an east coast winter and the unique culinary delights of this part of the world.
— A Twist of Fortune by Mike Martin
