AUTHOR MIGRAINE CENTRAL
Interview Questions for Authors and Artists
Tell us about yourself...
Hi, my name is Chris Martin (not the singer). I’m 54 years old and I live in a village called Adlington, in Lancashire in the north of England. I graduated from Manchester University in 1989 and, following my PGCE the following year, spent 22 years as a Drama and English teacher in a number of secondary schools in the north of Britain. I now run ‘murderplays.com’ an online store which sells my self-written murder mystery plays, and I’m the author of the ‘Inky Stevens, School Detective’ series of novels for young adults (see www.chrismartinwriter.com).
Webpages:
https://www.facebook.com/Murderplays-Murder-Mystery-Scripts-422424847857437
https://www.chrismartinwriter.com/about-inky.php
How did your experience as a writer begin...
The first time that I offered my work ‘for sale’ was in 2005 when, in my role as Head of Drama at a school in Bolton, England, I was asked to write a murder mystery play for a school fundraising event. I’d acted in a murder mystery troupe as a student and was excited at the prospect of writing a play that would receive a guaranteed audience. Because I was writing a school-related event, it made perfect sense to set my piece inside a school and derive humour by parodying all its character stereotypes and day-to-day activities. I called it, simply, ‘Who Killed the Headmaster?’ and its plot revolved around the Head of a private school in wartime Britain who was found strangled in his (locked) study. Other staff members from the school (the Deputy Head, the Head’s wife, the school librarian, a Science teacher, the caretaker…) all became suspects in an intriguing ‘locked door’ case... and Detective Inspector Spence was called in to attempt to wheedle out the truth.
The piece proved so successful in performance that I immediately offered to write another play for the following year while offering it for sale to other schools and organizations via a specially designed website… and thus ‘www.murderplays.com’ came into being. Over the years, one play led to another as the call for more, and more varied, fundraising whodunits gathered momentum. Today, ‘Murderplays’ boasts some 25 or so comedy whodunit plays, in either a 2 or a 3 act format, which sell all around the world. During my best ever year (immediately before the pandemic) there were 170 individual performances of my pieces worldwide. And I still continue to add to the ever-growing list today… My latest whodunits include ‘Shot in the Rockies!’ a western-inspired piece, ‘Knight of the Medi-Evil Dead!’ a historical piece set inside a British castle during the Wars of the Roses, and ‘Barf of the Net!’ a piece written especially for schools where a soccer game is deliberately sabotaged!
Writing, and especially the creation of murder mystery/whodunit pieces, soon developed into a passion for me. Nowadays, companies come back year after year for their annual slice of murder, and it has been an honour to have been performed so widely and to have built up such a following... I have acted in my own plays, been invited to watch them, and also been invited to talk about them. The whole ‘Murderplays’ experience has been, and continues to be, a real privilege to be involved with and something which inspires me creatively.
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Inky's back in his latest enthralling whodunit! Blinkton-on-Sea is gripped by the fiercest winter in its history. But the weather is not the town's most pressing problem. When a battered Citroen slides through its backstreets late one night, a sequence of events begins to unfold which culminates in a sinister battle of good versus evil. When a mystery figure sabotages a crucial Math exam by setting off Blinkton School's fire alarm, a desperate hunt is on to find the culprit. Inky Stevens, rising to the challenge, finds himself drawn into a mystery which extends far beyond the school-gates. Blinkton, he discovers, is harbouring a deadly secret, one which will bring the Great School Detective face to face with his most deadly adversary. His latest mission threatens not only to destroy Inky, but also the very existence of the isolated seaside town. Praise for 'Inky Stevens the Case of the Caretaker's Keys' Cleverly Crafted. The story is set against a background that all teenage readers rave about.
Write to the Bitter End!
An essential guide for all wannabe writers!
British playwright and novelist Chris Martin was asked to document his experiences as a writer in order to help anyone thinking of doing likewise. ‘Write to the Bitter End’ is his response to that request… warts and all!
In 2013 Chris left the teaching profession after 22 years with dreams of becoming a full-time writer. Already an internationally best-selling playwright of fundraising murder mystery plays, he thought the transition to becoming a published novelist would be straightforward. The next logical step, in fact. As things turned out, however… it wasn’t. And at the request of a friend, he’s documented his journey (along with a series of hints about the art of writing itself and the publishing industry in general) with the aim of helping aspiring writers who may be considering taking a similar path.
Paperback
Set up high on the cliffs, in the grounds of a ruined monastery, overlooking the dreary town of Blinkton-on-Sea, is the otherwise unremarkable Blinkton High School. Here resides the enigmatic Inky Stevens – a talented and astute student, better known as “the Great School Detective." What appears to be a trivial search for a missing set of keys soon turns much more sinister with our hero facing mortal danger. Will Inky unlock this case and find the key to his survival or will he meet a horrific end?
Interview Continued
What is it about writing whodunits which motivates you?
What I love about the crime fiction/whodunit genre is that, both in plays and in narrative fiction, I’m creating a huge game of ‘cat and mouse’ with the audience/reader. It’s all one big elaborate puzzle! My challenge as a writer is to lay all the clues as to ‘who did it’ in plain sight, then muddy the waters and make the viewer/reader really work to find them. I’m creating a riddle that’s difficult to solve yet which makes ‘perfect sense’ when everything’s revealed at the end. It’s not easy… but I love the way the process keeps me (and hopefully my audience) thinking.
So when did you switch from writing plays to writing fiction?
By 2013 Murderplays had become so successful that it enabled me to leave my job as a teacher in order to pursue my love of writing full-time. By then, as well adding to my growing list of comedy whodunits, I’d developed dreams of becoming a published author in the ‘conventional’ sense, and, for a new challenge, resolved to throw myself into writing literary fiction. This was not an easy decision to make, and there were certainly huge financial implications from leaving ‘education’. Yet I felt, as my 50s started to loom, that I deserved the chance to follow my passion. And having made this decision, the only thing I needed to do next was… work out what on earth I was going to write about.
So how did ‘Inky Stevens’ come about?
While racking my brains for a subject which inspired me, a certain phrase came to mind, one which I’d offered to countless students over the years…
‘When writing, it’s always better to stick to what you know. In that way your work will have deeper impact and an inherent sense of authenticity!’
So, I found myself asking, ‘Well, what is it that I know about, then? Come on, then, Chris. What…?!’
The answer came in a rush…
‘Well, I certainly have a successful record of writing whodunits, and I love ‘crime fiction’ as a genre… so what I’d really love to do is create something centered around ‘whodunits’ and ‘crime’. Something that’s quite sinister and gothic in style.’ But the only problem with this, I realized, was that I didn’t know anywhere near enough about police operations to begin creating any form of conventional crime drama.
‘So,’ I continued to reflect, ‘if I’m still set on writing whodunits, and if I know I don’t know enough about the police, what do I know about…?’ Again, the answer flew at me...
‘School! After two decades at the chalkface, I know everything there is to know schools and school life!!’
So, right there and then I decided to create a series of novels, set in a school, based around a schoolboy detective. And moments later, I had his name, too…
‘Inky Stevens’.
And thus ‘the Great School Detective’ series came into being. Inky Stevens, the protagonist of my fiction writing, is a reclusive fifteen-year-old schoolboy who’s drawn instinctively towards solving mysteries. He tall and slim in appearance, with a sallow complexion. He doesn’t speak much, but when he does, people listen. Inky’s enigmatic, dynamic and introspective. He actually deflects an exploration of his own problems by throwing his attention onto others… If someone’s in trouble, and he feels he can be of assistance, Inky will go undercover within his school community to help them. And in his pursuit of the truth… Inky Stevens is relentless!
Interview Continued
What aim do you have when writing?
During my time as a teacher I was required (forced) by the curriculum to present a number of ‘school readers’ to my classes. Some of these were incredible, but many, many others I found ‘incessantly ‘dull’. In class, I could physically see the eyelids of my students starting to close (with mine not too far behind). So the challenge I set myself was to create a range of novels for readers aged from 8 to 13 which I knew, from experience, would engage and enthrall them. I aimed to create a series of compelling whodunits, packed with humour and intrigue, which would have students rushing along to class to ‘dive in’.
Where do you get your ideas from?
Despite setting all my novels in the same place (Blinkton-on-Sea) I never feel limited by this. My secret weapon, I feel, is the two decades I spent as a teacher. Tucked away somewhere inside my head is lifetime’s worth of school experience… a lifetime’s worth of stories, which, with a little effort, I can recall and then lay down on the page with a splash of comic exaggeration... All those students, teachers, and support staff; not to mention school trips, lessons, playground antics, school inspections, detentions, breaktimes, bust-ups, dining hall food fights. I can still visualize everything with so much clarity… all those sights, sounds and smells!! These provide the bottomless well from which I can draw out ‘the types’ of characters and storylines for me to embellish. Indeed, for me, starting each new title is a bit like the first day of the school year where I’m simply desperate to meet up with everyone again, see what everyone’s been up to and where they’re going to take me next!
During one of the school workshops which I now run, I was once approached by a young lady who, having read my book, asked, ‘How did you know my Geography teacher? What you’ve written is exactly like him.’
Of course, I had no idea who the young lady’s Geography teacher was. But that’s the point… I’m writing about ‘types’ of students and teachers who’ll, pretty much, be inside every school the world over. In this way I’m hoping to tap into everyone’s experiences of school in the hope of finding a commonality which resonates with my audience.
So tell us about your first book...
The first book in my ‘Great School Detective’ series of young adult novels is called, ‘Inky Stevens: The Case of the Caretaker’s Keys.’
The blub on the back cover describes it, as follows…
The Great Storm, which shook Blinkton that September, would live long in the memory of the isolated coastal town. At its height, each wave crashing against the harbor wall sent seawater spewing upwards as a dense curtain of brine, which hung perfectly still for the briefest of seconds, before thumping down with the force of a thousand fists.
This darkest of times provided cover for the darkest of deeds. As the storm swelled to its climax, a malignant force sat, poised to enact a deed of unspeakable evil. For them, the thrashing jaws of the tempest offered the perfect distraction...
This description, I believe, hints at the dark, gritty, gothic feel of crime-linked fiction that I was aiming to achieve. My work is actually a parody of the genre, adopting its tough ruthlessness, and then applying it to secondary school somewhere in Britain. Blinkton High School, itself, is a remote coastal town, an ideal location where sinister deeds can take place. For Inky’s first outing, it’s the school’s caretaker, Fred Varley, who takes centerstage. Fred’s had his big bunch of school keys stolen and whoever’s responsible now has the run of the entire school. Four suspects emerge, but which one took them? And, more importantly, was their action all part of some harmless prank… or something altogether far more serious!? Finding out the answer brings Inky face to face with a deadly foe!
How did you come up with the title?
The title ‘the Case of the Caretaker’s Keys’ emerged naturally during the writing process. I like it because it outlines the crime at the heart of the novel in a punchy alliterative way. My publishers, Hogs Back Books, were happy to adopt this title, but they also saw beyond this. They recognized the opportunity to ‘brand’ the rest of the series. All subsequent ‘Great School Detective’ titles will have the ‘Inky Stevens, the Case of the….’ tag.
So, was becoming a published author easy?
I can answer that very simply in one word, an emphatic…
‘No!’
In fact, if I’d have known how difficult it would turn out to be, there’s a significant chance I’d never have begun the venture at all. ‘Murderplays’ is entirely under my control. I write a play. I price it up. Then list it for sale. Simple. But trying to attract the attract the attention of a legitimate publishing house for a full-length novel, was a whole different ball game… Initially, it took me roughly a year to write ‘Caretaker’s Keys’ and then, having completed it, I found myself at a loss…
‘So, the book’s done, but what on earth do I do next?’ I thought.
I honestly didn’t have a clue.
Not one. So…
Name one entity that supported your commitment to become a published author.
Having come to a dead stop, and completely out of ideas, I made the decision to join my local writers’ group, ‘Chorley Writers’. This was to prove invaluable in my journey to become a published author. Meeting once a month, as well as discussing specific points related to a writing style, I was also introduced to members who possessed a well of experience regarding approaching publishers and agents. Soaking up their knowledge, month by month, they gently guided me on my quest. Looking back, I was completely naïve, but among such groups there is always a huge willingness to support one another. Following their invaluable guidance, I sent my manuscript off, in all the different formats required, to an array of different organization's, and…
Nothing happened.
Absolutely nothing at all.
Rejection followed rejection. (And that’s from those houses who could be bothered replying.)
But in the meantime, I’d been furiously working away on the sequel, and, in fact completed Inky’s second book which I entitled, ‘For Whom the School Bell Tolls’. Helped on by Chorley Writers, this time I was taken through the process of self-publishing in both an eBook and in print-on-demand format. At least now, my work was made available… while I girded myself to do battle with publishers for a second time…
And just as before…
Rejection followed rejection… Until…
I decided to ‘call time’ on writing. I’d had enough. It was all just too much work for so little (basically, ‘no’) return. I just couldn’t do that to myself again. All those lonesome hours, days, weeks, months sat hunched over in front of the computer. Henceforth, I vowed to stick to writing my murderplays, something which had a strong following and offered an immediate return…
And then, eight months later, completely out of the blue, the phone rang… ‘Hi, is that Chris? Is it possible to talk to you about your schoolboy detective Inky Stevens…?’
So where are you now?
Hogs Back Books, a children’s publishing company based in France, had made contact and asked to know more about Inky… Matters continued to progress painfully slowly, but finally Hogs Back Books, after careful consideration, offered me a three-book deal. Finally, several years after I’d first typed the words… ‘Inky Stevens’… I’d become a genuine, published author! ‘Caretaker’s Keys’ was released in March 2020. Its sequel is now due out in October 2022 under the (much improved) title, ‘Inky Stevens, the Case of the Abominable Snowball’. (The publishers have run with the ‘school’ theme in terms of branding, and each title will be released with a front cover mocked up to look like a differently-coloured school exercise book.) I have since written another two novels in the series, with a fifth in progress, but am currently taking ‘a bit of a breather’ while I wait for the industry catch up. Once the first three titles have been released, I don’t know what will happen. Time will tell, I guess. I just hope that Inky strikes a enough of a chord among today’s young adults for me to carry on writing, and see where my enigmatic teenage detective takes me…
So what are you doing to ‘spread the word’…?
Ironically, after having left the teaching profession behind in 2013, I’m now straight back into the classroom… and loving it!
While the publishers continue to work their magic behind the scenes, I’m back in schools, promoting Inky through a series of literacy workshops. I love this part of my work, it’s the part of teaching I always loved, all the fun but with none of the responsibility. Hogs Back Books have also published a FREE 60-page PDF learning resource to help me with this (written by an incredible young man called Jamie Foster, available, on request, from my website). I offer these school workshops for FREE in return for the opportunity to be able to promote my book with a book signing. In terms of promotion, Inky also has a FREE bi-yearly newsletter which is also available, on request, through my website.) I simply love this part of my work… coming face to face with the youngsters I’ve been writing for and seeing their reactions first hand, it’s priceless.
When did you first consider yourself to be a writer?
Strangely, this was only very recently. I rang my publisher up for a progress meeting and, as luck would have it, her son answered the phone. I explained my business and asked if she was available. The son then shouted… ‘Mum, it’s one of your authors on the phone for you!’
Now this took me a little by surprise as, despite having been a writer, in one way or another, for almost two decades, I’d never really given it much consideration. But on reflection, I thought, ‘Yeah, I guess he’s right. I suppose I am a writer now. Yeah, I like that!’ And ever since, when I’m asked about my profession, I’m always happy to say, ‘I’m a writer!’
What advice would you give a new writer?
*Don’t give up the day job!
The odds are heavily stacked against anyone aspiring to become a writer so it’s better to write in your spare time and then just see what happens. But do write!
*Join a writing group.
Don’t be proud. Reach out… there is help out there.
*Edit, edit, edit…!!
I firmly believe that ‘writing’ shouldn’t be called writing at all, it ought to be called ‘editing’. At a conservative estimate, I reckon I spend 10% of my time writing and the remaining 90% editing… endlessly shaping and re-shaping my words until they’re as good as they possibly can be. It’s mind numbing at times, constantly going over and over the same piece until your eyes start to blur and you feel you know your novel by heart. But it’s only through this process of editing, and then re-editing, and then re-re-editing, that your story will finally start to emerge from the mass of words and take on a meaningful form!
*Oh, and don’t forget to read, read, read….!
Know your genre and immerse yourself in it.
(I have released a short account of my journey as a writer as an eBook on Amazon called ‘Write to the Bitter End’. It’s full of tips and hints for any aspiring author, if you’d like to check it out?)
Last word…
Thank you for being kind enough to find out a little about me and my work. It has taken me a lot of time (and a lot more hard work) to get to where I am now and, in many ways, I still feel as if I’m only at the beginning of my journey, on the first rung of the ladder, as it were. I’m not sure what will happen to Inky in the future… yet as long as I’m able to write, and he has an audience, I’ll keep on following my passion…
Fingers crossed, the future’s not only bright, but it’s also Inky!!
Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates, events and special offers…
For Inky…
Facebook: Inky Stevens the Great School Detective
(Please sign up to receive Inky’s twice-yearly newsletter, or a copy of his FREE PDF learning resource).
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