Another interview today, this time with Martin Hill, author of the military thriller, The Killing Depths.
Interview with Martin Roy Hill
Well, I’m a very rare native Californian, born and reared in
Southern California and, other than my military service, I've always lived here.
I worked as a journalist for twenty years, starting as a police reporter for a
daily newspaper, then as an investigative reporter for a magazine, and ending
as the editor of a business newspaper. I got tired of journalism and switched
careers, becoming a military research analyst in the field of combat medicine.
I've been a medic of one sort or another in both the military and in law
enforcement reserves, as well as on a disaster response team, so that was a
pretty natural transition. I live in San Diego, with my
wife, Winke, our son, Brandon, and our two feline masters, Harry and Alex, whom
we serve and obey.
How long have you been
writing, and how many books have you published to date?
I became interested in
writing in high school thanks to an English teacher who encouraged me to read classics
and develop my writing skills. That’s when I started studying journalism and
fiction writing. Over the years I've continued to write both nonfiction, both
as a staffer and as a freelancer, and fiction. I've had nonfiction pieces
published by LIFE, Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, Omni, and other magazines. My
short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Plan B Mystery
Anthology, San Diego Magazine and others. So far, I have two books published, DUTY: Suspense and Mystery Stories from
the Cold War and Beyond, and The
Killing Depths.
Can you tell us about your books?
My novel, The Killing Depths,
is a military mystery thriller which features NCIS Agent Linus Schag, who also
appears in one of the short stories in DUTY. Schag is sent aboard the USS Encinitas, the
first American attack sub manned by both men and women, to investigate the
apparent suicide of a female sailor. He soon discovers the death was not only
murder, but also the work of a serial killer who’s left a trail of dead women
on shore. At the same time, the Encinitas is ordered on a covert mission to
intercept and destroy a renegade Iranian sub armed with nuclear missiles. As
the American crew engages in a life-or-death battle with the Iranian, Schag
struggles to find the identity of the serial killer before the murderer’s blood
lust destroys the Encinitas itself.
DUTY, by the way, was recently named the 2013 Best
Short Story Anthology/Collection by the San Diego Book Awards, and The Killing Depths was a finalist for
the 2013 San Diego Book Awards Sisters In Crime Mystery Award.
Why did you decide to write
thrillers, military thrillers in particular?
I’m not sure I am just a
thriller writer. The story line determines if it will be a thriller. There are
stories in DUTY that are suspenseful
and have the elements of thrillers, but others are more or less straight
mysteries.
Writing military-related
stories comes naturally, as I have served in the Coast Guard, Navy and a
component of the California National Guard, and I now work for the Navy as an
analyst. But sometimes the military aspect is tangential to the plot. The murder
mystery I have coming out later this year doesn't involve the military;
however, the protagonist is a war-weary war correspondent. The book I’m
currently writing on is a sci-fi novella, but it involves American soldiers who
make a startling discovery while serving in Iraq.
Can you tell us about your
writing process? Where do your ideas
originate? Do you have a certain writing
routine?
I get my ideas from a variety
of sources. From newspapers, from history books, even my friends. The short
story “Duty,” for instance, was inspired by a friend’s experience when he was
ordered to Vietnam. He was a nuclear demolitions specialist, and he thought the
only reason he was being sent to Nam was to take the war to the nuclear brink.
Of course, it turned out to be for other reasons.
“Something Far Away” was
inspired by a true incident I heard about when I reported to my first duty
station in the Coast Guard involving a fellow Coastie with PTSD.
Unfortunately, my writing
schedule is inconsistent. I can only write part-time, since I have to work to
pay the rent and put food on the table. I try to squeeze in an hour a day, or
about 500 words, and more on the weekends, but I don’t always succeed. I
recently purchased a Kindle Fire and a Bluetooth keyboard that I keep in my
backpack. If I get a few minutes here or there, I can whip them out and write a
few words.
How do you research your
books?
With my background as a
journalist and research analyst, researching my books comes pretty naturally.
Researching The Killing Depths was a
challenge, though. After all, submariners aren't called the Silent Service for
nothing. I read a lot about submarine warfare and technology, studied
schematics of Los Angeles-class submarines, and talked to former
submariners. I really scored big when the Navy agreed to give me a tour of a
Los Angeles-class sub.
I also had to research the
psychology of serial killers in order to get into the head of the antagonist. I
read several papers on the subject, which eventually made me completely change
the backstory I had planned for the serial killer.
You've also worked as a
journalist. Was it difficult to transition into writing fiction? What is your
greatest challenge as a fiction writer?
I never had to make a
transition. I wrote fiction the entire time I was worked as a journalist. I
also worked for both newspapers and magazines, and each of those requires a
different style of writing. As a result, switching from one form of writing to
another isn't that difficult for me.
However, the one thing I
really took away from my journalism career is an appreciation for good editing.
I've known good editors and really rotten editors. Fortunately, my wife, Winke,
is a highly experienced editor and edits everything I write.
I think my greatest challenge
as a fiction writer is not giving up. I went a long stretch without writing
anything, mostly because we were involved in two wars and the op tempo at my
Navy job was very high. But I also think I didn't write because I was
disillusioned. I had had some bad
experiences with three incompetent literary agencies, and I started feeling
hopeless. I had to get away from that before I could start writing again.
Fortunately, I discovered indie publishing and I can stay away from lit
agencies.
Who has inspired you as an author?
In my personal life, I was inspired by my high school English
teacher, as I said earlier. I was also inspired by my late father-in-law,
Robert Wade, who wrote twenty or thirty mysteries under the pen names Wade
Miller and Whit Masterson, as well as under his own name. If you've ever seen
the Orson Wells film noir classic, “Touch of Evil,” that was based on one of
Bob’s books.
As far as being influenced by other writers, there are too many to
name. I’m a prolific reader of many genres of fiction – mysteries, thrillers,
sci-fi – and I learn something most everything I read.
What’s next for you?
My next book, Empty
Places, is a murder mystery set in the California desert in the mid-1980s.
Peter Brandt, a war correspondent, returns to the desert resort of Palm Springs
to attend his ex-wife’s funeral only to learn she’d been brutally murdered and
he’s the next target of her killer or killers. In trying to solve his ex-wife’s
murder, Brandt uncovers a hornet’s nest of anti-communist rebels, smugglers,
pornographers, and child sex slaves. It’s quasi-historical, in that it’s a
microcosmic look at what was actually going on in the country during that
period. Empty Places should be out
before the end of the year.
Links for Martin Hill:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Martin.Roy.Hill
Website: http://www.martinroyhill.com
Martin's books are available on Amazon
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