Today, I am so happy to be able to introduce you to a new author to me, Martin Lundqvist. Not only is he an author and blogger, but he's a soccer referee as well! I am not a soccer player at all, but I love watching the sport!
What I am is an avid enthusiast of science fiction, which is what Martin specializes in. His second book in his The Divine Zetan trilogy is out now called The Divine Sedition. Needless to say, I am SUPER excited to have found a new author to follow and cannot wait as he's now on my "to read" list...my list just keeps getting longer which I LOVE!
But enough about me, let's talk about Martin...to Martin...whatever, you know what I mean!
Please let me introduce you to the man of the Blog Post...
Martin Lundqvist
Why did you first start writing? What was the inspiration for your first book?
I wrote my first book in 2013. I had written a personal blog for many years prior to that, but I felt that writing a blog was limiting my creativity. Besides book writing has a small, but still existing opportunity to make money, so that was also a deciding factor that changed my path from blogging to book writing.
James Locker was inspired by the dark crime stories/murder mysteries that Swedish authors are famous for. I wanted to do things a bit different so I wrote it as a dark satire instead of being a serious crime story.
Did you ever consider traditional/indie publishing? Was there a reason you chose the way you did to go about publishing your works? Do you have any insights for future authors trying to make the same choice?
I have tried to get James Locker and The Divine Dissimulation published with no success. Realizing I won’t make money from those books I still want them read and appreciated by people which is why I have them as free download from my homepage. I haven’t submitted The Divine Sedition to publishers yet as I have involved my Partner Elaine Hidayat in the editing process trying to combine our mind to make a better story. As for Matt’s Amazing Week, that is child story, and Elaine who is also my illustrator might illustrate it in the future. If we actually get it illustrated we will submit it to publishers.
How many books do you have published now?
I have self-published 4 books, and sadly I haven’t managed to get any book published for real yet, but I feel that my writing is improving and it is a fulfilling hobby for now.
James Locker (2013) Crime
The Divine Dissimulation (2017) Science Fiction
The Divine Sedition (2018) Science Fiction / Action Adventure
Matt’s Amazing Week (2018) Children Book/Short Story
Do you have any books in the works at the moment?
I have just started writing on the third book and final book in the Divine Zetan Trilogy, The Divine Finalization. I might also write a few children books/ short stories in the meantime if Matt’s Amazing Week gains popularity. If it does I am considering writing considerably shortened and kids friendly version of my Science Fiction books.
Any advice you’d offer up-and-comers looking to find their place in the literary world?
Not really. Just write as a hobby until you know if you have what it takes or not. Keep your day job, and write on your spare time. The process will be slower but you won’t have to worry and you won’t experience writer’s block as you don’t have any deadline. Writing on your spare time is also a lot more fulfilling than wasting time on things like watching movies and playing video games.
Where do your ideas come from?
My ideas come from the big slimy part of tissue that is my brain. Like everyone else I am not living in a vacuum so all of my ideas are influenced by things I read and watch. I believe that my brain is working in a quite unique way however, which has the advantage that I can come up with quite unique ideas. The drawback of this is that it is harder for me to adapt my ideas to the target group. Most books are not unique at all as uniqueness can often inhibit one’s possibility to appeal to a large target group.
Is there a genre that you've been wanting to experiment with?
I would like to write historical fiction, but am inhibited by my own laziness and lack of discipline when it comes to doing actual research. I have read a few historical fictions books and I like to play videogames that take place in ancient times, so that would be an interesting prospect for me to try.
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
The hardest part of writing is that I get frustrated at times when I don’t get feedback for my ideas and works. Even negative feedback is better than silence and disinterest. When I can filter out external factors such as promoting my books and focus on writing a good story I am the happiest and most productive
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully I am working in a stable and fulfilling job with writing as my side hobby. While I would love to be a popular full-time author with my books made into movies, it is an unlikely scenario. With this in mind my personal homepage also contains my CV in case someone would like to hire me.
Do you hand write or do everything on your computer?
I would never consider handwriting my books. Handwriting is slower, and it would need to be transcribed into text anyways for people to read it, so I don’t see the point in this method.
If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?
Well, I like writing books, but I haven’t managed to convince others that I am good at it yet. At the moment I am working as a hospitality attendant and a soccer referee. I would like to change the hospitality attendant job to an office job to gain a stable schedule and secure source of income.
Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?
I read the reviews but unfortunately there is not enough of them. With a bad review I would try to explain the plot hole, and if the criticism was about the book in general I would just leave it unanswered. With a good review I might thank the reviewer and use it for my advertising
What’s the best thing about being an author?
The best part about being an author is to be able to be creative and dwell in a hobby while creating something that could potentially make money in the future.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I would love to give readers what they want, but unfortunately they don’t communicate much leaving most of my works original and not very popular.
What made you choose to write a novel?
I write novels because they are full length and have more potential usefulness than short-stories or poetry. The Drawback is that they are more time consuming to read and thus it is harder to get feedback on them.
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For all of us Science Fiction lovers and lovers of reading in general, don't forget to check out this new author and let me just give a HUGE thank you to Martin for taking the time out to say hello and stop by my blog.
I love being an author and getting to meet new authors, and I’m so excited to have met Martin and bring you this inside peek into his stories.
For more information on Martin and his writings, here are his links below:
Website: www.martinlundqvist.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/martinlundqvistauthor
BOOK LINKS:
The Divine Sedition: hyperurl.co/kewbfe
The Divine Dissimulation: hyperurl.co/0fandx
James Locker: The Duality of Fate: hyperurl.co/80ov2l
Matt's Amazing Week: hyperurl.co/jf2d8m