Jeff Martin
Indie author Jeff Martin publishes an amazing blog called The Oak Wheel, which is a mixture of poetry, stories and random thoughts. Jeff calls it his Labor of Love. As Jeff Martin told me, “The Oak Wheel started as a venue for me to promote my own writing, poetry and short stories. It quickly became an amalgam of other fiction authors that I met through social media. Today, it’s almost like an online newspaper.”
When I asked Jeff where he gets his inspiration for posts, he smiled: “I just see what my whim and fancy is for the day. When I write short stories, I often use writing prompts.”
Jeff Martin is currently working on two novels, a fantasy and a sci-fi thriller. Jeff describes his fantasy novel: “It’s kindda my baby. It’s based on the idea of The Oak Wheel. The story is set in a world where there are a group of gods and goddesses, Greek tragedy style, that rule over this world and gamble over the fate of this world. The series is about the trials and tribulations of the people that have to deal with the repercussions of the gambling.”
The sci-fi thriller has a dystopian theme: “A calamitous event occurs on Earth that forces a group of astronauts to orbit the Earth for over 10,000 years. The captain goes nuts and decides that he wants to go back to the planet.”
Jeff Martin is working on both books simultaneously. He plans to have both books edited by the end of this year. He’s debating whether to self-publish or go through the long query route (and send his manuscripts out to publishers). Jeff hopes to publish both books by the summer of 2015.
Although Jeff does not have a formal writing background, he’s always been an avid reader. “Instead of going out and playing, I would rather have stayed inside reading. Over the years, I kept writing. I’ve always come back to writing as an outlet, to get out my passion.”
When I asked Jeff Martin how he uses social media, he told me: “Social media is a godsend for anyone who doesn’t have a major way to get their artistry out. I use Twitter very heavily. I used to be very heavy into Facebook, but I noticed consumers shifting towards Twitter. I try to blast people on a daily basis, not only about what I’m doing, but about what the authors contributing to my blog are doing as well.”
Jeff Martin advises other authors, “My biggest advice is to write for yourself and put that out there. I’m also a musician. I spent most of my twenties chasing a dream that I would be commercially successful as a musician, and my music was greatly affected by it. In hindsight, I should have just written for myself. So, now as a writer, when I sit down at the keyboard, I put forth a product that I want to read, not necessarily something I think will be commercially successful. Although it seems counter-intuitive, I think that’s the best way to get noticed.”
According to Jeff Martin, “Promotion is one thing, but people notice when you are passionate about something. Don’t get mired down with ‘Is someone going to like this?’ If you don’t like it, then probably no one else will. So, start with yourself and go from there.”
If you’re a writer and want to participate with The Oak Wheel, email Jeff Martin at JeffMartin707@gmail.com or go to the About Me section of the website and click the email link.
Watch the complete video interview on the Amused Now YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/53GLJyxrNa4
The Amused Now Featured Artist Series
Jeff Martin
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@Jeff_Martin707
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