Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Geaney.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My writing aspirations began in my dormer bedroom when I was a teenager. A friend of my parents gifted a typewriter to me. I devoted one summer to learning how to touch type so that I could write stories. I was an English major at Caldwell College for Women and obtained my MA in English from William Paterson University, New Jersey. How disappointed I was to learn that my first teaching assignment was to teach grammar, composition, and spelling to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. After I was granted my teaching tenure, I made a career choice to delve into a management consulting career which I pursued until I was in my forties. During my time as a consultant, I wrote lots of proposals, reports, analyses, and PowerPoint presentations. My manuscript for a mystery series sat in a desk drawer collecting dust. In my mid-forties, I earned a Ph.D. and spent several years writing research papers. Again, not fiction. With my Ph.D. in hand, I began a new career as a graduate faculty member and then as the Dean of a Business College in Pennsylvania. My mystery novel remained in the desk, collecting even more dust. In 2017, I moved to Florida and made the decision that I was finally going to devote my writing skills to fiction. Since then, I’ve published three books in a mystery series that is set in County Mayo, Ireland. I’m currently working on book 4 in the series. And I’m not going back!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Pursuing a career as an author presents some bumps in the road. The final book that a reader holds in his or her hands has been on a long journey. The journey begins when an author has an idea, a concept. That idea must be fleshed out, written, rewritten, copy-edited, proofread, formatted, and finally printed. There are decisions to be made regarding cover design. Blurbs are sought by the author from other authors. And then, there is marketing. The author must know who his or her readers are. What are the reader demographics. Where do the readers hang out? The author must find a way to let the readers know that his or her work exists. One of the best ways to learn about the author process and find support is through organizations like Sisters in Crime (SinC). SinC has over 4000 members, both domestic and international. When I wrote my first book, I found the Central Florida SinC chapter which is called Citrus Crime Writers. The chapter members create a fun, welcoming, and informative environment for individuals, no matter where the person is on the writing and author journey. The month meetings, which always include a guest speaker, are invaluable. Depending upon the speaker’s expertise, the presentation may be about writing craft, the business of authorship, and marketing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I write traditional mysteries featuring an amateur detective named Star O’Brien. Star is an American information broker who unexpectedly inherits a cottage in County Mayo, Ireland. The setting and places in my stories are real places in County Mayo. If you are a reader who has been to Ireland or you’ve always wanted to travel to this enchanted place, you travel there via my books. The series has featured Clare Island, Ashford Castle, the Turlough Museum of Country Life. The fourth book which is in progress takes place in and around the famous Benedictine Victorian Garden and Kylemore Abbey.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Believe in yourself. Several years ago, I published a non-fiction women’s leadership book, “Bring Your Spirit to Work: One Woman at a Time.” I gave several workshops to women’s entrepreneurial groups. In the book and in the workshops, I stressed that above all, you must dream big, believe in yourself, and take action.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://martha-geaney.com/
- Instagram: mgeaneyauthor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mgeaneyauthor
- Twitter: @mgeaneyauthor
