A.D. Martins started writing poetry, prose poetry and short stories and has had some success in getting them published online and in print. After doing a degree in creative writing, Martins made the decision to stop writing and focus on their career. Martins only entered the Pen to Print competition after seeing a post on Facebook a few days before it was about to close. Being so busy at work meant they’d  only written the first chapter and a synopsis when they were shortlisted for the competition and then had a very stressful five months trying to write the rest of the novel whilst working full-time!

WO: How would you describe your writing to someone new to it?

ADM: My novel Claimed is a horror/fantasy novel aimed at young adults (16+). It explores themes including anxiety, depression, self-harm, murder, rape and suicide. The story focuses on Jacob, Alex, Wisp and Todd who have been ‘claimed’ by The Raven, a supernatural creature that takes over people’s bodies and traps others to feed off their despair. We follow their journey as they try to escape from The Raven’s clutches and discover the mystery surrounding the death of Jacob and Alex’s mother years earlier. My writing has dark themes but the overall theme is hope.

WO: Can you tell us a bit about your latest project?

ADM: I’m currently writing book two in the Claimed series. Still untitled, it’s in the early stages of development, so there’s not much I can tell you about it. As well as that, I am also writing about living with a rare health condition and the impact this has had on my life.

WO: What inspired you to write in the first place, and what inspires you now?

ADM: I’ve always enjoyed making up stories and going on that journey with the characters. I don’t write a detailed plan of what’s going to happen, preferring to let the story develop organically. I don’t think there is one thing that inspires me; it’s always been the need to put my thoughts and ideas on to paper – whether that’s for myself or others. My love of writing has been encouraged by family, friends and a few of my teachers. Studying creative writing at university opened up new avenues to me, giving me new things to write about. As boring as it sounds, my inspiration now is life and how different experiences shape our choices and the resulting outcomes of those. I’ve always enjoyed reading horror, fantasy and crime novels, so I drew on those stories to write Claimed.

WO: What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?

ADM: Writing takes time. There will be days where you will write for hours and others where you will stare aimlessly at a blank screen, desperately trying to think of that next word or sentence. So on those difficult days, remember to be kind to yourself.

WO: Lastly, if you could choose one fictional animal/creature to be a pet or companion, who would it be and why?

 AN: Not sure really, but a creature that was able to teleport me to different places would be very useful, so maybe something like that.

Connect with A. D. Martins on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ad.martins.7545, on Instagram: @authoradmartins.

Claimed is available to buy from Amazon and Waterstones.

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Issue 7  Write On! magazine in available now. You can find it here.