Featured Interview With J.S. Martin
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in southeast Alabama in a little town that most people only know about because they passed through to get to the beach. As a little girl, I always loved Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she liked to read and always wanted more than her small little town had to offer. I’m pleased to say, that much like Belle, I was able to travel and see many other places outside of that little town. Currently, I live in Boston, Massachusetts, with my husband and daughter and our old dog, Bear.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I hated books for a long time. I have dyslexia and could not read until I was in sixth grade. Even then, reading was a chore and I didn’t enjoy it. Then one day something just clicked. The words made sense and I no longer saw them as a jumbled mess of letters and I understood what I was reading. It was like magic! When I finally started enjoying reading books, it wasn’t until high school that I started to imagine what would happen in them if I changed the ending. So, I started writing short stories with friends and even some poetry. I even enjoyed writing papers for school! My English teachers loved me because I always picked something edgy and different. I never took the easy assignments when it came to creative writing.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I honestly love the way Renee Ahdieh writes. Her imagery and prose are just so enthralling. Any of her books I find myself lost in for hours. I have to clear my schedule to read her books because I cannot drag myself away. My favorite genre is probably YA fantasy. It has everything you need to escape the mundane madness of everyday life. Magic, romance, a heroine/hero that conquers evil–what more could you ask for?
No one ever told me growing up that I could accomplish my dreams. When I told anyone I wanted to be a writer, people would roll their eyes or tell me I was childish, so I tucked that dream away and let it die. But when I had my own daughter, I decided I wanted to do something for me and for her. Something that I could show to her one day and say, “hey, don’t listen to those people. Dreams are real.”
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Gilded Lies is my debut novel and the first book of a series.
Years ago, when my husband and I first moved to Boston we drove to Newport, RI to see the mansions. I remember staring up into the huge crystal chandelier and wondering what it would have been like to go to a party in the Breakers in the 1920s. A few more years later I was watching the Peaky Blinders on Netflix and thought, I wonder if there are any 1920s books about magic and gangsters. When I didn’t find any, I wrote one! It took me about 3 months to research the era and then another 3 to write the book. Then I re-wrote the ending–three times! Needless to say, I wanted it to sparkle like how I imagined that chandelier did in the 1920s.
My book follows a young heiress, Lily Winters, that’s family business is failing. Despite her desire to run the business herself, Lily’s father sends her to Boston to find a husband to take over. Lily, being the business smart woman she is, makes her own plans to take the business.
Once in Boston, she encounters Leo O’Hara, the Irish mobster that runs the speakeasy The Black Harp and James Blackwood, the mysterious leader of The Black Dragons. Both gangsters have magical secrets and Lily is determined to figure them out. Things get messy as you imagine. Lily is after all, a lady of society and these two men are far removed from her circles. Ultimately, Lily must decide which world she belongs in and how bright the fire of ambition burns inside her.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.
Way to go Jade! You did it!!!