visiting with madeline martin

 What I like most about your book The Booklovers Library is that not only does the story take me through a historical period, but the narrative makes me feel as if I, too, had the same experience.
 
 This was the first time I’d heard of a lending library—other than our public library in the U.S. How did you come upon this type of library?
I’m always reading some article or another, so I can’t recall where I first heard about the original Booklover’s Library, but my imagination immediately began wandering down a path of possibilities. I was intrigued by the name, because it's so perfect, but also by how women who worked there had such long engagements because they did not want to give up their jobs to get married (this was during the marriage bar). I knew writing a book about the children's evacuation was going to be a little heavier and the Booklover’s Library created the perfect setting to offer lightness and comfort – not only for my characters, but also for readers.
 
In your book’s afterword, you mentioned visiting the Bromley House Library in Nottingham and spending time there. Do you always physically research your settings? What is your ratio of time spent on research/outlining to writing?
I have been fortunate to have visited on location for three of my historical fiction novels (Lisbon, Portugal and Lyon, France for The Librarian Spy, Warsaw, Poland for The Keeper of Hidden Books, and Nottingham, England for The Booklover’s Library). The only book I have not gone onsite to research was The Last Bookshop in London as it was written during the pandemic. However, being an Army brat, I spent about 12 years in Germany which means I had the opportunity to visit London many times and was able to draw on those experiences.
I do a lot of research. Writing a historical fiction novel takes me approximately one year with 80% of that time spent on research and 20% on writing.

 Would you state this is true with all of your books?
​Yes. I love research! LOL It makes the world I’m writing come to life for me. Once I have about eight months of research under my belt, the entire story plays out in my head like I’m living the life of the character and I write the story as I experience it. I don’t think I could do that without so much research.
 
he mother-daughter theme, combined with themes of sacrifice and survival, was an intriguing plot and character concept. How did you decide to do this historical story from this point of view?
As a mother, the idea of the children’s evacuation in England during WWII has always plucked at a deep place in my heart. Having to send a child away for an indeterminate amount of time, to an unknown location, to stay with people you’ve never met…it’s unfathomable to have to make that kind of call. Especially when the idea of keeping your child home meant you risked them being killed or injured from bombs.  I wanted to write about this to understand what those parents went through and help others realize how deep their love for their children was to make the sacrifice of sending them away for their safety.
 
In the afterward, you state that you included several personal experiences in your story.  Is this usual, or is it more prominent in this book?
​There are parts of me in all the books I write. However, I put a lot more of my own personal experiences into this particular book. I was a single mother for several years and the protagonis, Emma, is a single mother as well. I drew on my own situations, feelings, and some particular instances as inspiration for this story. Additionally, I used my two daughters as the foundation for creating Olivia’s character, which only endeared her to me all the more.

The mention of excellent novels to read included in your story—because where would a library story be with books—made me want to read them all again. How great that you added a list on your website. How did you decide which books to use?
It’s always so fun for me to include some of my favorite books in my novels. Some of them are just personal favorites that have had an impact on my life. Like Anne of Green Gables, for example, which has an important role in this story. Other books are ones mentioned in that time period and come up again and again in my research. Books like Lady Chatterley’s Lover for being so risqué the library would never allow it to be out on the shelves. Or like Gone with the Wind that took the world by storm.

What is the best book for those who want to write a historical novel?
I think the best book in general to start with for brand new writers is Stephen King’s book On Writing. It’s a great intro. For historical fiction in particular, I would recommend joining HNS (Historical Novel Society) and taking advantage of opportunities to network with other authors, attend conferences, and take workshops.

Is this your favorite genre? Why?
Confession: Aside from historical fiction (which I feel is the obvious answer) I love thrillers. I have no idea why, but I’ve always been drawn to them ever since I was a girl sneaking R. L. Stine novels under my covers with a flashlight way past my bedtime. I think it’s the wild excitement of the story, but knowing that it ultimately ends up OK in the end.

The romance in this story is placed toward the end. Did you place the romance here so that romance didn’t take over the novel?
Because I’ve written romance novels previously with 35 published, there are some preconceived prejudices about my putting romance into books. I intentionally tone down the romance subplot as a result. But it is important to me to always still include a romance of some kind – after all, romance is a part of our daily lives. Our spouses, our partners, boyfriends/girlfriends, or even the absence of having someone in one’s life – it’s such a huge part of our daily world that not including romance of any kind would flatten the characters.

 What book should readers start with to learn your work?  What are you working on now?
My first historical fiction was The Last Bookshop in London which is a great one to start with. All my historical fiction novels are stand alone and can be read independently.
My next book is coming out September 2025 and is called The Secret Book Society. Set in Victorian London, a thrice widowed countess seeks to liberate repressed women through her secret book society operating under the guise of afternoon tea, but rather than gossip and other 'banal, womanly pursuits', the conversations take a far more subversive direction and enable the women to pursue freedom from their current lives.

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