Fantasy Author
It’s time to meet Indie author, Martin Owton, and find out more about his dark fantasy books.
Helen: Welcome, Martin. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Could you tell us about your book, Shadows of Faerie?
Martin: Shadows of Faerie – is a contemporary fantasy set in Southampton and The New Forest. Some might call it urban fantasy, but a fair bit of it takes place in rural settings. The cover shows someone passing through one of the portals to the Otherkin world.
The blurb – “Faerie serial killers in the New Forest”
For centuries countrywomen in England have kept a secret; if you go to the right part of the woods and sing the right song, an Otherkin man will appear and be your lover. Charlie Somes, 24, postgraduate chemistry student at Southampton University, is the product of such a liaison and is touch telepathic; a gift which blights his life as he cannot control it.
When Charlie discovers his gift works on the recently dead he is forced to use it to avoid a murder charge and then when the bodies of women who have taken faerie lovers start turning up, Charlie is the only person who can stop the serial killers.
Helen: Oh, Southampton was my university haunting ground, so it’s exciting to see a book set in that area. Charlie is your protagonist. Tell us about him and how you came to write him.
Martin: Charlie Somes – 24 – only child of a single mother, working on his PhD in synthetic organic chemistry. Nice friendly guy, no-one knows he doesn’t like touching people because he is uncontrollably touch telepathic – a gift from the father he has never met. There’s a lot of me in Charlie. Like him I grew up in the Waterside area between the New Forest and Southampton Water and did a PhD in chemistry at Southampton. I’m not touch telepathic, but the chemistry that appears in the book is real.
Why did I write about him? His voice came to me very quickly when I was supposed to be writing something else. He sounded a lot more interesting and his voice stayed with me for the journey. I don’t plan out my novels and just let the plot logic lead me. I think it lead me to good places with this story. There is a strong police procedural element, and I was fortunate enough to have to have the assistance of a fantasy-reading Detective Sergeant neighbour to advise me.
Helen: You are so lucky to be able quiz a detective about procedures, and bonus, they love fantasy. Why did you start writing?
Martin: Because I can, and I’ve got good at it. My mother wrote too, mainly short stories, but didn’t like my first novel.
Helen: That’s a shame, but our books are not for everyone! It’s finding the readers who will enjoy it that is the challenge. I see that Shadows of Fairie is dark fantasy. Which genre do you typically write?
Martin: Mainly fantasy – evenly split between traditional secondary world (2 novels published, another 2 in progress) and contemporary (2 novels). I’ve also written a bit of SF, but because of my background I know too much science and that stifles me. Why fantasy? I blame my hippie-chick teacher in the last year of junior school for reading the class The Hobbit for the last lesson on Friday afternoons. It caught me and has remained my favoured genre ever since. I enjoy the possibilities it offers.
Helen: What is the most useful piece of writing advice you’ve received?
Martin: Fix it in the rewrite. It is sometimes the case that you don’t know what the true story is until you’ve reached the end of it. Then you may realise the main character is not who you thought it is, that you started in the wrong placeand you don’t need those 6 chapters in the middle. All of which you cannot know until you’ve finished the first draft. Nobody expects you to get it right first time. All my books have had rewrites. My agent made me rework “ Shadows of Faerie” three times.
Helen: Great advice. If you don’t get your story down to begin with, there will be nothing to edit. What is the best thing that has happened to you since you began writing?
Martin: Gaining representation with a major fantasy agent. Regrettably this has not resulted in trade publishers buying my work. Shadows of Faerie did make it to one acquisition meeting though.
Helen: Getting an agent to represent you is an amazing achievement. Congratulations. Fingers crossed they find a home for your books. Do you have any advice for dealing with writer’s block? What do you do to overcome it?
Martin: Two suggestions – take a minor character from your work-in-progress and write a short story with them as main character. Second, consider what could be the worst possible thing for your main character(s) to have happen. Have it happen and make them deal with it.
Helen: What are some of the books you read recently that you would recommend to others?
Martin: The Green Man series by Juliet McKenna. Contemporary fantasy deeply rooted in British folklore. Protagonist is the son of a Dryad. First book – The Green Man’s Heir
The War For The Rose Throne – Peter McClean. Peaky Blinders with swords and magic. First book – Priest of Bones
The Mennik Throne series – Patrick Samphire. Renegade mage does fantasy detective noir. SPFBO finalist. First book – Shadow of a Dead God
The Sisters Mederos – Patrice Sarath. Georgette Heyer with magic
Helen: Those are some great recommendations. Now you have a few books under your belt. What advice would you give new writers?
Martin: Read a lot, be aware of trends in your genre. Work with other writers and don’t be afraid of seeking critique. Other writers are not going to steal your ideas; they’ve got enough of their own. If any one person doesn’t like an aspect of your story feel free to ignore them (unless they are your agent/editor!), but if two or more people raise the same issue then pay attention. Critique in return. Identifying flaws in a story that doesn’t quite work will teach you a lot about your own writing and improve it.
Helen: Thank you so much for joining me today, it’s been great learning about your book. Was there anything anecdotal you’d like to share?
Martin: The words of Peter Lavery, editorial director of Pan MacMillan, to me. “Two things get you there; talent and persistence.”
About the Author – Martin Owton
I was born in Southampton, Hampshire in 1958, and grew up on the edge of the New Forest. At the age of 13, I was lucky enough to win a county scholarship to Winchester College (1972-76). From there I went to St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge (1977-80) where I read Natural Sciences. I then went to Southampton University where I studied for a PhD in synthetic chemistry.
I spent two years as a post-doctoral fellow at St George’s Hospital Medical School in south London, where I met my wife Mary. We now live near Camberley in Surrey, where I work for the research division of a major international pharmaceutical company.
I have been writing seriously since 1995, and have had somewhere above 20 short stories published. I have also published 3 novels, two adventure fantasy novels Exile and Nandor (collectively the Nandor Tales) and one contemporary fantasy Shadows of Faerie.
Beside writing I follow cricket, and Southampton FC, and enjoy a good pub quiz.
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If you enjoy epic fantasy then check out my award winning Sentinal series, which is now complete. If you like fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love my SoulMist series, start with SoulBreather. Prefer Dystopian Science Fantasy? Then try Harmony. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
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