Marta Stephens

69, Female

Midwest USA

United States

Profile Information:

Hometown:
Muncie, IN
About Me:
I love creating complex plots that keep readers glued to the edge of their seats and the pages. I'm happy to take on the challenge of developing protagonists that are sharp but not always perfect. Even the bad guys—the ones readers will love to hate are sometimes more fun to create. To be honest, though, I simply enjoy the process of writing; the plot development, research, creating scenes and characters. I don’t even mind editing—it’s nothing for me to cut thousands of pages from my work in progress.
The real joy for me, however, is having the opportunity to connect with my readers and hear or read their reaction to my work. That’s totally fulfilling.
I Am A:
Reader, Writer
Website:
http://www.mstephensbooks.com
Books And Authors I Like:
My favorite book and author is the one who grabs my attention at the moment.

Comment Wall:

  • Jordan Dane

    Creepy cool cover. Love it and the title. Best wishes for your success!!
  • Lesa Holstine

    Welcome, Marta! This is a much more active site than Book Place. You'll need time. Enjoy.
  • Marta Stephens

    Lesa!! I didn't know about Crime Space until I read your blog on Book Place. Lucky me! This is what I've been looking for. Thanks so much.
    Marta
  • Jordan Dane

    Thanks for the invite to visit your website and view your book trailer. Excellent! You've got a lot to be proud of. Best wishes to you.
  • norby

    Kalamazoo is only 36 miles from the Indiana line.

    My dad went to Manchester College in Manchester, IN. You anywhere near there?
  • Marta Stephens

    Muncie. Probably another hour or so south! :) See, almost neighbors.
  • Lesa Holstine

    Glad you found your way here, Marta. For those of us who like crime novels or nonfiction, this is the place to be.
  • Robin Burcell

    You're welcome, Marta. Enjoy that first signing! Here's to hoping you're better with names than I am!!!
  • Robin Burcell

    Oh, and Thanks for the invite!
  • Jackie Griffey

    (me too) - glad to find some people to chat with and this looks like an interesting group.
    Best,
    Jackie
  • James Roberts

    Thank you for your kind words. If you think I can provide any information or guidance, do not hesitate to contact me. Best wishes.
  • Alafair Burke

    Thanks for introducing yourself, especially since you like Duffer too :-)
  • Dennis Venter

    Hi Marta, nice to cyber meet you. Any indication if your book will be released in the U.K. - which normally means we'll get it down here.
  • Marta Stephens

    Absolutely!! My publisher is British. It's there now. Look on my website under, what else, "Buy it NOW" There are several locations listed including the book depository in London. It's also available through all the Amazons including the UK. So by all means, Buy! Buy! Buy! :)
  • Daniel Hatadi

    Hello, Martha. To fix your background colour, you'll have to edit the HTML (the top right button on the blog editor), where you'll need to get rid of the reference to 'background-white'. My guess is that you copy&pasted the text from Word, so another way to avoid this is to first copy&paste into Notepad (which clears the formatting), then copy&paste into your blog. Phew. Does that help? :)
  • Brandt Dodson

    Thanks Marta. I'm glad to see you here. A lot of nice people and great writers on on this site.
  • Donna Moore

    Hi Marta - thanks for the invite! Congratulations on the publication of your first book.
  • Jason Starr

    Hey Marta,
    Thanks so much re THE FOLLOWER......and if Donna's here, this must be a cool place to hang out :)
    Cheers, Jason
  • Mark Stevens

    Good luck with Silenced Cry and thanks for the invite. Since you did so well at your first Barnes and Noble event, here's a question for you: what's your favorite opening line to cold walk-ins? I enjoy meeting readers too (and I have a B & N event this weekend and one next week too) but I never quite know about a good opening hook. Sometimes I've said, "do you enjoy mysteries and thrillers?" If they say yes, I can usually reel them in. If they say no, I say, "care to start?"
  • Marta Stephens

    "Hi" Always works for me LOL.

    Seriously, I took the same approach you have. "Do you like mysteries?" My table was right in front of the door so the first thing I did was make eye contact and smile. I don't know, maybe it made them feel guilty if they didn't stop to talk, the point is, several did. They seemed to be drawn by the cover. Keep in mind that my signing was at a college B&N during student orientation so I asked thing like where are your from? What's Johnny or Mary going to study? How do you like the campus? The minute I started showing an interest in them, they picked up a book and started to thumb through it. Probably that guilt thing again. LOL The neat thing for me was when customers asked questions either about the book (my favorite subject) or about me (how long have you been writing, etc.,). Others stood around and listened in. Several picked up the book as a result of what they heard in our discussion. The best example of this was one of the sales clerks, a student who had been very helpful from the minute I walked through the door. We chatted a while before hand about the book but then people started coming in and we both got busy. When it was nearly time for me to go, he came and stood by my table again and waited for me to finish talking with a couple of women. I thought he needed to tell me something bookstore related. Instead, he pick up a book and said, "You know, I like to read but I’ve never read a mystery. I think I'm going to buy one of these though. Who knows I might like the genre." Ah! I love an open mind! :)

    Mark (love the last name, by the way) I think the important thing is to be yourself. If you believe in your book, you'll be a natural salesman! Best of luck and let me know how it goes!
  • Kathryn Lilley

    Ah, yes...the "D" and "E". Major hurdles for me as well, lol! Nowadays, they provide great fodder for me in my stories, lol.
  • Marta Stephens

    LOL There's a story happening every minute!
  • Kathryn Lilley

    Actually, my stories are set in Durham, North Carolina, the self-proclaimed "Diet Captital of the World."
  • Declan Burke

    Hi Marta - Thanks for the welcome, it's really appreciated. Hope Silenced Cry is a huge success for you, and ditto the series. Once I get orientated here on Crime Space, I'll be back ... Cheers, Dec
  • R Broome

    Thanks...though i always say i would, deep down i know i couldn't ever put flame to that paper...we all know any manuscript good or bad is like a child we've birthed. I am, however, transplanting its organs into a brand new story! Wish me luck!
  • Douglas Quinn

    Marta: Read your info on the Virtual Tour concept and I really like the idea. Maybe we should talk the owner of this site to set up a weekly podcast conducting interviews of members who wish to sign up. Then, I'm presuming--and with permission--the podcast could be offered to other groups/sites as part of a virtual tour. Just a thought.
  • joe miller

    Martha,
    Great website.
    Joe
  • BJ Bourg

    Hey Marta,
    Thanks for your comment. You have a cool website, and I love the cover of your book. If you send a jpeg of the cover, along with your ad info, I'll post it on the "Announcements" page of Mouth Full of Bullets.
    All the best to you and yours. :-)
    bjb
  • Douglas Quinn

    When you get a chance, check out my Crimespace Blog re the info and pics from my recent book signing event.

    Smiles,
    Douglas Quinn
    www.douglasquinn.com
  • Darren Laws

    Seems we are both in midst a crime trilogy. You are bang on when you write that it's all about entertaining the reader. There is no higher cause. If a reader obtains anything else from a novel then it is a bonus.
    Have a great 2008!
  • Douglas Quinn

    Douglas Quinn
    Author, Editor, Book Reviewer
    rivercitypress@hotmail.com
    www.douglasquinn.com

    12 January 2008

    Dear Family/Fans/Friends/Readers

    Please join me in the first week of my Virtual Book Tour. Beginning tomorrow, Sunday, January 13th, writer Brenda Kay Wynn will publish an interview with Douglas Quinn on her webblog site at (click on the following or cut and paste into your browser) www.chronclesofelydir.spaces.live.com.

    You are invited to go to Brenda’s site, read the interview and comment and/or ask questions. I am looking forward to responding to your comments and queries.

    The interview will be posted throughout the four week tour. Weeks two, three and four will have different articles hosted by and posted at other webblog sites. Would love to interact with you along the way.

    In addition, each time during the four week tour you leave a comment and/or ask a question your name will be placed into a drawing for a Free Signed Copy of Blue Heron Marsh.. Hope to see you all there.

    Smiles,
    Douglas Quinn

    P.S. Please feel free to forward this invitation to your own email address list. The more people who participate, the happier I will be.
  • Susan Whitfield

    Marta, your video is awesome. Even though I've already read the book ,Silenced Cry, the video gave me chills. Congratulations!
  • Marta Stephens

    Hey Susan!! Thanks so much! :)
  • Susan Whitfield

    Marta, Luck has taken off in a hurry. I'm tickled so far although it has only been a couple of weeks. We'll see how it does over the long haul. Best to you!
  • Neil White

    Thanks for the invite, Marta. Great video. I would never have thought of doing a video for a book site, but it looks like a good idea now. I'll look out for the book. Is it for sale in England, and if so, how is it doing?