An Interview with A. Lee Martinez

Divine Misfortune celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. How would you describe Luka, the raccoon god of prosperity, to our readers unfamiliar with this deity?

Luka is a god of luck and good fortune. He’s not a real god, although “real” is a weird word. He’s one I made up.

As a minor god in a world full of gods, he’s not a big deal. However, because he has a lot of good luck, he’s very happy-go-lucky. He doesn’t have a lot of problems he can’t walk away from, so he’s a bit irresponsible as well. Him learning to be more responsible is basically the arc of the book.

Part of the fun of Divine Misfortune is the main characters realizing there is no free ride to success. How is this represented in their selection of Luka?

Gods in Divine Misfortune are conduits. Humans offer them worship in exchange for favor. Worship in the novel isn’t defined by believing in the gods. This is a world where the gods definitively exist, so it’s less about believing in their power and more about doing things in their name. Like burning money and making sacrifices or even something as odd as wearing your shoes backward can count. The exact rate of exchange varies based on the god, but for the most part, if you’re looking for help from a major god, you’d have to do a lot more work to get the reward.

Luka, a.k.a. Lucky, is more relaxed. He’s a minor god who gives a blessing of good fortune. Not enough to solve all your problems, but enough to be helpful. So, he’s pretty easy to placate. Except when he decides to move in with you, as he does with the human characters of the story.

For the past twenty years, you’ve written comedic genre fiction books. How receptive was the publishing industry to your pitches two decades ago? 

I’ve never considered myself a comedic writer. I do have a lot of humor in most of my books, but I’ve never pitched them as “funny.” If you see “funny” or “comic” on a book cover, it was the publisher who decided to put that on there, not me. Humor tends to be part of my particular voice, and since voice is everything in writing as far as I’m concerned, I don’t mind the label. I just don’t use it myself.

Honestly, getting published is hard. I’m not sure it’s noticeably harder if you’re trying to pitch comedy and genre. Plenty of successful writers manage it. Many far more successful than me. Writing is hard. Getting published is hard. Getting noticed after you get published is hard. It’s all hard. Humor in one’s writing doesn’t seem to make it harder or easier, sad to say.

Also, luck is tremendously important. Not mentioned enough, but since we’ve talked about a god of good fortune, it’s probably worth mentioning.

Your writing credits include stand-alone titles and the Constance Verity series. Which of your stand-alone titles would you like to revisit with further adventures?

I’ve gotten this question a lot. I don’t know. Most of the standalones have something interesting worth revisiting. If pressed, I’d say The Automatic Detective, because I love the setting so much. Then maybe Divine Misfortune. I did have a sequel story in mind for Misfortune, but that was a while ago. I tend to find new ideas refreshing rather than pursuing ones I’ve explored, even if those old ideas have plenty of juice left.

Of course, if a publisher came to me with a big check for a sequel to something, it’d be a different story. So far, that hasn’t happened.

What can you tell our readers about your time with DFW Writers’ Workshop and the advantages for emerging writers to attend a workshop? 

The DFWWW is an amazing place. I’ve been going for thirty-ish years now. I happened to stumble upon it purely by accident. This was back before the internet, so I found a random flyer in a supermarket on the other side of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the DFWWW is why you’re interviewing me at all. It gave me the strength and encouragement to keep going during the hard times. Still does. It also—in a roundabout way—got me my wife, so that’s pretty cool, too.

A good workshop can make a tremendous difference. Not only did DFWWW give me great feedback and help me develop my skills, but it also helped me overcome my crippling shyness and prepared me for what to expect when I finally did achieve publication. I note the shyness because nobody who knows me now would call me shy, and that’s thanks to DFWWW. As a writer, getting used to talking about your writing, to treating it as something that isn’t weird to do, is tremendously helpful.

Every workshop is different, of course. Some are great for helping you keep going. Some can help you with your skills. And some are good social groups. DFWWW is all of those. I’ve seen so many new writers come through, including myself, and I can say that while you don’t need a workshop to succeed, a good one does make it a lot easier.

Where can our readers find you online and what project do you have coming out soon?

I have my website, www.aleemartinez.com, which I sporadically update with essays and short stories. I’m working on being more diligent about that. I’m also on Bluesky. I should have a Tiktok, Instagram, etc., but I don’t. My bad. People can also reach me at my email hipstercthulhu@hotmail.com. Always happy to hear from fans or from those with questions about the writing game, though my experience is not the default experience and a lot of it is outdated.

No current projects due, though I do have a new novel out in the world looking for a publisher. Fingers crossed I’ll have something interesting to announce sooner than later.