This past weekend I came across the eye catching cover of your book MONSTER at Borders Books. You had me at Monster. I bought (great price at $19.99) and read it within 24 hours…it was THAT much fun.
I have already recommended it to my friends and will be suggesting it to my readers as well. I wish more writers would take the time to have this much fun with their stuff. MONSTER was as tasty as a cheeseburger, chili cheese fries and a milk shake and as healthy for the mind as a table of veggies, fruit and nuts.
Monster – ROCKED Gil’s – ROCKED Too Many Curses – ROCKING MUCHLY I forsee myself devouring EVERYTHING ou have written, Mr. Martinez… and keep it comin’! You are a SERIOUSLY enjoyable writer, something I haven’t found since Charlaine Harris. Love ya, love yer work!
When are you going to start blogging again? I mean, the last post is from August. That’s just way too long to go without a dose of A. Lee Martinez awesomeness.
What about all your fans just panting for more of your wisdom? Not everyone can meet you in person at the weekly meetings of the DFW Writers’ Workshop, and hope that just a little bit of your success rubs off on them.
Blog, man, blog! You have impressionable minds to illuminate.
HI There! I wanted to let you know how much your books Rawk! I first picked up a Nameless Witch at the barnes and nobles in Downtown Ft Worth. It was a signed copy and i bought it. I read it in like 2 days and went searching for more! Gil’s All fright Diner was the next one i read and i’m so excited Dreamworks is making into a movie! The others have been great and I can’t wait for Divine misfortune! It looks like it comes out one day after my bday. Can’t wait! Thanks again your an amazing writer and i can’t wait for more!
Happy New Year to you! Yes, I know, it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m posting on your site. The wife is pregnant and about to drop like the Times Square ball so there were no plans for tonight. I was doing a little research about you after I found out that you were a local and had a book in the movie works. I am loving Gil’s and can’t wait to read more from you. It was also spooky to see one of your book picks as Princess of Mars. In the same shopping spree that I picked your book up, I also picked up a copy of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
I definitely enjoyed reading your insights and learning from your blogsite. Thank you for sharing such an interesting and informative article. – Pinoy Monster
Ello I’m from Serbia and I’m here only to complain how difficult it is to find your books here. So far I only read 3: Gil’s, Ogres and the Witch, so I only wanted to tell you we know about you even here and I hope I’ll be able to find more of your books in near future. Take care
I just yesterday discovered “Monster” in paperback while I was waiting for my wife to finish shopping. It was that or “Iron Man” and that looked dumb, so “Monster” one the coin toss.
I am glad it turned out that way. I found “Monster” to be pretty funny at times, I like the “Harry Potter for adults” feel of the story.
I found that the use of foul language and sexually explicit depictions to be un-necessary, but then, I think those are. To me an ‘adult’ story is one of increasingly complex story lines and challenging plots, etc…, gutter language and sex, while they do exist in the ‘real world’ are just too easy to throw in as filler, in my thinking, but anyway…
Overall, I gave “Monster” a solid ‘B’. It was entertaining and the story was engaging enough to keep reading straight through.
I am looking for your other books in paperback now in hopes they are at least similar if not better than “Monster”.
Glad you enjoyed MONSTER. If I can save you some time, I would suggest you skip GIL’S ALL FRIGHT DINER. If you thought MONSTER had too much foul language, you’re not going to like GIL’S.
IN THE COMPANY OF OGRES will probably be acceptable, and A NAMELESS WITCH doesn’t have any swearing (maybe one or two words I’ve forgotten). Although both do have some sex, although nothing very explicit.
THE AUTOMATIC DETECTIVE has some language. Probably not as much as MONSTER. And there’s no sex in it because…well…robots don’t have sex.
Perhaps your best bet would be TOO MANY CURSES which has no strong language I can recall and no sex.
Thanks for the suggestions, believe it or not, I’m not a ‘prude’ about those things as if I can’t handle them, I just feel sometimes great stories are held back by inappropriate use of those things, just to add to a word count or at the nudge of an editor to appeal to younger readers, thereby increasing the audience, etc…
It’s not just your stories, I consider it a plague of this century of writing. When used where it ‘fits’ and isn’t jarring one from the story, it doesn’t bother me.
Actually I have been taking a break from ‘modern’ writers and am revisiting Dante’s “Divine Comedy” at the moment. It was good to find another modern author I feel that actually has original stories and some imagination.
Thank you for your reply, that’s always refreshing to see someone personally engage their audience too.
I understand where you’re coming from, but I don’t really agree. It’s easy to classify these things as “inappropriate”, but I feel that it’s just a change of style that happens from generation to generation. Vulgarity is largely a matter of social convenience. It constantly changes so I have a hard time taking it too seriously.
Still, I’m not interested in offending anyone. And I’d much rather someone just avoid a book they’re going to dislike (even one of mine) than read something they aren’t going to like (for whatever reason).
I just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed Monster. It was a nice treat. I was on the hunt for a new author to add to my favorites. Once I got started, I wasn’t able to put it down. As soon as I finished, I wished I had read it slower. It was very enjoyable and I will recommend it to everyone I know.
Saw Monster at borders, and sat down in an aisle to see if i liked it. ended up putting it back and hopped on a the train home… decided to get off the train after a few stops hop on one back. Borders was closed so i walked a few blocks to barnes and noble, picked up a copy and couldn’t put it down till it was finished.
No plans for one yet. Probably not that surprising since I’m pretty clear how I feel on sequels. I wouldn’t rule it out, but I also think that Monster is a character / setting I’m not sure is worth exploring more. Monster himself is a pretty down-on-his luck guy with a generally bad attitude, and that could get old pretty quick. Also, the world of monster is changed so radically by the end of the novel, that it would become something quite different in the long run.
I don’t rule anything out, but Monster is probably at the bottom of the list of books I’d consider writing a sequel for. But time will tell.
I have been trying to pick up Monsterfor weeks. I finally found it yesterday and, to my complete lack of surprise, I couldn’t sleep till I finished it. Bloody good stuff. As always. You have definitely moved into my top five list of favorite authors. Thank you for your work
So much praise, so you will probably not be too heartbroken if I offer some criticism? I read “In the company of ogres”, and sort of liked it. But it was something about it… Then I stopped reading, as the next books (or former) did not seem to appeal to me. I don’t know why. Then I picked up “Monster”. And read it. Some of it was funny. Some of it was really funny. But I did make the mistake of visiting your blog before I had finished the book. And I read what you said about “TOO MANY CURSES”, about you being proud of writing a novel without any real “shift” in characters, and no romance, and that being the point. Then it struck me. What I had problems with in “In the company…” I read the rest of “Monster”, with this thought in the back of my mind. Stuck, couldn’t get it out. I was expecting the same feeling I had when I finished “In the company…” And I got it. It might have been because I was expecting it. But I don’t think so. The “problem” was that the stories seemed too much like “this happened, and then we went back to nothing (i.e. our ordinary lives)”. No closure, just “back to normal”. So, you may be very satisfied you managed to write “too many curses” without any “shift” in the characters and no romance, but me personally, I am a bit dissatisfied that I feel you managed the same in “In the company…” and “Monster”. I still might pick up your next book, though. Two books may not be enough to make a viable conclusion.
3:24 pm on August 3rd, 2009
This past weekend I came across the eye catching cover of your book MONSTER at Borders Books. You had me at Monster. I bought (great price at $19.99) and read it within 24 hours…it was THAT much fun.
I have already recommended it to my friends and will be suggesting it to my readers as well. I wish more writers would take the time to have this much fun with their stuff. MONSTER was as tasty as a cheeseburger, chili cheese fries and a milk shake and as healthy for the mind as a table of veggies, fruit and nuts.
Thanks for the great read.
Your amigo,
Beau Smith
The Flying Fist Ranch
1:31 am on October 5th, 2009
Monster – ROCKED
Gil’s – ROCKED
Too Many Curses – ROCKING MUCHLY
I forsee myself devouring EVERYTHING ou have written, Mr. Martinez… and keep it comin’! You are a SERIOUSLY enjoyable writer, something I haven’t found since Charlaine Harris. Love ya, love yer work!
8:29 pm on December 3rd, 2009
When are you going to start blogging again? I mean, the last post is from August. That’s just way too long to go without a dose of A. Lee Martinez awesomeness.
What about all your fans just panting for more of your wisdom? Not everyone can meet you in person at the weekly meetings of the DFW Writers’ Workshop, and hope that just a little bit of your success rubs off on them.
Blog, man, blog! You have impressionable minds to illuminate.
11:01 pm on December 30th, 2009
HI There!
I wanted to let you know how much your books Rawk! I first picked up a Nameless Witch at the barnes and nobles in Downtown Ft Worth. It was a signed copy and i bought it. I read it in like 2 days and went searching for more! Gil’s All fright Diner was the next one i read and i’m so excited Dreamworks is making into a movie! The others have been great and I can’t wait for Divine misfortune! It looks like it comes out one day after my bday. Can’t wait! Thanks again your an amazing writer and i can’t wait for more!
12:39 am on January 1st, 2010
Happy New Year to you! Yes, I know, it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m posting on your site. The wife is pregnant and about to drop like the Times Square ball so there were no plans for tonight. I was doing a little research about you after I found out that you were a local and had a book in the movie works. I am loving Gil’s and can’t wait to read more from you. It was also spooky to see one of your book picks as Princess of Mars. In the same shopping spree that I picked your book up, I also picked up a copy of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
7:09 pm on January 22nd, 2010
I definitely enjoyed reading your insights and learning from your blogsite. Thank you for sharing such an interesting and informative article. – Pinoy Monster
8:57 am on January 27th, 2010
Ello
I’m from Serbia and I’m here only to complain how difficult it is to find your books here. So far I only read 3: Gil’s, Ogres and the Witch, so I only wanted to tell you we know about you even here and I hope I’ll be able to find more of your books in near future.
Take care
2:08 pm on January 28th, 2010
Wow. It is indeed a small world.
Glad to count you among my fans. Hope my books continue to be worth your time to track down.
12:40 pm on January 30th, 2010
I just yesterday discovered “Monster” in paperback while I was waiting for my wife to finish shopping. It was that or “Iron Man” and that looked dumb, so “Monster” one the coin toss.
I am glad it turned out that way. I found “Monster” to be pretty funny at times, I like the “Harry Potter for adults” feel of the story.
I found that the use of foul language and sexually explicit depictions to be un-necessary, but then, I think those are. To me an ‘adult’ story is one of increasingly complex story lines and challenging plots, etc…, gutter language and sex, while they do exist in the ‘real world’ are just too easy to throw in as filler, in my thinking, but anyway…
Overall, I gave “Monster” a solid ‘B’. It was entertaining and the story was engaging enough to keep reading straight through.
I am looking for your other books in paperback now in hopes they are at least similar if not better than “Monster”.
Good work,
Big Bear
12:56 am on January 31st, 2010
Glad you enjoyed MONSTER. If I can save you some time, I would suggest you skip GIL’S ALL FRIGHT DINER. If you thought MONSTER had too much foul language, you’re not going to like GIL’S.
IN THE COMPANY OF OGRES will probably be acceptable, and A NAMELESS WITCH doesn’t have any swearing (maybe one or two words I’ve forgotten). Although both do have some sex, although nothing very explicit.
THE AUTOMATIC DETECTIVE has some language. Probably not as much as MONSTER. And there’s no sex in it because…well…robots don’t have sex.
Perhaps your best bet would be TOO MANY CURSES which has no strong language I can recall and no sex.
Just a few suggestions.
9:28 am on January 31st, 2010
Thanks for the suggestions, believe it or not, I’m not a ‘prude’ about those things as if I can’t handle them, I just feel sometimes great stories are held back by inappropriate use of those things, just to add to a word count or at the nudge of an editor to appeal to younger readers, thereby increasing the audience, etc…
It’s not just your stories, I consider it a plague of this century of writing.
When used where it ‘fits’ and isn’t jarring one from the story, it doesn’t bother me.
Actually I have been taking a break from ‘modern’ writers and am revisiting Dante’s “Divine Comedy” at the moment. It was good to find another modern author I feel that actually has original stories and some imagination.
Thank you for your reply, that’s always refreshing to see someone personally engage their audience too.
Big Bear
12:40 am on February 1st, 2010
I understand where you’re coming from, but I don’t really agree. It’s easy to classify these things as “inappropriate”, but I feel that it’s just a change of style that happens from generation to generation. Vulgarity is largely a matter of social convenience. It constantly changes so I have a hard time taking it too seriously.
Still, I’m not interested in offending anyone. And I’d much rather someone just avoid a book they’re going to dislike (even one of mine) than read something they aren’t going to like (for whatever reason).
1:42 am on February 4th, 2010
I just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed Monster. It was a nice treat. I was on the hunt for a new author to add to my favorites. Once I got started, I wasn’t able to put it down. As soon as I finished, I wished I had read it slower. It was very enjoyable and I will recommend it to everyone I know.
1:47 am on February 4th, 2010
oh yeah…on a side note. Congrats on getting your dog to take a dump. Awesome.
2:31 pm on February 20th, 2010
Saw Monster at borders, and sat down in an aisle to see if i liked it. ended up putting it back and hopped on a the train home… decided to get off the train after a few stops hop on one back. Borders was closed so i walked a few blocks to barnes and noble, picked up a copy and couldn’t put it down till it was finished.
Great job, good read
2:54 pm on February 21st, 2010
lost your email, would like to interview you. Please write back when you’ve time.
6:27 pm on February 21st, 2010
Will we see another Monster book?
1:04 am on February 22nd, 2010
No plans for one yet. Probably not that surprising since I’m pretty clear how I feel on sequels. I wouldn’t rule it out, but I also think that Monster is a character / setting I’m not sure is worth exploring more. Monster himself is a pretty down-on-his luck guy with a generally bad attitude, and that could get old pretty quick. Also, the world of monster is changed so radically by the end of the novel, that it would become something quite different in the long run.
I don’t rule anything out, but Monster is probably at the bottom of the list of books I’d consider writing a sequel for. But time will tell.
3:53 pm on February 23rd, 2010
I have been trying to pick up Monster for weeks. I finally found it yesterday and, to my complete lack of surprise, I couldn’t sleep till I finished it. Bloody good stuff. As always. You have definitely moved into my top five list of favorite authors. Thank you for your work
4:07 pm on February 28th, 2010
So much praise, so you will probably not be too heartbroken if I offer some criticism?
I read “In the company of ogres”, and sort of liked it. But it was something about it…
Then I stopped reading, as the next books (or former) did not seem to appeal to me. I don’t know why.
Then I picked up “Monster”. And read it. Some of it was funny. Some of it was really funny.
But I did make the mistake of visiting your blog before I had finished the book. And I read what you said about “TOO MANY CURSES”, about you being proud of writing a novel without any real “shift” in characters, and no romance, and that being the point. Then it struck me. What I had problems with in “In the company…”
I read the rest of “Monster”, with this thought in the back of my mind. Stuck, couldn’t get it out. I was expecting the same feeling I had when I finished “In the company…” And I got it. It might have been because I was expecting it. But I don’t think so.
The “problem” was that the stories seemed too much like “this happened, and then we went back to nothing (i.e. our ordinary lives)”. No closure, just “back to normal”.
So, you may be very satisfied you managed to write “too many curses” without any “shift” in the characters and no romance, but me personally, I am a bit dissatisfied that I feel you managed the same in “In the company…” and “Monster”.
I still might pick up your next book, though. Two books may not be enough to make a viable conclusion.