We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Graciela Martinez-Katz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Graciela, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

From the day I joined the military at the age of 19, I’d always known that it was a big risk to start such a challenging yet rewarding career. Saw much of the world, partook in multiple campaigns that helped shape our country, and met so many amazing people along the way. After 20+ years, I’d taken another risk to retire and rejoin the civilian sector. Finished my Masters in Sports Medicine and ventured in a new direction towards the physical rehabilitation side of things. But my adventure was far from over. During the pandemic and on lockdown while stationed in Europe with my still active duty husband, I found myself searching for yet another outlet for those long days and nights stuck inside the house. That’s when some of the stories I’d stored away in my mind for years during my military adventures had started knocking at the door of my subconscious. I’d always and avid reader and had a vivid imagination during some of my many deployments or various unique assignments, I enjoyed seeing things from a wild perspective. The possibilities of ‘what if’ when it came to fictional stories and scenarios would take root and become plots of the unexpected. Thus, it was then I decided to take my next risk and wrote my first ever historical fantasy romance trilogy and self-published it for readers to enjoy. It has been an amazing journey and while the wave of this risk has its moments, just as we do with any unknown we are faced with, we learn and grow as we go. And I will continue to ride this wave for as long and as far as it will take me. If my stories reach even one reader, then I have succeeded.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an unknown indie author that is just hoping to get her stories out there for readers to enjoy. After retiring from the military after 20 years of service, I ventured into my second career in healthcare but it was always my love of reading that has pulled at me. During my time in the military, we’d get many care packages from the states during our deployments downrange. These packages would sometimes contain a ton of books and that is where I started my love of books and the stories inside them. The authors would create stories so extraordinary it was a perfect way to escape from the harsh reality of the situation at the time. I was hooked. Soon, I started imagining my own stories weaved and articulated in our own world but with elements of the unbelievable. ‘What if’ became my mantra. And from there, my stories grew. I love writing about magic and myth and how it would be if it existed in our world and the various struggles we’ve faced in our past (historical setting) or in our present (urban setting). And I am a huge reader of any and all romance genres, so of course I have that included in my stories. As I am still new and learning, the book community has been absolutely amazing. I’ve met and communicated with so many readers and authors across the world who have helped me along the way. This has been such an awesome ride. We are a family and the support we have for each other is priceless. I do this for the love of the craft. Create stories that will hopefully help someone escape their reality for even a brief snippet of time as other authors have done for me.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I’ve always heard stories of how folks in the creative umbrella (artists, musicians, writers, film, creative designers, etc.) can get lost in their own world for months at a time. How writers and painters can sometimes lock themselves in a room for days and block out the real world while they immerse themselves in what they are trying to create at the time.

When I began my journey as a writer, I had no idea the relevance of this particular aspect of creating until I found myself at my laptop for hours on end before I realize I hadn’t moved or eaten. The stories take over. My muse takes over. And I give in to it completely without realizing it. The characters breath and speak to me as if they were looking over my shoulder telling me what they should be doing next in the story. It consumed me, but in a good way. I found my style of writing that worked for me (I’m a panster) and just went with it. I discovered my limits and didn’t let myself feel bad if I decided to step away from my work in progress for a while. I learned alot about what I enjoyed in the process (love the research) and what I didn’t (not a fan of marketing, a necessary evil).

For anyone on the fence of creating, let yourself get lost in your vision. Use imagery and see it come to fruition. Don’t let doubts stop you. Keep painting, keep writing, keep designing, keep making music, no matter if you feel it’s good enough. Reach out to those in the art community for tips and support along the way. The camaraderie you get is such a blessing. Do what you love and push passed those obstacles. Close the door, put some music on, or silence the room with noise cancelling headphones and create. It’s a spark of energy within you that is just dying to come out and there are some on the outside that are just waiting for you to share it with them.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I just want to share my stories with readers. That’s my ultimate goal and the only real reason I write. If even one person enjoys what I’ve created, it’s all worth it. Not in it for the fame and fortune, it’s never been about that. I truly enjoy writing and creating characters that readers will hopefully connect with. As a reader, it’s what I love most about books. I get lost in the world the author built for us, the characters we love and sometimes hate, and stay up till after midnight to finish the book so we can see the happy ending. It’s what I love and what I hope to bring to the table.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gmkatzauthor.com
• Instagram: @gracielamkatz
• Other: Author link: https://linktr.ee/gmkatz

Image Credits
Pictures taken my Author GM Katz