Corlis Martin

Corlis was born in Chicago, but raised in Palmdale California. Her first book of poetry The Expressions of Love from the Heart and Soul of Corlis was released in February 2005. The second poetry book, Love, Passion and Betrayal was released in August 2005. Her new novel, Love, Pleasure and Pain has just been released. Corlis is currently working on her next book The Darkest of Passions.

 

http://www.corlismartin.com

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and were reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why? 

Corlis : I grew up the high desert community of Palmdale California. Reading and writing was a very big part of my family life. As I look back on my childhood I now realize that both my Mother and Father spent a lot of time teaching my brother and me history, literature, etc. They were home schooling us, even before there was such a thing as home schooling. Education was very important in our house reading was our family favorite pastime. Every night before we went to bed, my mother would read us a story.

My early influences were Maya Angelou, Eric Segal, James Baldwin, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Virginia Woolf. All of these authors wrote about the joy and the pain of life with such passion, that left a lasting impression on me when I was a child. I can still remember thinking to myself, when I grow up that I was going to be a writer.

PageOneLit.com:  Why do you write?

Corlis :  I write because I am passionate about life and love. I want to share the different experiences that life sometimes brings us, both the good and the bad times, as we journey through our lives with as many people as possible this is why I write.
 

PageOneLit.com: Who and/or what have been your biggest influences with regard to your writing and why?

Corlis : Three of the biggest influences on my life as a writer are Maya Angelou, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Virginia Woolf. These three ladies wrote about the love, pleasure and the pain in their lives. This inspired me to write about the love, pleasure, and pain not only in my own life but other lives as well.

PageOneLit.com: Congratulations on "Love, Pleasure and Pain" -- Briefly describe your plot and how/where did the story come from.

Corlis :  Love, Pleasure and Pain is a unique collection of erotic stories that blend the three elements as a main theme for each story. This gives the reader every range of every aspect of love, pleasure and pain. The storyline came from within me.

PageOneLit.com: "Love, Pleasure and Pain" -- How much of yourself is in your characters?

Corlis : In some of my writings there have been times that the character is a part of me in the 3rd person. Sometimes the plot or character is a dream that has left a profound effect on me. Sometimes it's not me at all, but rather my view of another. I've often showed my perspective in many of the writings, hence the many "facets" of Corlis.
 

PageOneLit.com:  Plot or Character? Which is more important to you as a writer and why?

Corlis :  Plot is most important. Often, if you notice, the characters are blurred and what's magnified are the twists of the storyline (plot). When you write geared on passion, the writings are plot based. Sometimes it's not the person involved in the story that's interesting, but rather the story itself.

PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers walk away with after reading "Love, Pleasure and Pain"?

Corlis :I hoping the reader will feel the passion, the joy and the pain, of the characters in my stories. I want my readers to be able to identity with my characters, maybe even learn from the mistakes that are made by some of the characters in the stories, and then apply the lessons learned to their own lives.

 

PageOneLit.com:  How has your life changed since publishing "Love, Pleasure and Pain"?

Corlis : Yes, actually it has changed somewhat, my life has become very hectic. I have just finished writing Love, Pleasure and Pain. I am also erotic poet, I currently finishing up a new Poetry book
“Darkest of Passions,” this book is due to be released later this year.

 

PageOneLit.com: What's next?

Corlis : My next novel “Blown away on June 10th 1985,” is based on the true story of a young college student, D. Kimmiemooney, whose life was changed forever within a split second. When he goes to visit his parents in South Central L.A. and was shot and partially paralyzed by mistake from a gang member’s bullet.



PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?

Corlis :  Mr.Murder by: Dean Koontz


PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Corlis :  My hobbies are music, dancing, yoga, reading etc. I would say that my hobbies enhance my writing by helping me to relax.