Happy Tuesday! What a whirlwind of a weekend! Thank you, everyone, for your support of Baby Grand. It’s been an amazing ride so far, and it’s just begun. :) And now on to today’s featured debut author, Hemmie Martin, whose book also premiered this month. Congrats, Hemmie!
Name: Hemmie Martin
Name of Book: The Divine Pumpkin
Genre: Fiction-drama
Date of publication: May 2012
Publisher: Winter Goose Publishing
Do you have a day job? Most of my professional career has been spent as a Community Nurse for people with learning disabilities, a Family Planning Nurse, and a Forensic Nurse working with young offenders. I now write full-time whilst running a family home.
What is your book is about? The novel is about a forensic nurse, Paloma Parker, who is successful in her career, but is incapable of finding a meaningful relationship. She begins working with an incarcerated juvenile, Ella, whom she discovers has a connection with her, but it is only understood when Paloma’s family secret is revealed. Paloma searches for love and Ella searches for inner peace, and the pair may just hold the key to each other’s very different kinds of freedom.
Why did you want to write this book? I have always used some form of writing as a therapeutic release, and when the idea for this book popped into my head, I had to run with it. In Britain, young offenders are often stereotyped as thoroughly bad teenagers, but in my experience of working with them, there were many sad cases, and also some nice teenagers who had taken the wrong path.
What would you say is the most challenging part of writing a book? I have an idea for how the novel will begin and end. However, after around 40,000 words, I can sometimes find I’ve lost the direction and have to retrace my steps from the beginning. Self-doubt can creep in and sabotage my writing and my confidence until I find my way once more.
