We’re introducing you to people who are part of the Betterwrite world. Welcome to MARTIN PERKS, one of our authors.
Martin Perks – Thriller Writer
Martin, what’s your connection with Betterwrite?
You edited my third book, A Dangerous Secret.
Tell us about your work.
I write mystery, psychological, thriller and suspense novels.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m writing my fifth novel, entitled The Other Women.
What do you like about your work?
I love writing stories, creating characters and devising plots with surprise endings.
What don’t you like about being a writer?
Promotion and marketing, which although very necessary is a bind, and time-consuming. It adds to the time it takes to write a novel.
Have you got a personal bugbear?
The cost of promotion and marketing which eats away at my royalties, leaving very little profit.
What particularly pleases you in your work?
The ability to finish writing each book.
What doesn’t please you?
The constant revisions and rewrites, which always take an age.
What amuses you?
The bad reviews from people who haven’t even read the books.
Whose writing do you enjoy?
Ken Follett, Dean Koontz, Wilbur Smith, Stephen King, Jeffrey Archer.
Favourite title?
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
What do you like about Ken Follett’s writing?
It’s a ginormous book with so many characters and plots, but he keeps the reader guessing and shows great attention to detail.
Give us a quote.
“I think all writing is a disease. You can’t stop it.”
A Dangerous Secret is available on Amazon, along with Martin’s other titles
What’s your favourite word in English?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Any other quotes?
“It ain’t whatcha write, it’s the way atcha write it.”
Favourite saying?
“Treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself.”
Apart from your work, what plans or ambitions have you got?
To keep healthy and enjoy life.
How will you do that?
With a great deal of difficulty.
What have you learned about life?
Nothing in life is easy.
What have you learned about people?
Everyone is different.
Tell us something quirky about yourself.
I’m a music fanatic and I’ve always got my earphones in, whether I’m writing or not.
Finish with a story, true or false, with beginning, middle and end. Choose the length, up to 30, 60 or 120 words.
I was putting out the rubbish and noticed the black bag lying next to the dustbin, ripped open. Annoyed, I put it back in the bin, thinking birds had been scavenging.
The next morning I found the bin lying on its side, the black bag ripped open again. Scratching my head, I wondered what to do next. I put the bag back, then the lid, which I sealed with black tape.
Surely those birds wouldn’t get in the bin this time!
Just to discover the truth, I set up CCTV to record what happened. Much to my surprise I found the ‘birds’ were in fact a fox – who had managed to get the tape off with his teeth.
Clever fox! (120)