Editorial Intern
Signal Hill resident Marty Steere always loved to write but never had the time. As the economy slowed down, and his law practice with it, Steere found the time to write the idea he had already created over a few years. Now, after nine months of writing, a year of editing— with both professional editors and beta readers— Steere has published his first novel, a thriller entitled Sea of Crises.
In the book, Commander Bob Cartwright and his crew journey successfully to the moon for Apollo 18 back in 1976, but suddenly lose all contact while there. After the capsule finally plunges back into an ocean here on Earth, only their charred bodies remain. But, in the present day, brothers Nate, Peter and Matt discover the capsule was not actually Apollo 18. The trio seeks to unravel the truth behind their father’s disappearance and the moon mission— all the while pursued by a shadowy, violent government force, The Organization.
Steere recently discussed the novel, his writing and himself with the Signal Tribune.
Signal Tribune: The publisher of this novel, Penfield Productions, is also your own publishing company. Why did you form your own? Do you plan to publish others’ works through Penfield?
Steere: Once I’d decided to publish myself, I figured I’d go all in. I’d spent a lot of time writing and polishing the novel, and I wanted the final product to be professional and on par with anything being published by any of the large houses. That meant having full control. Though I didn’t set up my imprint with the intent of handling works by others, I suppose that, if the right opportunity presented itself, I’d consider it. For now, however, it’s all about publishing my own books, and I’m keeping that my focus.
Signal Tribune: You mentioned thriller writer Alistair MacLean as one writer you drew inspiration from. Are there other thriller writers that inspire you and your work? If so, how and in what ways do they inspire you?
Steere: Absolutely, though I take inspiration from a lot of different authors, not just in the thriller genre. I have pretty wide-ranging tastes. On the thriller side, some of my favorites include Ken Follett, John Grisham, Nelson DeMille, Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum. I’ve been delighted to have readers tell me that they see aspects of those writers and others in my book. In fact, I’ve had more than one reader tell me they found Sea of Crises to be something akin to Clancy meets Ludlum. Since those two are fabulous writers, it’s high praise indeed. What I enjoy most about those authors and the others I admire are their abilities to create memorable characters and seamlessly weave the lives of those characters and their individual stories into the overall narrative in an interesting and— this is very important— not obvious or cookie-cutter way. To me, the best books are the ones that lull you into no longer focusing on the fact that you’re reading and, instead, you find yourself comfortably— or uncomfortably, if that’s the author’s intent at the moment— immersed in the experience. Painting with words is how I’ve heard it described, and I think that’s an excellent way of characterizing it. Those guys all do it, and do it well.
Signal Tribune: Do you have a writing routine? If so, could you describe it?
Steere: Not really. I write when I have time. But, when I’m in the middle of a project, it’s never far from me, and inspiration can strike at odd hours. When that happens, I jot down notes and put them in my pocket. These might include places I think I want to take the story, or they could just be random bits of dialogue or pieces of action. Occasionally, I’ll pull out those notes and say, “What the heck?” But most of the time I remember. And when I’m next at the computer, I aggregate them into my loose— and it’s always just a loose— story outline. Then, before I start a scene, I’ll pick and choose from that outline the things I want to have happen in the scene, and I allow that list to guide me. However, I never let any prior outline constrain me if, as I’m writing, I feel the urge to go in a different direction, which often happens. I know I can always go back and edit. One of the things I like most about writing is the discovery process. It’s almost as if I’m experiencing the story as it’s unfolding in front of me on the computer screen. I can’t tell you how many times in the middle of writing I’ve said to myself, with some surprise, “Of course, that’s what he would do,” or “Yeah, that’s exactly what she would say.” I find that I’m entertaining myself as much as my reader, and that makes the process a lot of fun.
Signal Tribune: The reception for your book has been positive from online user reviews. Do you plan to have it reviewed by professional outlets? Do you hope or plan to expand its print publication? Do you have any long-term aspirations for the book?
Steere: Yes, as a matter of fact, Kirkus Reviews recently gave me one of their coveted starred reviews. Kirkus is one of the oldest and most well-established review services in the world and is known in the industry as the toughest critic, so, to receive a star— which is given to only about 10 percent of the books they review— is extraordinary. My review is in the current issue of Kirkus Reviews magazine. The electronic version of the book— priced at $2.99— can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and various other ebook outlets. The trade paperback version, at $15.95, is available not only through CreateSpace, which is Amazon’s print-on-demand service, but through Lightning Source, Inc., an affiliate of Ingram, and— given Ingram’s distribution channels— it’s available to bookstores and libraries throughout the world. My goal at this point is to get the word out and help people discover the novel. Hopefully, they will, and they’ll tell others. I’d love for it to become a bestseller. But I’m realistic. Whether it sells 100 or 100,000, I want every person who reads it to say, “I really enjoyed that.”
The Signal Tribune: How long did Sea of Crises take you to complete, from when you first put words on the page to the finished manuscript?
Steere: It took me nine months to write the manuscript. However, I then spent another year editing, in part with the assistance of feedback from beta readers and with some very important input from a couple of professional editors whom I hired to read and provide comments. There’s no way to overstate the importance of editing and polishing. A book that receives that kind of attention shines in comparison to books that have been put out prematurely.
The Signal Tribune: I read in your press release that you researched heavily to set an authentic tone for the story. How long did it take you to do the research? Did you make any surprising discoveries? Did your research change the story at all?
Steere: I started researching as soon as I started writing, and, for the first few months, I alternated between writing and studying the histories of the Apollo program and the astronauts who went to the moon. The first third of the novel takes place in the present time, so I didn’t need that much technical expertise on the space program for that part. Being able to trade off between writing and researching during those first few months offered a nice change of pace. By the time I got to the beginning of part two, I was ready to take my reader to the moon. As for what I learned, I’d have to say that I was struck by how difficult and how dangerous it was to do what the astronauts did. I’d always been fascinated by the space program, but I’d also had a fairly romanticized notion of what was involved. I was really impressed with all that the astronauts had to learn and do and the risks that they willingly and, much of the time, seemingly effortlessly, undertook.
The Signal Tribune: Sea of Crises is your first novel. Do you have any other novel ideas for the future? If so, how far along are they? Would they also be thrillers, or perhaps a sequel to Sea of Crises?
Steere: Sea of Crises is the first novel that I’ve published. However, I wrote a novel before that, entitled Defiant Heart. Unfortunately, my former agent was unable to sell that book, so I set it aside to focus on Sea of Crises. I do, however, fully intend to publish that first novel. It’s not a thriller but rather falls more into the catch-all definition of mainstream fiction. At its heart, [it is] a love story. If I were to be more descriptive about it, I’d call it a coming-of-age adventure tale featuring a couple of strong-willed and courageous characters. It opens in a small Midwestern town on the eve of World War II. The manuscript is going through one more— hopefully last— pass with one of my editors, and, if all goes well, will likely be released either later this year or early next year. I have a number of ideas I’m kicking around for a third novel, but I’ve not yet started writing. It may or may not be a thriller, though, if it’s not, I feel certain I’ll be writing another thriller at some point. As for a sequel to Sea of Crises, I wrote that book as a stand-alone, with no intention of continuing with the characters. However, I came to love those characters, and I’ve had a number of people ask me if we’ll see more of them. So, it’s possible there will be a sequel, but only if I come up with just the right story to do them justice.
