Book Cover from Amazon
Gail Z. Martin is a prolific writer of multiple genres. Her series include the epic fantasies of The Ascendant Kingdom Saga (with the just released book Shadow and Flame) and The Chronicles of the Necromancer; the urban fantasy of Deadly Curiosities; and steampunk The Jake Desmet Adventures (Iron & Blood) written with her husband Larry N. Martin. Plus she has written several non-fiction books on how to publish, for example 30 Days to Social Media Success (how to use twitter, blog, linkedin etc)
I have the great advantage of living near this author. It is advantage because this wonderful writer is open to teaching and helping others on the publication path. She hosts a monthly meetup in the Charlotte area “The Thrifty Author’s Publishing Success Network” which she and several of her published author friends share their experiences. This is not a writer’s workshop or a critique group, but a once a month meeting on the status of the publishing industry. Topics covered have included how to attend a convention as a panelist, how to leverage social media, what to expect from an editor, and using Kickstarter, Patreon, and other crowdfunding sources. I’ve learned so much from the meetings, plus have met a lot of great authors in the Carolinas.
Ms. Martin regularly attends ConCarolinas, which is where I first found out about her monthly meetup as well as a regular contributor to MagicalWords. I’m just amazed at how open and willing she is to help people who make the effort to learn about the business. Is she going to help critique you work or say you did a good job writing? … no, that is not her thing. What she does do through her non-fiction books is give you the tools to actually publish through an agent or by yourself, develop a marketing plan, and know about the business – taking the mystery out of what do after you finish writing.
As for her own writing, she carefully researches her topics, bringing a level of reality I rarely find in reading. Her style includes several short repeats throughout the books which lend themselves to reading, putting down to due chores and go to work, and picking up again. Since I tend to swallow series whole in a weekend, I find this particular part of her style annoying but I know it is beneficial to many readers.
My personal favorite of her series is the Deadly Curiosities and related e-short stories The Deadly Curiosities Adventure Books. Her research into different types of historical artifacts, whether dead photos or Indian blankets makes the antique shop really come alive.