Author Interview: Marty Steere

This week's author is Marty Steere, author of Sea of Crises and Defiant Heart. Defiant Heart releases April 15, April 5 for ebook. It is a touching historical fiction love story set at the beginning of WWII. You can see my review here.

About Defiant Heart:

Two extraordinary characters. One unforgettable love story.
In the spring of 1941, young Jon Meyer’s family dies in a tragic accident, and he is sent to live in a small Indiana town. He arrives to find himself unwanted and shunned.
Mary Dahlgren is the mayor’s daughter. A pretty girl, she could have the pick of the boys in town, including Vernon King, the star of the vaunted high school basketball team. To the chagrin of her friends, though, Mary has always been more interested in books than boys. That is, until she meets Jon.
But Jon and Mary are kept apart through the efforts of Mary’s father, who perceives their relationship a threat to his political aspirations, and Vernon, to whom Jon is a rival for Mary’s affections. For months Jon is subjected to a painful ostracism. Then, just when the young man’s earnestness and perseverance begin to win over many of the townsfolk, and it appears that love may conquer all, tragedy strikes.
As the country is caught up in war, so too are the young lovers swept up in events beyond their control, leaving both fighting for their very lives. If, against the odds, they are to be together, each will need to find the strength, the courage and the resourcefulness that beat only in a defiant heart.

Read an excerpt.

Interview with Marty Steere:

Describe your ideal writing space. How does it compare to reality?

I do all of my writing at my computer at home.  It’s very comfortable, and I can – and do –completely lose myself there.  The only exceptions to that are little notes I jot down at completely random times as ideas occur to me.  They’re usually snippets of dialogue.  I shove them into my pocket to deal with later.  Sometimes I pull them out and wonder, What the heck?  But I’ve actually come up with some important plot points that way.  Now, as for reality?  Reality is overrated.  

What is the first story you remember writing and what was it about?

Ok, this is embarrassing, but what the heck.  When I was very young (yes, preschool), I loved the show Combat.  (Starring Vic Morrow and featuring a squad of American soldiers fighting their way across the European continent during World War II.)  Five years old, and I’m lapping up a war drama.  Go figure.  So, being an enterprising kid, I decided to write my first book.  I called it “Combat’s Biggest War.”  (Don’t criticize, just go with the concept.)  I think it would qualify as a graphic novel, inasmuch as I illustrated each scene in crayon.  It had a nice narrative flow, but it was a tad derivative.  I actually think my parents still have the original draft.

Name a memorable book from your childhood. Why is it memorable?

Not a book, but a series of books:  The Hardy Boys.  I would save my allowance to buy the next one.  In the process, I developed a huge passion for reading.  I loved the characters and the way I was transported into their adventures.

If you could pick any of the worlds or characters you have created, which would you want to visit or spend a day with?

Because the concept would be so awesome, I’d spend the day with Apollo 18 Commander Bob Cartwright in the Sea of Crises.  But only, of course, if I could be guaranteed to actually get off the moon at the end of the day!

What is one thing you like to do when you are not reading or writing?

This isn’t going to be very exciting.  I love hanging out with my wife.  She gets me like nobody else can, and she puts up with me like nobody else should!  How’s that for perfect?

What are you currently working on?

I’m not writing at the moment.  My law practice has been consuming most of my time, and the vast majority of my spare time recently has been spent gearing up for the release of Defiant Heart!  But I’ve got a couple of rough outlines for my next story, and I’m looking forward to jumping in once I’ve launched Defiant Heart.

About the Author:
The son of a career air force officer, Marty Steere grew up on or near military installations across the country and overseas before settling in Southern California, where, when he’s not writing, he practices law.  His first novel, Sea of Crises, was released in April 2012 and was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012. 

Where to find him:

Website