Hi! I am 
Carolyn Howard Johnson, your trusty New Book Review blogger and author of the 
multi award-winning HowTo Do It 
Frugally Series of books for writers. This blog has heretofore been 
exclusive for reviews but I thought I’d do a special series of interviews after 
I chatted with Jeanie Loiacono, President of Loiacono Literary 
Agency – Where ‘can’t’ is not in our vocabulary!  I 
thought sharing the interviews would help the many subscribers and visitors to 
this New Book Review blog, including authors, reviewers, and, of course, readers 
who just might find a new favorite author among the featured books and 
authors.
So, today 
welcome Jack 
Martin.
After receiving his Juris Doctorate from UCLA, he worked for 
The Department of Defense and the aerospace industry, specializing in contracts 
and regulatory issues. Tracing his Californian ancestry all the way back to the 
1830s, Martin developed a passion for American history and the mystery genre. 
With encouragement and support from his beloved wife Sonia, he began writing. 
She passed away on Christmas Eve 2009 following a brave battle against ovarian 
cancer. He promised her he would finish the books and become a published author. 
He dedicated his first novel, John Brown’s Body to her, the love 
of his life.
Martin is the author of 
the Alphonso Clay Mystery Series set during the Civil War: John 
Brown’s Body, Battle Cry of Freedom, Marching Through Georgia, The 
Battle Hymn of the Republic, Hail Columbia. His latest novel is Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Now 
Clay lives on…  
- What is your 
genre? I 
write fiction, concentrating on historical mystery.
- What made you want to be a 
writer? The 
desire to tell tales that would fascinate people.
- Of all the authors out there, 
who inspired you most? It's a tie between H. P. 
Lovecraft and Robert Heinlein.
- What is your writing style? 
Do you outline? Linearly? By scene? Why? Usually I outline, but quite 
often I will write by scene. On several occasions, a particular scene or series 
of scenes have come to me in vivid dreams, and I find myself trying to construct 
the novel to incorporate those scenes. 
- Do you write every day? How 
much? How long? I write two or three hours a 
day, every other day. Hey, I'm old!
- Do you think reading is as 
important to writing for an author? Why? Reading is just as important 
to a writer, if for no other reason than to get an idea of what his target 
audiences like to read.
- What are some of the things 
you would like to share with budding authors? Don't let rejections get you 
down, and write in genres that you personally enjoy.
- Do you have any marketing and 
promotional advice, referrals, tips you would like to share? Frankly, getting a good 
agent is the best thing you can do. I sold nothing until I got a brilliant 
agent!
- Do you think conferences are 
beneficial? If so, what have you learned? Which ones do you 
frequent? 
They can be beneficial, if for no other reason than meeting fellow authors and 
exchanging professional information. Left Coast Crime and Bouchercon are good 
conferences for mystery writers.
Where can we find you, your 
books and when is your next event? No events scheduled at this 
time. My books may be found on: Amazon  Fish 
Pond  The Book 
Depository  BAM  B&N  Waterstones  Indie 
Bound  Google 
Play
Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency, Jeanie Loiacono 
http://www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com/authors/jack-martin/
MORE 
ABOUT THE SPONSORING AGENT
Jeanie Loiacono, President, Loiacono Literary 
Agency
A facilitator of dreams, Jeanie Loiacono represents over eighty authors. Her 
forte is mystery, romance, thrillers, historical/military/southern fiction, and 
all quality fiction/nonfiction. Her passion is to see her authors 
succeed.“There is nothing more rewarding than to hold one of my author’s books and know I helped bring it to fruition. I am so blessed and privileged to be able to work with some of the most talented writers in the world.” Jeanie.L@llallc.net www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com
MORE ABOUT THE SPONSORING 
AGENTS
IF YOU WOULD 
LIKE TO SEE MORE INTERVIEWS--TO FIND GREAT READING OR TO NETWORK WITH 
AUTHORS--PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG. YOU ARE A WELCOME ADDITION TO THIS 
FAMILY WHO LOVES BOOKS! YOU'LL FIND A WINDOW TO DO THIS AT THE TOP OF THIS BLOG 
PAGE.
----New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
