We were lucky to catch up with Mike Martin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Mike thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
I am creating a legacy of story telling and stories that will make people feel good. Feel better, even for a little while. I hope that I would be remembered as someone who is kind and gentle and brought good things to the world.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a writer and have been for a long time. But I only claimed that title when I was in my mid-forties. That’s when I became a freelance writer and articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada, the United States and around the world. I have also been a ghostwriter and speechwriter for many business and political leaders in Canada, including several Senators. I published my first book, a self-help book in 2011. But I always wanted to write a fiction book.
In 2012 I published the first book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series. A cozy-like story set in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, on the easternmost tip of Canada. I had intended to only write one book… but I couldn’t figure out how to end that story but I kept going. in May, 2024 I will publish the 14th book in this series. Along the way I have won awards and been nominated for many others
I have also had my own successful freelance writing and communications consulting firm under my own name for over 25 years. I have had a training company called Springwinds Training and founded a writer’s help website called Writers First, offering services to independent authors and writers. I am also a Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
One of the things that a writer, particularly a freelance writer must have is resiliency. Rejection is part of the learning process and learning not to take that personally is the difference between a successful and unsuccessful freelance writer. Dozens of times I have submitted articles to publications and have had them rejected. At the beginning it feels like failure and then you realize that when an editor says that it is ‘not right for them’, it doesn’t mean that another magazine or periodical might not want it for their readers. I have written very few pieces that have not eventually found a home and a way to publication in paper or online. Stephen King was rejected many, many times before he found success. That is my story, too.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The move from freelance writing was made out of necessity and not by choice. I loved the freedom and adventure of writing on my own without deadlines or impediments of any kind. But as the world shifted its news preferences away from print and into online versions, my world changed completely. I had to find new web-based vehicles to write for and even then had to diversify more into the consulting side of work in order to survive. But I was able, over a period of time, to pivot to a new business model that rewarded me for my writing efforts and allowed me to continue to do what I loved best. To write.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sgtwindflowermysteries.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike54martin and https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore/
- Twitter: @mike54martin