Contemporary Authors

• The Choking Game: A John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mystery (Volume 1) - 2014 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,
• The Nature of the Grave: A John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mystery (Volume 2) - 2014 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,
• No Rest for the Wicked: A John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mystery (Book 3) (Volume 3) - 2017 Buccaneer, Cutchogue, NY

• Amazon -

  Martha Reed is relentlessly fascinated by the question of what makes people tick. She is the independently published, award-winning author of the John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mystery series.

  Her short stories and articles have appeared in Pearl 26, Spinetingler magazine, Mystery Readers Journal, Mysterical-e, and in LUCKY CHARMS - 12 Crime Tales, an anthology published by the Mary Roberts Rinehart Pittsburgh chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc.

  She adores travel, big jewelry, California wine country, and simply great coffee. She delights in the ongoing antics of her family, fans, and friends, who she lovingly calls The Mutinous Crew.

  She is currently developing a new mystery series set in the magically spellbinding city of New Orleans.

  You are invited to visit her web site reedmenow.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @ReedMartha.

• Mysteristas - https://mysteristas.wordpress.com/2017/05/05/interview-martha-reed/

  Interview: Martha Reed
  A big Mysteristas welcome to Martha Reed. Martha is the author of the John and Sarah Jarad mysteries set it Nantucket, and she’s quite the character herself. Read on.
  What’s your idea of a perfect day?
  An early spring Sunday, when all of the chores were done the day before, and I have hours free to wear yoga pants, drink too much coffee and to write, and to ride my bike along the Allegheny River with a stop somewhere for a nice lunch including a tall glass of mango iced tea. Doing this with my friends in Sonoma is even better, but that’s a very rare treat.
  Do you have a signature accessory, color, fragrance, phrase/expression, or meal?
  I have quite a few incomprehensible phrases such as:
  “That’s it, Fort Pitt,” or
  “Shazooey,” or my latest favorite,
  “There’s a new Sheriff in town.”
  Fortunately, my day job workmates have learned to translate:
  “I’m through working on this. I am done.”
  “Holy cow, there’s a lot of work to be done. Who assigned me to manage this train wreck?”
  “I’ve been assigned to lead this train wreck to a successful project conclusion, so listen up, follow my lead, and we’ll all get out alive.”
  Which books/authors inspired or influenced you the most?
  There are some authors who simply blow me away with their gift: Margaret Atwood, Louise Erdrich, Annie Proulx, Nancy Pickard, Wallace Stegner, and lately, Megan Abbott and Art Taylor.
  My genesis influences would have to be Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey series, Martin Cruz Smith’s Gorky Park, Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, with a tip of the hat to Thomas Harris’s Silence of the Lambs. I’m proud of that last one; I discovered Thom Harris with Red Dragon. I was ahead of the pop curve with him.
  Do you listen to music when you write?
  I have, but not all the time. I listened to the amazing Diana Krall sing “Let’s Face The Music and Dance” on a loop while I wrote parts of The Choking Game, because my character Sally Poldridge sings jazz karaoke. Listening to that track helped me shape Sally’s character.
  If your latest book were chocolate, what kind would it be and why?
  No Rest for the Wicked is a Chunky bar because it’s delicious, it’s knobbly, and it’s filled with fruit and nuts. My long-term goal is to someday write a frozen Milky Way. Thanks for the question. It’s good to have a goal.
  What interested you about writing this particular story?
  I read KIDNAP: The Story of the Lindbergh Case by George Waller in high school. That was back in the Seventies, before forensic science was invented. I was fascinated by the logic those early detectives used to pursue the case, without actually having much available science to lean on other than fingerprints.
  I also wanted to make things as difficult as possible for my detective, John Jarad, so setting the cold case ninety years in the past (i.e., 1921) offered an interesting challenge. I loved researching that era, and I was able to incorporate some of the Gatsbyesque stories my grandfather shared about the Roaring Twenties. They really knew how to party back then. I hope I captured the essence of it. 1921 was quite a time.
  What themes do you regularly (re)visit in your writing?
  I’m conscious about learning from, and forgiving yourself for your mistakes, and in redemption. With No Rest I’ve noticed that I’m writing about the concept of going home, or of finding a place to call home. It’s definitely an underlying theme in my work.
  Tell us about your main character.
  There are two protagonists in my Nantucket Series, John and Sarah Jarad, but John has taken the lead with No Rest. He’s a 14th generation Nantucketer, so his roots go deep. He loves the island so much that he can’t imagine living anywhere else. John also comes from a large extended family with six siblings and hundreds of cousins. That is one thing that drives Sarah, his mainland wife, nuts. John literally knows something about everyone, which is a terrific plus for a detective. John is capable of making amazing intuitive leaps that are nevertheless flawlessly logical.
  Describe your protagonist as a mash-up of three famous people or characters.
  John Jarad would be Colin Firth, because he’s handsome, adorable, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously; Gary Cooper from “High Noon,” because John knows that you can’t run away from trouble, that you have to face it down, and of course Sherlock Holmes for his ability to follow up on some pretty good investigative, and intuitive, leads and clues.
  If you could host a mystery-author dinner party, who are the six writers (living or otherwise) you’d include?
  Wow, this would be fun. I would invite: Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy L. Sayers, Val McDermid, Lori Rader-Day, and Art Taylor. I’d invite Dame Agatha Christie too, if I could, but she and Dorothy L. Sayers would fight at the table. I’ve read that they didn’t get along.
  What’s next for you?
  I’m working on a stand-alone mystery set in New Orleans. I visited NOLA last October during Bouchercon 2016. I was scouting for a new location where my characters could get into terrible trouble. I was thinking about using Vegas, but NOLA won my heart, and she stole my vote.
  *****
  Martha Reed is an award-winning, independently published crime and mystery fiction author. Book one in her Nantucket Mystery series, THE CHOKING GAME, was a 2015 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion nominee for Best Traditional Mystery. Book two, THE NATURE OF THE GRAVE, won an Independent Publisher IPPY Honorable Mention for Mid-Atlantic Best Regional Fiction. Book three, NO REST FOR THE WICKED, was a 2017 Independent Publisher IPPY award nominee in the Mystery/Cozy/Noir category.
  Martha recently completed a four-year term as the National Chapter Liaison for Sisters in Crime, Inc. She loves travel, big jewelry, and simply great coffee. She delights in the never-ending antics of her family, fans, and friends, who she lovingly calls The Mutinous Crew. You can follow her online at reedmenow.com or on Twitter @ReedMartha.
  The Nantucket Mystery Series is available in trade paperback and e-book formats from Amazon and other retailers. Support your local bookstores!

• Writers Who Kill - http://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/2017/05/an-interview-with-martha-reed.htmlew-with-martha-reed.html

  An Interview With Martha Reed

  by Grace Topping

  Many of us may know Martha Reed through her Nantucket Mystery series. Each book in this excellent series received recognition: The Choking Game was a 2015 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion nominee for Best Novel/Traditional Mystery, The Nature of the Grave received an Honorable Mention for Mid-Atlantic Best Regional Fiction, and No Rest for the Wicked was nominated for a 2017 Independent Publisher IPPY award. What many may not know is how committed Martha is to supporting women crime writers. She is an active member of Sisters in Crime, Inc., and just recently completed a four-year term on the SINC Board, serving as the organization’s National Chapter Liaison.

  Thank you, Martha, for all you’ve done for women crime writers and welcome to Writers Who Kill.

  The pace of No Rest for the Wicked is one of its strongest features. Even with a complex story line it moves and is hard to put down. There are definitely no slumps in this story. Is there a secret to good pacing?

  Martha Reed
  First off, thank you, Grace, for inviting me as a guest on Writers Who Kill.

  It’s no secret that when I’m drafting I use index cards and a storyboard. Each card outlines a plot point, a surprising twist, a red herring, or a reveal that I want to hit, and the storyboard keeps me on a tight track. This practice also helps me quickly decide which POV character needs to open the following chapter, which focuses and smoothes the story’s continuity.

  You have quite a lot going on in your book: a baby kidnapping cold case, a stalker, law enforcement agency competition, and the emotional fallout of the main characters demotion. What was the greatest challenge to having all the threads of your story come together?

  Finding the right balance was the greatest challenge; as a writer, I want each of these things to support the story until the resolution without having any one of them take over and skew the story off my themes. It’s an ongoing process. I’m still learning how to manipulate the story’s sub-arcs to support the traditionally “saggy middle” second act.

  I’ve learned a lot with No Rest. I’m looking forward to putting what I’ve learned to the test with my next stand-alone.

  The competition among the various law enforcement agencies comes out in your book. It’s obvious that you’ve done a lot of research on the operations of these agencies. How much research do you do for your stories?

  I can spend days on it, and then only use the information in a few key sentences. That used to drive me nuts, but I’ve learned to accept it. There’s no need to hit a reader with a bucket of detail. When your characters are comfortable with their insider knowledge, it will naturally come through in their conversations and actions. When FBI Special Agent Cesar Mayas offers FDDU buccal collection kits, the readers love the detail, and it adds a dose of reality, and authority, to the action.

  Another reason I added the agency competition to No Rest was to push my characters into experiencing personal growth, and growth comes through conflict. Having the Boston FBI step into the local investigation shook things up. That action triggered conflict, as well as fresh opportunity. It challenged long-standing friendships and alliances. Members of the Nantucket force began to question their personal life and career goals, which offered new insight into their characters. Writing No Rest was a delight, because two of my characters surprised me with their final decisions. I love finishing a paragraph, sitting back, and saying: “Well, I didn’t see that coming.”

  Frequently books are categorized as being character or plot driven. You have a wonderful balance of both. How do you keep that balance in your books?

  Thank you. It all comes down to telling the story in the right way. If the characters are fully rounded, they will bring their memories and experiences from their past into the story’s present. Each time a character hits a plot point (a surprise, a twist, or a reveal), the reader should see a spark of logical and plausible character reaction that then moves the plot forward in a believable manner.

  That character reaction can be a good development; it can also be a bad one. No one makes the right decision every single time. Everyone makes mistakes, or has an off day, including me, and my characters.

  Although you live in the Pittsburgh area, you’ve chosen to set your book in Nantucket. Why Nantucket?

  When I started writing mysteries, I couldn’t find an agent or a traditional publisher who was interested in using a Pittsburgh location. They were all looking for exotic locations like Phoenix, or Baltimore. I’m happy to report that this east of the Hudson River mind-set has changed, although I think that switch had more to do with the availability of digital e-publishing, internet access, and regional readership than with any traditional publishing house thought process.

  Knowing that I couldn’t use Pittsburgh, I started casting about for “exotic.” I went to a Nantucket wedding, and as soon as I stepped off the ferry I realized “this is it.” The far-away isle offered everything I was looking for in a setting: extensive pre-history, authentic charm, and an occasionally isolated location. It also helped, since I was a newbie writer just starting out that the island setting was contained. If I needed to trap my characters with a dense fog or a hurricane, I could.

  My next book, a stand-alone, is set in New Orleans. I enjoyed my visit there during Bouchercon 2016 very much. When it came time to think of a fresh setting, I wanted to pick a city where my characters could get into serious trouble. At first, I considered Vegas, but NOLA stole my heart, and my vote.

  Tell us about your journey to publication? Was it a long one filled with challenges?

  Publishing was in the beginning of a developmental whirlwind when I stepped into it. Digital e-books were just getting started, and there was a lot of pushback from agents, the traditional publishing houses, and even from traditionally published authors, too. One famous personality told me that I would be committing professional suicide if I decided to self-publish. At the time, there was a lot of fear, and discussion, over what the change meant.

  I had twenty years’ experience in financial printing, and before I made my decision to self-publish, I examined this new digital idea thoroughly. At that time, I was seeing good writers producing material that they hated, simply to maintain a publishing contract. Writers weren’t getting their royalty reports in a consistent and timely manner, either. It was like going up against a blank Chinese wall. Also, as I mentioned, I couldn’t get an agent interested in publishing the story I wanted to tell. So I took a deep steadying breath, and I decided to self-publish. I had the typesetting and formatting knowledge base; I had already developed a web site. I had to learn the marketing and promotional pieces of the business, but most authors I met were doing it themselves anyway. I hired Ramona DeFelice Long as my editor, and Karen Phillips as my graphic designer. Both are professional caliber. When I weighed the two sides, I couldn’t think of a compelling reason not to self-publish. I’ve never looked back.

  Many writers are faced with the decision of whether to continue pursuing traditional publishing, going with independent publishers, or taking their careers into their own hands and self-publishing. What advice would you give writers facing this decision? What is the most challenging thing about the route you took?

  My advice is to take the necessary amount of time to really think it through. There is no single easy path. I wish there was, I’d be doing it! Find an author who seems to be doing what you’d like to do, and ask for their advice. In the end, it is your decision to make. You’ll have to live with it, so make sure you really believe in what you’re doing.

  I’d also like to say that it’s not one choice versus the other. Some traditionally published authors have retrieved their backlist rights and self-published them. Some “hybrid” authors have a foot firmly in both camps with a traditionally published series (or two) and self-published stand-alones. I will say that self-publishing is a ton of work, but you get to keep the creative control, and a higher percentage of the royalty.

  My best advice is to make sure that you’re writing the story you really want to write to the best of your current ability. Good storytelling will rise to the top, no matter how it’s published, and in whatever format: hardback, paperback, e-book, or audio file.

  We all look back on things we’ve written and wished that we had done some things differently. Anything in your books that you wished you had changed?

  Sure. Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Without giving away any spoilers, I did have another character sub-arc in No Rest that I decided not to use. Making that decision cost me three day’s worth of manuscript high anxiety. The sub-arc would have added 6,000 words, and another significant red herring, although John Jarad would have been able to show off his mad detective skills yet again. I really liked the idea, but I was finishing No Rest in November 2016 during the presidential election. I kept telling myself that people are tired; they’re feeling beat up. Next summer they’ll want a beach read that’s relatively straightforward and simple.

  I still love that sub-arc idea though. I’m saving it for the movie.

  Which writer has influenced you the most? Who do you enjoy reading when you have time?

  Some authors blow me away with their ability: Margaret Atwood, Louise Erdrich, Annie Proulx, Nancy Pickard, Wallace Stegner, and lately, Megan Abbott and Art Taylor.

  My genesis influences would have to be Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey series, Martin Cruz Smith’s Gorky Park, Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, with a tip of the hat to Thomas Harris’s Silence of the Lambs. I’m proud of that last one. I discovered Thom Harris with Red Dragon. I was ahead of the pop curve with him. That doesn’t happen often.

  What was the best piece of writing advice you’ve received along the way?

  “Never give up.”

  I attended a workshop with the insightful Timons Esaias, and I wondered if it was time to throw in the towel. I’d written two Nantucket Mysteries, and the second book was a beast, a real bear. I rewrote the manuscript four complete times before I was satisfied with it. I asked Tim, “Is this worth it? I’ve spent hundreds of hours away from my family. I could be doing other things.” And he said, “When you’re ready to quit is when you’re really just beginning.”

  So, I took another deep breath, opened my laptop, and started writing No Rest. It was a complete joy. The story flowed like magic. My new nickname for Tim is Yoda.

  What’s your favorite part of writing? Your least favorite?

  I love drafting the middle of a new manuscript, when all of the ideas are fresh possibilities, and the characters and the plot can still surprise me.

  I’ve developed a handy trick that I’ll share. Whenever I reach a plot point, outlined on an index card, and I’m thinking that I’ll move the story forward to X, I pause, and I ask myself: What if Y happened instead? And suddenly, in a mental blink, the new Y possibility rolls out and presents itself, and it’s usually a better surprise, twist, or reveal than what I had planned on doing with the original X. It’s a real joy, because it’s a surprise to me, too.

  Whenever a bit of creative serendipity like that happens, I call myself First Reader, because with each new manuscript that’s what I am.

  Since I self-publish, my least favorite chore is formatting the Word document into the many different publishing versions that I’ll need. By the time I’ve reached this stage, after copy-editing and proofing for punctuation and typos, I’m down to the deadline wire, and my brain is toast. This is when I call myself The Mayor of Crazy Town, and I’m not allowed to operate heavy machinery until it’s done.

  Writing is such an isolated activity. How do you stay connected to others?

  Conventions are my lifesaver, and my reward. I try to attend Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and at least one regional convention like Killer Nashville or CrimeBake each year. I also cherish my local Sisters in Crime chapter. We usually meet one a month for a creative discussion, or a guest speaker. I love meeting my writer friends face to face.

  How is it having to balance writing and promoting your books? Do you enjoy the promotion aspects?

  I do, because I am gregarious, and I love to travel and meet new people. I’ve also had some professional effective presentations training, so standing up in front of a crowd doesn’t throw me. It’s like a big cocktail party, with books!

  What have you learned that could help writers starting out?

  Join Sisters in Crime, Inc., immediately, and then join the Guppies (i.e., the “Great UnPublished.”) The online Guppies community is the golden ticket for any newbies just starting out. It’s a wonderfully supportive, knowledgeable, welcoming, and non-judgmental writer’s community.

  And then buy these books: Stephen King’s On Writing, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, and Rainer Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. Read them until they fall apart in your hands, and then buy fresh copies. Everything you need to know is in those three books.

  Do you have a favorite place to write?

  I do. I have my mother’s desk pushed up next to a big window in my apartment. It overlooks the street, and it’s very cozy. I have two crazy orchids to keep me company, although, when I’m really drafting a story and writing for hours at a time, I move my MAC over to the kitchen bar so that I can stand while I write. Standing that long took some getting used to, but I prefer it, now.

  What’s next for John and Sarah Jarad? Are there going to be more books in the series?

  Again, no spoilers, but if you’ve read No Rest, you know that I left John and Sarah with a lot on their plate. They deserve a break. I’ve been torturing them for three books. I’m going to go work on my NOLA stand-alone, and then I’ll come back and check on them and the Nantucket crew, to gauge how they feel about doing Nantucket Mystery Number Four. Never say never. Hey, maybe that’s the title?

  Thank you, Martha.

  Follow Martha on Facebook and Twitter@ReedMartha or visit her online at reedmenow.com.

  No Rest for the Wicked

  When state archaeologists lift the lid on a suspicious steamer trunk buried in the Madaket landfill, Detective John Jarad's world explodes. The trunk's contents reactivate intense interest in Nantucket's most notorious cold case crime, the Baby Alice Spenser kidnapping in 1921.

  Sarah Jarad has a slightly different life focus. Halfway through a twin pregnancy, Sarah is convinced that she is losing her mind. She can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. She'd like to blame her paranoia on raging hormones, but that doesn't ring true. Sarah fears that her control freak ex-fiancée Mason has finally tracked her down, and that Mason is on Nantucket, plotting revenge.

  As John pursues the Baby Alice investigation, myriad family scandals emerge from the Spenser's privileged and gilded past. Events flare white-hot when a copycat criminal snatches a second child. John and Sarah must race against the clock to unmask the kidnapper and expose these modern day threats.

  Offering an array of colorful island characters and an intricate plot filled with surprising twists and reveals, NO REST FOR THE WICKED promises to be the perfect summer beach read.

  https://www.reedmenow.com

• Martha Reed Website - https://www.reedmenow.com/

  Martha Reed is the independently published mystery and crime fiction author of the award-winning John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mystery Series.
  ​
  Her short stories and articles have appeared in Pearl 26, Spinetingler magazine, Mystery Readers Journal, Mysterical-e, and in LUCKY CHARMS - 12 Crime Tales, an anthology published by the Mary Roberts Rinehart Pittsburgh chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc.

  She adores travel, big jewelry, California wine country, and simply great coffee, and she delights in the ongoing antics of her family, fans, and friends, who she lovingly calls The Mutinous Crew.
  ​
  Martha is an active member of Sisters in Crime, Inc. She fully supports SinC's mission statement: "to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition, and professional development of women crime writers."

  She also belongs to Pennwriters, and in a moment of great folly at Bouchercon 2016, she became a member of the New Orleans Bourbon Society (N.O.B.S.)

  She is currently developing a new mystery series set in the magically spellbinding city of New Orleans.
  ​
  You are invited to follow her on Facebook and Twitter @ReedMartha.

No Rest for the Wicked: A John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mystery

Publishers Weekly. 264.37 (Sept. 11, 2017): p45.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
No Rest for the Wicked: A John and Sarah Jarad
Nantucket Mystery
Martha Reed. Buccaneer/KMA Pittsburgh, $14.99 trade paper (232p) ISBN 978-09985648-0-7
The uneven third book in Reed's John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket series (after The Nature of the Grave) delves further into Sarah's background. Det. John Jarad, recently demoted, is called to a Nantucket Island dump, where two archeologists have uncovered a 1920s steamer trunk that may contain evidence about a notorious cold case--the Baby Alice Spenser kidnapping. Meanwhile, John's pregnant wife, Sarah, realizes with horror that a painting of hers was entered into a local competition without her knowledge, has won, and is being promoted with her full name online. Sarah worries that it may bring her abusive ex-fiance Mason right to their doorstep. John must defer to new Deputy Police Chief Anetta Nunn, who is skilled but not a Nantucket native, during the high-profile investigation while also making sure his family is safe from Mason. Reed's writing is smooth and the story lines are easy to follow, but the setup isn't as fleshed out as it could be; the ending feels rushed and plot points are left unresolved. There are suspenseful moments and ample twists and turns, yet none are especially thrilling. (BookLife)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"No Rest for the Wicked: A John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mystery." Publishers Weekly, 11 Sept. 2017, p. 45. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A505634890/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=837588ae. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A505634890