Martha Jane Hovater is both the birthname and pen name for the author of Horn of Plenty. She’s been a writer and avid reader since childhood but only recently gave her writing the attention needed to complete her first novel. Having done that, she has finally figured out how to juggle “real life” demands and her desire to write and is excited to see where her writing may take her.
Martha lives in Maryland with her partner of 33 years (Barbara), one of their daughters (JoAnn), a canine furbaby (Zack), and a canine granddog (Ninja).
Horn of Plenty is her first published novel.
You can find Martha Jane Hovater at www.marthajanehovater.com and on Facebook!
How does Mac Hollingsworth, a French Horn player in the Navy Band, become involved in a plot to deploy a bioweapon? Where did it come from? What is the intended target? And what can she possibly do to prevent its deployment?
Mac discovers something unusual one day while cleaning her horn and is suddenly “reassigned.” A woman she doesn’t know is killed while driving Mac’s car. Someone keeps trying to kill her. And she finds herself working with people who are not who they seem.
Available on March 17, 2024!
Want to know how it all began? You can download the free story – Legacies – below!
When did you realize you wanted to be an author? I started writing stories when I was in the 5th grade. I’m not sure what prompted the urge to write. I’ve always loved to read, though, so maybe reading planted the seeds. I just remember that one day walking home from school, an idea popped into my head, and when I got home I went into my bedroom and started writing it down. It was about a special friend – a purple dragon with pink polka dots.
Do you have a set writing schedule? I do now, thanks to an accountability pact with my writing buddy who happens to be one of my sons.
Where do your story ideas come from? The short answer is: I have no idea. The longer answer is: They just seem to emerge on their own. I notice things or people in every day life (even sitting at a red light, for example) and I find my mind creating a story about them. I’ve rarely written these down, but they’re always there.
What else do you enjoy besides writing? I’m a reader. I’ve always loved reading. It may sound like a cliché, but when I was a child, I would read under my covers with a flashlight when I was supposed to be asleep. Reading is magical in many ways, but I also get a lot of pleasure from the way particular authors use language.
It’s not a coincidence that the main character in my first novel is a professional French Horn player. For a significant part of my life, I was a French Horn player, and in my younger days I had dreams of playing professionally. I no longer play, but I’m still very much a “horn person.”
Do you have a favorite book/story that you’ve written? I’ve written several (unpublished) short stories that I like a lot, but finishing my first novel was a new and wonderful experience. There may be others I write that I will like better, but for now my favorite is Horn of Plenty.
If you weren’t an author, what other career would you want? I’ve been fortunate to have another career in addition to being an author. I’ve been a psychotherapist for more than 25 years (“my day job”). It’s a career I care about deeply. I’m grateful to have seen healing and change happen in the lives of many people.
What comes first: plot or character? That’s a hard one! I suppose character comes first. The character “emerges” in my mind – not as a superhero (although I once wrote a comic strip about one!) but as an “everyman/everywoman” and then a plot also “emerges” in my mind, a plot in which they find themselves in a challenging or dangerous situation. Saying that both the character and the plot “emerge” may sound weird or mystical, but that’s the way I experience the process.
How do you feel when you finish a story? Finishing short stories, songs, or poetry was always satisfying, but the feeling I had when I finished my first novel was much more powerful. “Satisfying” doesn’t begin to describe it. The only other time I remember feeling that kind of deep sense of accomplishment was when I completed my PhD.
How much worldbuilding do you do? I don’t really do any. I rely on real, familiar places in much the same way as I rely on everyday people as characters.
Do you write with music or background noise? I’ve done both in the past. However, Horn of Plenty was written with only the sounds of my family (both human and canine) in the next room.
Do you have a favorite genre for reading and writing? Absolutely! I love reading suspense/thrillers and that’s what I have come to enjoy writing the most. I love creating cliffhangers!
Where can your readers find you online? They can find me on my website marthajanehovater.com and also on my Facebook page by the same name.
What do you have in the works now? I’m working on a short prequel to Horn of Plenty, which will be available free on my website. I’ve also started planning a sequel to Horn of Plenty, which my publisher has told me he expects by the end of the year!
EXCERPT:
It wasn’t the proverbial ‘dark and stormy night.’ If it had been, it might have been easier to understand why the car Ann Headley was driving was damaged beyond recognition. Ann did not survive, so any explanation of what happened was lost with her, at least until an investigation was complete.
The common, often well-intended expression “everything happens for a reason,” is usually a platitude uttered as a suggestion of some divine or existential purpose, but it is often true on a more earthly, human level. That was the case with Ann’s death. Ann died because she was driving Mac Hollingsworth’s car and because (at least in the fading light) she bore a slight resemblance to her — someone she didn’t even know.
MacKenzie Hollingsworth was just getting out of the shower when her phone rang. She answered it with her right hand as she continued to towel off her hair with her left. She didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Hello,” a deep male voice responded, “I’m trying to reach MacKenzie Hollingsworth.”
“Well, you found her. And this is?”
“Maryland State Police, ma’am. I’m afraid there’s been an accident.”
“What kind of accident?” Mac asked as she stopped drying her hair and thoughts of her sister ran through her mind.
“It would probably be better if you came down to the station, ma’am,” the officer responded, “Ask for Captain Vick when you arrive.”
“Mac was polite, but firm, “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what this is about. Is this about my sister? Did McKenna have an accident?”
Captain Vick hesitated a moment, then said, “It’s about Ann Headley, ma’am.”
“Who’s Ann Headley?” Mac asked as concern gave way to confusion.
“You don’t know an Ann Headley?” Officer Vick asked.
“No, I don’t, so I don’t understand . . .”
“Ann Headley was killed in an automobile accident last night.”
Mac remained confused. “I’m sorry to hear that, Captain, but I don’t understand why you’re calling me.”
“I’m calling you, ma’am, because the car Ms. Headley was driving was registered in your name.”
Mac sat down on the end of the bed, stunned, but then she began grabbing clothes. “I’m on my way,” she said, and hung up. She used her speed dial for her next conversation. When her sister, McKenna, answered, she asked, “Who is Ann Headley, Kenna — and why the hell was she driving my car?”
“How did you . . .” McKenna began.
“Maryland State Police just called me, Kenna. They said she was killed in an accident last night — in my car.”
“Oh my God,” McKenna gasped, then took a moment to catch her breath. “Oh my God,” she said again.
“Kenna?” Mac began.
McKenna choked back her tears, “Annie was a friend of mine, Mac. I . . .” she hesitated, “I let her borrow your car yesterday.” McKenna could tell that her sister’s lack of response signaled annoyance. “It’s a long story, Mac. I’m sorry. But right now I’m more sorry about Annie.”
“Okay,” Mac said, aware of McKenna’s shock and grief, “We’ll talk later. Right now, I’m going to the police station.” Mac started to say goodbye, but then added, “You know, Kenna, you should probably come with me. How about I pick you up in a half hour?”
“Yeah, okay,” McKenna managed.
Mac threw on the rest of her clothes and hurried out the door of her apartment. She climbed into her rental car and began the drive to her sister’s home. She was annoyed that McKenna had loaned out her car without her permission. Then again, she had been nice enough to keep it at her home while Mac had been away – but that was all over now, sort of. As of noon the day before, after 15 years, she was no longer Principal French Horn in the United States Navy Concert Band. Well, maybe she was and maybe she wasn’t. It was a strange situation and an even stranger feeling.
Mac pulled into the familiar driveway and saw her sister waiting for her on the front porch. As McKenna saw Mac pull in, she walked to the car and got in. “Hi, Mac,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t . . .” her voice broke and tears threatened again.
Mac sighed, “Look, Kenna,” she began, “I’m not happy about the situation, but what’s done is done, and now we’ve got to deal with the fact that your friend is gone.”
McKenna nodded, “Yeah, I know. I just never imagined something like this would happen, but then no one ever does, I guess. That’s why they’re called accidents, right?” “Sure, Kenna,” Mac replied as she backed out of the driveway, “but I’m still sorry about your friend.”
