Tuesday Talk with Deanna Martinez-Bey

A woman of many talents, Deanna Martinez-Bey is an author, a blogger, a media advisor, and she bakes a mean cake! I’m so excited to have her as my Tuesday Talks guest today. Thanks, Deanna, for sitting down and talking with me!

What made you sit down and write your first novel? Have you always been a writer? Is it something you’ve done all your life?

Oh, I’ve been writing since I was seven! Poetry, short stories—you name it. I’ve always loved creating with words. But my first novel? That happened in 2009, and it was published the very next year. Writing has always been a part of who I am.

Where do you get your characters? Are they purely figments of your imagination, or are they based on real individuals?

Funny you ask! I actually just talked about this on my YouTube podcast, Bookshelf Diaries. You can check it out on YouTube for all the details! But to give you a little sneak peek—I pull a lot of inspiration from people I know. Life is full of fascinating characters!

What is your writing process? Are you a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’?

Oh, I am definitely a plotter! No flying by the seat of my pants here. Every book gets its own outline before I dive in.

How do you go about researching your work?

I dive right in—headfirst! I absolutely love research. Most of mine happens online, and I can get lost in the process for hours. Can you say, “rabbit hole”?

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Let’s see… I run, I sleep, I drink coffee, and I eat chocolate—lots of chocolate! Oh, and I’m also a freelance writer with columns in Writer’s Digest and Pastry Arts Magazine.

Do you do any other kind of writing besides romance?

Absolutely! I write family sagas, women’s fiction, and even cookbooks. And here’s something fun—each of my fiction books includes recipes from the story at the end. It’s my signature touch!

If you could give one piece of advice to a beginning writer, what would it be?

Keep writing. Seriously, don’t stop. Write and publish as much as you can. And if you’re self-publishing, please hire a copy editor! Do not put out a book that hasn’t been properly edited. Trust me, it makes all the difference.