J.C. Martin is joining me during her mini blog tour to promote the release of the Stories for Sendai charity anthology.
Raquel: I'm so delighted to have you stop by, J.C. Can you tell us what your Tour de Force is all about?
J.C.: Stories for Sendai is a collection of 20 uplifting and inspirational short stories that all share a common theme: they encompass hope and the strength of the human spirit. All proceeds from sales of the anthology will go towards helping victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Raquel: What a worthy endeavor. You really put your talent to work for the good of others. Can you tell us how long you've been writing?
J.C.: I’ve been writing all my life, but have only decided to seriously pursue writing as a career last August. To allow more time each day for writing, I had a change in career. As a kung fu instructor, I LOVE writing action scenes, and I believe my knowledge of the martial arts come in very handy when writing fight scenes. Raquel: Do you have a favorite book on the writing craft? If so, how has it helped you?
J.C.: Stephen King’s On Writing is one of the most inspirational books on writing around! The part memoir, part how-to book discusses elements of style, and how less is often more. He provides examples of his first draft and then shows us how he edits it—absolutely priceless advice! Hopefully I’ve managed to put his tips to practice in my contribution to the anthology, a short story entitled Tommy’s Legacy.
Raquel: Is there a way that we can help the disaster victims in Japan?
J.C: Why not purchase a copy (or two) of Stories for Sendai? You get a lovely little book of wonderful short stories, plus you also contribute to aid efforts in Japan! As an added incentive, there is a prize draw, with awesome prizes like books, gift vouchers and critiques!
All you have to do is to buy a copy of Stories for Sendai and email us a copy of your receipt at storiesforsendai (at) ymail (dot) com. One entry per purchase! Winners will be announced on July 15th!
With Michelle Davidson Argyle, J.C. Martin is co-editor of the Stories for Sendai charity anthology. A displaced Malaysian living in south London with her husband and three dogs, she funds her writing obsession by working as a martial arts instructor. Her short stories have been published by New Asian Writing, Pill Hill Press and Static Movement, and she is the winner of IFWG Publishing’s Short Story Contest in 2010. You can find her online ramblings at http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/. For shorter, 140-character versions of her ramblings, find her on Twitter @JCMartin_author (http://twitter.com/#!/JCMartin_author).