About
Wilkie J. Martin

Wilkie J. Martin lives in the United Kingdom, in England, in the Cotswolds.

He was born in Nottingham, the fabled home of Robin Hood but isn’t related to him even though he liked to think he was when he was growing up. He still has his bow and arrows.

He went to school in Sutton Coldfield which is close to Birmingham in the middle of England. He went to Bishops Vesey’s Boys School where he enjoyed being taught science, English and Latin. He played rugby while he was there.

He studied at Leeds University where he got a degree in Animal Physiology and Nutrition and attended lots of music gigs. Before going to work in Cheltenham and never using his degree qualification again.

He began writing while he was at school and later wrote the occasional short story and attempted an epic fantasy story before he took up writing more seriously and began to publish his unhuman series of cozy mystery/fantasy fiction books for grown-ups as Wilkie Martin in 2013.

He has just started writing some children’s stories, including modern dark and scary Brothers Grimm children’s fables and animal stories, as Wilkie J. Martin. They have been beutifully illustrated and are available in dyslexia a friendly print. He hopes you enjoy them.

Wilkie is published by The Witcherley Book Company.

About us

Q&A

Where do you go to write?

I have a small, scruffy office upstairs. It has a large poster of the text of The Wind in the Willows, a small silhouette of Sherlock Holmes and a Rupert the Bear stuffed toy (a present from my sister). I also have a stuffed toy shark – the one from Finding Nemo (a present from my old office when I left to start writing).

Wilkie's writing desk

Read Wilkie’s Blog Post on Why he Wrote a Fairy Story

All in the Same Boat – Why I Wrote a Fairy Tale
How long have you been writing?

I always enjoyed creative writing at school, but did very little afterwards, until I started occasional scribblings in 1987. After that scuba diving took up too much of my time for a long time, but I have been writing seriously (sort of!) for 15 years.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Ideas can come from anywhere so I am always on the lookout – writers often say that everything is material. I get many of mine ideas from current events and trends and from real life, though I change and exaggerate things for effect.

Do you have any hobbies?

Bird watching and guitar playing. I used to spend far too much time scuba diving, though it was tremendous fun.

What is your favourite TV programme?

Recently it’s been Vikings. In the past, Fawlty Towers.

What type of music do you like?

I like a broad range of music including Rock, Folk, Soul, Classical, Blues, Reggae.

Do you have any children?

No. I do have nieces and nephews and a great-niece and great-nephews.

What’s your favourite place?

The Maldives – beautiful, great food and superb scuba diving.

Do you have any pets?

Not at the moment, though I like animals and might get a cat or dog. In the past I have had many different pets: cats, dogs, mice, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pig, budgerigar, terrapin, stick insects, goldfish and other fish. I also kept a baby frog nursery for a while.

What is your favourite animal?

Most of them. I particularly love birds, and find sharks and rays fascinating,

What is your favourite story about animals?

Possibly The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.

What is your favourite book?

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame – it always cheers me up.

Who is your favourite author?

That’s a difficult one; there have been many authors whose novels I’ve enjoyed. Picking one, I’d say Terry Pratchett.

Where do you live?

In Cirencester, a small market town in the Cotswolds, a range of rolling hills in the southern central part of England.

Did you like school?

Some of it. The best part was having great friends there.

What was your favourite subject at school?

Biology.

Who was your favourite teacher?

I’m not sure I had one.

What were your favourite books as a child?

Anything – I was a voracious reader.

What is the first thing you remember writing?

A story about a hamster in space when I was about eight,

What other jobs have you done?

Warehouseman, civil servant.

Question marks with raised hands

If you’d like to know the answer to another question enter it on the contact form for Wilkie to answer – although, depending upon the question (and the answer!), it may not be added to the website.

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Wilkie is on social media. He is most active on facebook.

Meet the teachers

Unboxing Videos

Opening the proofs of
All In The Same Boat
Opening the proofs of
The Lazy Rabbit

‘Such a lovely read with a wonderfully unique storyline.’

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