Marla Martenson is the author of two relationship advice books, Excuse Me, Your Soul Mate Is Waiting & Good Date, Bad Date. Marla’s sassy memoir, Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker was released in April of 2010. Besides writing, Marla works as a professional matchmaker, helping people connect with their soul mates. If you are interested in matchmaking, click HERE to be directed to her website Cupid For Hire. Marla currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, composer/performer, Jon Alexi and is hard at work on her fourth book.
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Where are you from?
I am from Seattle, Washington. I left home for
Hollywood at the age of 19. I also lived in my favorite town, Chicago for most
of the 90’s. I now live in Los Angeles.
Tell us your latest news?
I am just trying to stay creative. Besides my matchmaking business, I
love to have a writing project going as well. At the moment I am putting the
finishing touches on a screenplay, which has been a goal of mine for many
years. It feels great to finally accomplish that.
When and why did you begin writing?
Apart from my childhood attempts at writing, I
really started in 2006. I decided to write a dating advice book because of my
experiences working as a matchmaker. So, my first book, Excuse Me, Your Soul Mate
Is Waiting was born! I must admit though, I had the writing bug my whole life,
a nagging feeling in the back of my mind encouraging me to write, but I didn’t
have the confidence until 2006 when my husband walked up to me in our living
room and out of the blue said, “God told me to tell you to write!”
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I would have to say when I got signed
a contract with a literary agent. I felt pretty professional!
What inspired you to write your first book?
Working
in the matchmaking industry, I heard so many funny dating stories. The feedback
that my clients gave me after their dates, and also interviewing them for their
profiles, I got to know what men and women really wanted in a partner and what
mistakes they were making on dates. I decided to write a book to help singles
be more successful in finding and keeping the right partner.
Do you have a specific writing style?
My writing style tends to be conversational and
humorous.
How did you come up with the title?
That was pretty easy, since my memoir, Diary of
a Beverly Hills Matchmaker is about my life as a Beverly Hills Matchmaker, I
just went with that.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to
grasp?
I hope that my readers are entertained and come
away with the feeling that everyone has challenges in their lives, but tackling
life with humor and positivity is the best way to go about it.
How much of the book is realistic?
Since my book is a memoir, the whole book is
realistic.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your
own life?
Yes, the whole
book.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Oh my gosh, I have read thousands of books in my life. I read a lot of
non fiction, self help books, for instance Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson,
Stuart Wilde, and Iyanla Vanzant to name a few. As far as fiction goes, I just
loved a book called A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry and you can’t beat
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
If you had to choose, which writer
would you consider a mentor?
J.K. Rowling is the author that I am completely
in awe of. What she has accomplished and her talent for story telling is just
amazing.
What book are you reading now?
I am reading a novel called “Haunting Jasmine”
by an author friend Anjali Banerjee, it is a magical story of a woman who takes
care of her aunt’s bookstore in the Seattle area.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
No…. I can’t think of any.
What are your current projects?
My screenplay has been taking up my whole summer, and once that is
finished, I am ready to tackle another one.
Name one entity that you feel supported
you outside of family members.
That
would be the Universe. I am a Law of Attraction girl. And I feel fully
supported in all of my endeavors by the Universal force!
Do you see writing as a career?
I would love writing to be my career, but for the time being, I make
my living as a matchmaker. Maybe some day one of my books will be a NY Times
Best Seller.
If you had to do it all over again,
would you change anything in your latest book?
I must say that I really love Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker. I
had a blast writing it. It is so fun to have a part of my life recorded in such
a fun book. No, I wouldn’t change
anything.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I have always loved books. My parents started
reading to me before I was one year old. I really got the writing bug at the
age of eight. I started writing poetry and short stories. I would even write
letters to my favorite authors, telling them that I aspired to be just like
them when I grew up.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
The sequel to Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker
should be coming out in the near future. I will keep you posted!
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your
writing?
Writing is always a challenge, all aspects,
character development, tension, humor, I mean just the technical side, plus
making yourself sit down on a regular basis and doing it when life tugs us in
so many directions.
Who is your favorite author and what is
it that really strikes you about their work?
I would say
J.K. Rowling is my favorite author because of her talent for developing
characters and telling such amazing stories.
Do you have to travel much concerning
your book(s)?
I don’t travel a lot but I did spend ten days in
Alberta, Canada a few months ago speaking, and also doing TV interviews and
book signings. It was so much fun. I love seeing new places and connecting with
new readers.
Who designed the covers?
The publishing company had my first two covers designed. For Diary, I
designed the cover and my publisher had graphic artist do it. It was really fun
to be able to have an input on it.
What was the hardest part of writing
your book?
Since I wrote all three of my books
while I had a full time job, I would say keeping my energy up and fresh was a
challenge. I often didn’t feel like writing in the evening after a ten- hour
day. I was drained. So I did most of my writing on the weekends, and even some
lunch hours.
Did you learn anything from writing
your book and what was it?
I
learned that I am more creative and talented than I thought I was. For years I
was too afraid to go for it and just write because I didn’t think anyone would
want to read what I had to say. I was insecure. Now I love creating new things
and telling new stories.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
My advice is to keep at it. A lot of people tell
me that they have an idea for a book, or that they have always wanted to write
a book, but they just never got started, or don’t think that they have the
time. If you are really passionate about writing and have a story to tell, then
sit down and start writing. It doesn’t have to be perfect and you can even
write one page per day, but the important thing is to get started.
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Thank you to Marla Martenson for doing this interview and sending moi a copy of her book...
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Yes... YOU can WIN a copy of this book...
Leave a comment... if you do not have a website/blog be sure to give us your email address
Deadline to Enter to Win is October 20 @ NOON California time
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