Psi Fi

We Are Not Alone, said the tag line for Close Encounters. Since I've met other indie authors over the internet, the encounters may not be counted as close, but it's good to know that the tag line still applies.

Continuing our showcase of other authors, today we feature Debra L Martin, a sci-fi fantasy author who braved the world of Kindle and indie publishing before me.




Can you tell us about your novels?

My co-author, David W Small, and I have two full-length novels in our RULE OF OTHARIA series, Quest for Nobility and The Crystal Facade. The books revolve around royal Otharian twins, Darius and Dyla Telkur and their struggle to maintain control of the throne of Telkur. The reader will delve into a world of PSI powers [telepathy, empathy, telekinesis], betrayal, intrigue and murder. There is an evil mastermind bent on eliminating the twins and, of course, there is a deliciously evil telekinetic assassin. There is also a connection back to Earth which Darius and Dyla uncover. To unravel the mystery, they must shift through the clues from the Arthurian legends of Merlin and the Lady of the Lake.

We also have two novelettes in our DARK FUTURE series, Path to War and The Right Path. The stories are set in a bleak post-apocalyptic world where only the strongest survive. Food and water are scarce and gangs roam the streets preying on the weak. System cops try to keep the peace any way they can but it’s not always pretty.

You write with a collaborator. What is your process?

We both live on opposite coasts and our writing process has evolved over the past four years. With email, Instant Messenger and Skype we are able to keep in touch to plot out the next scene, chapter, or action sequence. We’ve found through trial and error that what works the best for us is to do edits/additions in real time. We send chapters/scenes back and forth to each other for comments. It’s always a wonderful surprise to see what kind of twist Dave has put on a chapter especially when I thought I knew what was going to happen. That keeps our writing exciting.

How do you research the science in your science fiction?

My coauthor, David W Small, and I like to have the science we use in our books grounded in reality. For example, in our Otharia books, we use crystals to enhance PSI power. We wanted these "crystals" to be something that people would recognize easily and so we chose to use diamonds as the model. Anyone who has purchased a diamond knows that diamonds are rated by 4Cs - cut, clarity, color, and carat. We enhanced the 4C rule and had the Otharians discover another intrinsic “C” within the nature of diamond: conductivity, the 5thC. This fifth C is what fuels their PSI abilities and the largest 10K crystals open their portals for interplanetary travel.

What will your readers like about your work?

I think readers will enjoy our novels because my co-author and I create fast moving action-packed stories. We strive to keep the reader turning the pages through tension, challenges and the conflicts our characters face.

What inspires your stories?

I get inspiration from many things from catching snippets of conversations during the day to reader comments on my blog and forums. It’s amazing how you can spin a story from one seemingly innocent comment.

Why did you go indie?

It was very discouraging hearing from a number of agents that they liked our book and thought it had commercial potential, but they just didn’t love it enough to offer representation. When Amazon offered the chance for authors to self-publish their works, it was the perfect solution for us.



Where can we find your novels?

In the US, my author page at Amazon is:
Debra L Martin, Amazon.Com
In the UK, my author page at Amazon is:
Debra L Martin, Amazon.Co.Uk

I also try to visible as much as possible on the internet and frequently comment on forums such as Kindleboads.com. You can also find me here:

Blog: http://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/
Website: http://martinandsmall.com/
Facebook: Debra.L.Martin.Author
Twitter: dlmartin6

What is your current WIP?
Dave and I are actually working on two manuscripts at the moment. One is a new fantasy involving assassins, witches and an ancient prophesy. We hope to finish this in 2011. The second project is another novelette in the DARK FUTURE series tentatively titled, Zia’s Path.

Thanks Simon for hosting me!