Major Works
Photo of Martin Hegwood by N. Jacobs
- Jackpot Bay (2003)
- Massacre Island (July 2000)
- Green Eyed Hurricane (novel) 2000
- Big Easy Backroad (novel) 1999
Biography of Martin Hegwood
By Ben Williams (SHS) 2001
Martin Hegwood was raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with his parents, who were in the shrimping business. He lived next to his grandparents, who were farmers. He spent many years when he was young getting boats out of the water and repairing them. Currently lives in Canton, Mississippi, with his wife is Linda Hegwood, who is a teacher at Madison-Ridgeland Academy. He is a government attorney who works at the State Secretary’s Office in Jackson, Mississippi. His favorite writers are John D. McDonald, James Lee Burke, and Ross McDonald (Madison County Journal).
Martin Hegwood writes mystery novels. He says he got into the mystery genre by “playing the odds.” He wanted to write novels in the most published genre under fiction, which is the romance genre (because of their success), but says “I can’t even read one all the way through” (Hegwood). Therefore, he chose the second most published fiction genre, the mystery genre. He has written two novels to date, which are titled Big Easy Backroad (1999) and A Green-Eyed Hurricane (2000). Both novels focus around the life of private investigator Jack Delmas. Jack is an alter ego of Martin Hegwood. Hegwood says that there is some of Jack in him. He add, “I think Jack is a regular guy, and all Jack wants people to do is leave him alone.” His first book, Big Easy Backroad, has been very well received, which, according to the Madison County Journal, is “extraordinary for a first time novelist.” Another novel Massacre Island was released in July of 2001, and it also has Jack Delmas as the protagonist. He is also currently working on a fourth Jack Delmas novel.
Hegwood has a very busy life. He has NO extra time. He has had many jobs and could have gone into the family business (Plots With Guns). Currently, he works at the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office all day and will often write from 4:00 AM until 7:15 AM. He usually takes a small tape recorder and talks into it while driving, and his wife listens to the tapes and types up his ideas (Madison County Journal). In addition, he travels approximately six or seven days out of each month to attend book signings (Plots With Guns).
Hegwood says that he is constantly writing something and hopes to write a novel that is a political thriller set in Washington. He also plans to write a multi-generational story about a Mississippi family from Reconstruction to the present day. He has also finished another novel involving Jack Delmas which will be coming out in the near future Hegwood).
Hegwood says, “Writing a novel is an exercise in self discipline and persistence. Getting published is a matter of refusing to quit. I got seventy rejection letters. I read somewhere that James Lee Burke, one of the best writers in any genre, garnered 99 rejections for his first novel” (Article Archives).
Reviews
A Review of Big Easy Backroad
by Ben Williams (SHS) 2001
Ben Williams (SHS Researcher)
Big Easy Backroad takes place in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and revolves around a private investigator by the name of Jack Delmas. Delmas has recently completed a case and has some time off to enjoy himself. So, he proceeds to the local bar where he plans to kick back and have a few drinks. Soon after entering the bar, he notices a pretty young blonde whom he cannot take his eyes off of. Upon meeting her, he finds out that her name is Barb and that she has not heard from her boyfriend Toulouse in several days. As a story on the news arises about the murder of a local man, she becomes very frightened and then suspects that her boyfriend is the victim of the homicide. Unable to resist this gorgeous face, Jack agrees to help locate her boyfriend, assuming he is still alive.
Big Easy Backroad by Martin Hegwood
Not too long after Jack’s search is started, he has second thoughts about the idea of helping a beautiful stranger in need. He had plans to follow the local mob, the Dixie Mafia, and gather evidence that they are involved in a large-scale cocaine smuggling deal. Jack suddenly learns that he is now the prime suspect in the murder of Barb. It turns out that Barb’s boyfriend had connections with local mobsters such as Ricky Dee McCoy. So, instead of Jack Delmas keeping an eye on the Dixie Mafia, the Dixie Mafia is now following his every move.
Big Easy Backroad is an engaging suspense/mystery novel that has many sudden twists and turns. There is no predictable outcome in this novel. I would recommend this book to any person looking for a novel packed with action and something that will keep you guessing at what will happen next. The writer Martin Hegwood deserves much credit for writing this well thought-out book.
Interview with Martin Hegwood 2001
by Ben Williams (SHS)
Where do you get your ideas for your novels?
You ask where I get the ideas for novels. I get them from the things I have seen over the years and from the news, both national and local. When you look for an idea you have to play a game of “What if?” You have to ask yourself, “What if I were in the same situation as the persons in the news story I just read?” or “What if the man they found dead of a heart attack didn’t really die of a heart attack? What if he had been injected with a hard-to-trace poison? Who would benefit from that?” Once you gear up your mind to look for story lines, you will find them everywhere. Right now, there is an (alleged) slave ship off the coast of Africa carrying children who have been kidnapped or tricked into leaving their home. What if you were on that ship? What if you were hired or sent by the US government or some private foundation to rescue this ship?
Please bear in mind that thinking up some “What if?” idea is only the first step. You have to develop this into a plot. But you can build this plot by continuing to ask “What if?” after each step you take.
Do you base characters or situations on real life?
I don’t consciously base my characters or my plots on real life, but it is impossible to come up with any situation that hasn’t been done before (or at least something pretty close to it.) And any character you put in a story will undoubtedly resemble someone you know from real life (unless you write Vampire novels or science fiction). But I don’t try to pick out some real person and use them as a model. I don’t know anybody who is the “real” Jack Delmas. But if I did, I’d like to hang out with him for a while. That would be a lot of fun.
Who is the most influential author in your writing?
There are a lot of authors who have had an influence on me, but the most influential (in the mystery field) is John D. McDonald (with James Lee Burke coming in a close second).
Photo by N. Jacobs
I know it takes special talent to write mystery novels; what led you to go into the mystery genre of writing?
I don’t know if it takes a special talent to write mysteries as compared to other genres. Maybe it does. But talent is the most overrated aspect of writing. (Good basketball coaches say height is the most overrated thing in basketball; talent serves that function in writing.) The number one indicator of success in writing is persistence. That and a desire to learn the craft of writing. But I’m getting sidetracked. I chose the mystery field because I read somewhere that out of all the fiction books published each year, the greatest number of titles published is in the romance genre. I couldn’t write a romance novel (I can’t even read one all the way through), so that was out. The second greatest number of titles published was in the mystery genre. In other words, I played the odds.
Are you currently working on any novels?
I am always working on a novel. Every day. I am going over the copy-edited manuscript of my third Jack Delmas novel today. (That’s the one they looked over at St. Martin’s Press and are ready to send to the printer.) I am 15,000 words into the fourth Jack Delmas novel. I’m doing research (mainly interviews) for a series of historical novels I plan to start in about two years, and I am working on a proposal for a political thriller set in Washington. I hope to get that to my agent within the next six months so he can start peddling it to the various publishing houses in New York. Hemingway said “Write something every day.” He knew what he was talking about.
Do you have any advice for any person wanting to become a writer?
I would tell someone who wants to write to begin writing immediately. Get the repetitions in, just as in sports. You can be taught the basics of writing, most of which can be boiled down to “Show, don’t tell,” and “Use the active voice.” There are many other such guidelines. (Oh, I forgot. Don’t use anything as a “tag line” except “he said/she said” or “he asked/she asked” unless absolutely necessary. Anything else almost always gets in the way of the dialogue.) But all these things can be found in any good book on writing or any good writing class. Once you learn these basics (and there aren’t all that many of them), you’ve got to start writing. There is no substitute. It’s just like sports. You can be show the proper stance in gold, the proper form to shoot a free throw, etc. But after that it’s up to you to practice it- to just doit- a few thousand times. Also, you’ve got to read a lot. I mean 20 novels a year at least! This is how you develop your “ear” for good writing (and, even more importantly, for bad writing). One other bit of advice…… NEVER give up! I’ve got seventy rejection letters in a box under my bed. I get them out and read them every once in a while when I need a few laughs. One of my heroes, James Lee Burke, got ninety nine on his first novel. I’m now reading Steven King’s book on writing (a really fine book), and he says he got so many that the nail he was sticking them on wouldn’t hold any more
This stuff’s not easy. But it is worth it all when total strangers walk up to you at the grocery store and tell you they like your book, or when you walk through the French Quarter and see your book displayed in the window of some store you’ve never even been to. It’s also a thrill and an honor to be asked to help with a term paper based on your writings.
Related Websites
Bibliography
- Article Archives-Mississippi Business Journal. Volume 21, Number 47. Online. Internet. 22 Nov. 1999- 28 Nov. 1999. Available http://www.msbusiness.com/archives/21v47n/Cover/11330.php
- Contentville. Online. Internet. 1999. Available http://www.contentville.com/product/product.asp?fcid={2CA24ED7-E55E-4D05-BFBF-22BEC0E4B3FC
- Editorial Reviews of A Green-Eyed Hurricane. Online. Internet. 2000. Available:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stor…549/sr=1-1/ref=sc_b_2/107-6066184-8895755 - Hegwood, Martin. Mail interview. 1 May 2001.
- Hegwood, Martin. Big Easy Backroad. New York: St. Martin’s Press. 1999.
- Madison County Journal on the Web. Online. Internet. 11 Apr. 1999. Available HTTP: http://www.onlinemadison.com/19991104/cantonwriter.html
- Plots With Guns Interview with Martin Hegwood. Online. Internet. 2000. Available HTTP: http://www2.netdoor.com/~ansmith/HEGWOOD.htm