Welcome to Inside the Mind where we here at The Faerie Review interview authors and creators.
Our guest today is Michael J Martineck, the author behind Untouchable

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Michael I enjoyed reading Untouchable. Why did you choose the art world as the backdrop for this book?

Michael:  Awesome question. The art world is rich and not just in money, although there is plenty of that and money makes good story-clay. It’s got mystery and history, romance and intrigue, and art is layered. You know art, but you don’t. If I type the words “Mona Lisa” you will get an image in your mind and from there we can start to grow a story about the subject of the painting, why it took years to complete, optical illusions, it’s theft and recovery. The art world is rich like good soil.

Lily:  That’s a great example of just how deep the art world can go (and a great reason to use that as a backdrop). Were Leah and Joshua inspired by anyone?

Michael:  Yes, kind of, in a way, though the characters are more impressionistic than realistic. I can say that if my lovely wife had taken a different path, she would’ve made a damn fine detective. Joshua is everything I am not.

Lily:  I love that! Did you have to do a lot of research to write this?

Michael:  Did you ever go out to dinner hungry and you order the appetizers and drinks and the dinosaur Porterhouse steak and about a third of the way through you’re like, what was I thinking?  Yeah, this book was like that.

Lily:  Hehe I know that feeling well. (Although usually it’s a crochet project I thought I could knock out quickly). Without spoilers, did the story end up where you thought it would when you started writing it?

Michael:  They mystery did, Leah’s character did not. Most of the time I felt like a scribe following her around. 

Lily:  I think you did a great job bringing her to life, and I can see how it might have felt like that. Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. Describe your ideal writing space.

Michael:  I write wherever I can. George Bernard Shaw had this rotating writing cabin. He could turn it to follow the sun. It only fit one person. I’d love to find out if that was sweet or maddening.

Lily:  Now that would be an interesting place to write. What time of day do you find it easiest to write?

Michael: I write whenever I can. I’ve had to be very opportunistic, what with kids and life and such. 

Lily:  I imagine it would be difficult to get into a set routine with everything. Do you prefer writing the first draft or editing it?

Michael:    I love/hate the whole mess. I am, however, a big proponent of doing one or the other, never both at the same time. I like Frank Norris’ quote, “I don’t like to write, but like having written.” 

Lily:  That” a great quote! Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. Is a hot dog a sandwich? Why or why not?

Michael:  Ah – I see what you did there. A seemingly fun question, that pries into the core of writing theory. As with the Mona Lisa, if I type “sandwich” you get an image in your mind and it is never a hot dog. A writer needs to work to get you from sammy to wiener. Now, sometimes there’s a point to that – let’s expand our definition of sandwich, then gender or culture or nation –  most of the time there is not. “He bought a sandwich off the cart and cocked his head rightward to hurry in the first bite” makes more sense if you substitute “hot dog” for sandwich. So, was that too pedantic? How ‘bout this: Sure, anything you put between two other things can be a sandwich. Pickles, ham, yourself at an overly friendly club in Havana.

Lily:  Ok the last line got me giggling, I like that take on it. Do you prefer to travel by plane or by car for long trips?

Michael:  Car. No existential crap on this one. Planes are cattle pens. Cars are freedom.

Lily:  I’d have to agree with you. I’d rather take a car when possible. Would you rather live in a cabin in the woods or a house on the beach?

Michael:  Hate the beach. Sand in everything. I like my water salt-free, bubbly and surrounded by Scotch.

Lily:  Sounds like a great way to hydrate hehe. Do you prefer sweet, sour, salty, or savory foods?

Michael:  This is why I’m not a soldier. Captured behind enemy lines, asked repeatedly how many troops in my division, I would lock my jaw, refusing to answer. Right up until they offered me a danish. 

Lily:  I can appreciate a good danish having a bit of a sweet tooth myself. What’s one thing on your bucket list?

Michael:  Researching material for this book really made me want to see more art in person. The Tate Modern, the Louvre, all of Italy. I’m not a good traveler (I can’t drive to Europe – see ans. 8) but I’m trying to grow as a person.

Lily:  I love that more art is available to view online, but I know nothing beats seeing it in person. If you could spend a day with a character from any book, who would it be, what book are they from, and what would you do?

Michael:  Gatsby. We’d do Gatsby things. 

Lily:  Now that would be an interesting day. Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Michael:  This was a wonderful set of questions. A great balance. Not just writing, not just personal, lots of room to answer. Very fun.

Lily:  I’m glad you enjoyed it! I wanted to stray away from the standard path I saw when I looked up author interviews. How can readers discover more about you, and your work?

Michael:  At any of these places:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads | Smashwords

Book links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Indigo | Kobo
Goodreads