Marta Perry Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A:  Thanks so much for inviting me to be your guest today. I’ve been writing for a lot of years now, and it’s still just as much fun as it was when I sold my first story. I’m currently writing for HQN Books and for Love Inspired Books. My husband and I live on a small farm in the Pennsylvania countryside, and when I’m not writing, I’m usually trying to keep up with the canning and freezing as well as gain control over my flowerbeds! In the non-gardening seasons, I love to travel, especially when it involves spending time with our grown kids and our six delightful grandchildren.

Q: What started you on your writing journey?

A:  I dreamed of being a writer from the time I was a child, losing myself in books. But since that didn’t seem a very practical choice, my parents encouraged me to become a teacher. The writing urge wouldn’t be ignored, and I began writing short stories for children’s magazines, then adult stories, and finally daring to write the novels I’d always dreamed of. I think making a success of a writing career requires a considerable degree of tenacity—or maybe just plain stubbornness.

Q: What distracts you from writing the easiest?

A:  I’m really not distracted from writing very easily. I can, and have, written while on planes, trains, ships, and in moving cars, while sitting at a noisy airport gate waiting for an overdue plane, or when surrounded by young children. I used to tell my kids they couldn’t expect me to stop writing unless there was blood or flames!

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release ECHO OF DANGER?

A:  ECHO OF DANGER is the first book in my new romantic suspense series for HQN Books, the Echo Falls series, set in an isolated Amish and English community in northeastern Pennsylvania. Widow Deidre Morris and her young son have unwittingly become prisoners of her intimidating father-in-law’s power. One wrong step could find her son torn from her and in the hands of the influential judge. But when Deidre collides with an intriguing stranger, the prospect of a new friendship gives her renewed hope…until a devastating murder rocks the quiet community of Echo Falls and Deidre learns first impressions can’t be trusted.

Attorney Jase Glassman’s assignment is straightforward: befriend Deidre, gather incriminating evidence…and allow her dogged father-in-law to take custody of her child. Anything else, including losing himself in her honest charm, will compromise the job he was hired to do. Yet when a murderer ushers danger into the town, Jase’s only instinct is to protect Deidre and her son—no matter the sacrifice.

Q: Where did the idea for this story come from?

A: I’ve been carrying this idea around with me for such a long time that I’m not sure where it originated. But when I thought about the setting I wanted to use for the new series, and the dramatic falls that become a symbol in the series, the ideas just seemed to flow and come together in a way that’s magical when it happens. And frustrating when it doesn’t!

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A: I’ve just finished the edits on the second book in this series, SOUND OF FEAR, and submitted the proposal for a second book in my current series for Love Inspired, The Brides of Lost Creek. I’ll be writing that one during the next few months.

Q: What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

A:  I love books that combine mystery and romance, so I’ll usually be found with some combination of the two. When I started reading romantic suspense years ago, authors like Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney captivated me, and that’s still what I enjoy, along with the occasional classic mystery tale

Q: What is your favorite food?

A:  Seafood of just about any kind. When we go to the South Carolina shore for the winter, I indulge my love of shrimp and crab and lobster to the utmost!

Q: What makes you smile and/or laugh out loud?

A:  Babies, puppies, kittens…all the usual. And I’m a fan of The Big Bang series, which usually has some laugh-out-loud moments.

Q: If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A:  I’d undoubtedly be a cat, since curling up on a comfortable chair in a patch of sunshine makes me happy.