And while the postmark said Brunswick, Ga., his handwritten return address would say Alaska or Africa or some far corner of the map. It did wonders for my imagination. School was filled with writer's rules and can't do's. His letters with endless possibility. I wrote mainly short stories until the age of 27 when I attempted a novel. Until then, I was scared to attempt it. Afraid to risk failure. Desperation is a great motivator. That manuscript became The Dead Don't Dance.
LG: I read that your first book was a hit and your second manuscript was rejected. Can you tell us the story highlights, why it was not acceptable, and how you reacted to the decision?
CM: My first manuscript was rejected 86 times before a publisher picked it up. My next four published without much of a hitch. Small hurdles but nothing major. My 6th released -- and hit the NYT list -- but my next manuscript was rejected. Outright and completely. Sort of tough to swallow. But, when I stepped back far enough, my editor was right and they should have rejected it.
So, I regrouped and wrote another manuscript, which became The Mountain Between Us. That was optioned by 20th Century Fox and just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water, my next manuscript was rejected. So...in my experience, rejection is part of the business. Thick skin helps but only so much. Sooner or later, I have to go back to the white page on my screen and start over.
Books don't write themselves. I've heard other writers say, 'You get used to it,' but I'm not so sure. That's easier said than done. Rejection is still rejection. Maybe the area where I've improved in all this is being able to start again. I'm not saying the process doesn't hurt, but (shrug), welcome to earth. If it were easy, everybody would do it.
LG: Is there a part of you in Ben, Ashley, or Grover?
CM: I ran track in high school although Ben was MUCH faster than me. I crafted his workouts from some of the sadistic stuff our coach used to make us do. And, while you won't find me on Everest and I've only climbed one 14'er in Colorado (Mt. Princeton) I do love the mountains and have spent a night or two in some rough places. Could I get out of the mess where I crashed Ben and Ashley? Doubtful, but that's, in part, why I write. ;-)
LG: How much research did you have to do about medicine and the High Unitas Wilderness to make the story effective?
CM: Two friends and I flew to Salt Lake, drove into the High Uintas, rented snow mobiles, packed a ridiculous amount of gear on the back of each of them and drove off into the woods -- returning at night to a cabin we'd rented. A week later we caught a plane home. A great experience. One of the lessons I've learned in more than ten novels is that place (setting) matters to me. A lot. Like, on a subconscious level. If I can't see it, smell it and see it, I don't write about it too well. Last year I found myself needing to write about France, so we (Christy and I) flew to Paris. Tough duty, but she didn't seem to mind. As a result, she thinks my next book needs to be set in Hawaii. I'm giving it some thought.
LG: I love your outlook. What messages about love and hope do you want readers to take away?
CM: Love wins. Hope never dies.
LG: What themes run consistently through your stories and what makes them unique?
CM: The path (or arc) from broken to not-broken is painful but possible -- and worth walking. Or crawling. The beauty outweighs the pain.
LG: That is a powerful outlook, and it’s a great attitude for a writer who wants to be successful.
LG: What tips do you have for finding a publisher and promoting your work in 2012?
CM: When I was first getting started, I heard somewhere that F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise was rejected 126 times before it was picked up. I don't know if this is true or not and I don't really care, but I wrote '126' on a yellow sticky and taped it to the side of my monitor. I told myself I'd stop sending queries when I got there. And yes, I was starting to sweat a bit when I broke into the 80s.
In fourteen years of writing, I've learned that a lot of people want to 'be published,' see their name on the shelf, smoke a pipe, wear a tweed jacket, go on a book tour, do interviews, wax eloquent, sound intellectual and experience the joy of having someone ask them to sign their book. But, very few actually want to sit behind the computer long enough to turn out something great and even fewer still want to suffer the rejections that will come on the heels of that.
My advice? First, plant your butt in the seat and write something great. Then rewrite it. Then rewrite it again. Writing is rewriting.
Second, rejection only means 'that person' doesn't like your work. Not everyone. Big difference. If you want to do this, be willing to risk failure. Pick yourself up, dust off your knees and keep writing.
Note: The best book on writing I've ever read is Stephen King's, On Writing. He and I are very different but I can't argue with his pragmatics. If you're a writer, or want to be, and haven't read it, you should.
LG: What are you working on now and how can we learn more about you?
CM: My 9th novel -- On the surface it's about an actress at the pinnacle of her career who attempts suicide only to be stopped by a man with a secret more valuable, and painful, than hers. Beneath the surface, it's about two people being willing to open up their bag of broken pieces and share them. A risky proposition. My editor has already been through it and returned it with edits which means she didn't reject it. ;) Always a good sign. Take a look at charlesmartinbooks.com for videos and blog entries about my upcoming work. Or you can find me on Facebook.
LG: Thanks for sharing your story with us, Charles. You have a great website, and congratulations on your upcoming book. I think your uncle from Brunswick would be proud of they style you used as you answered these questions.
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