Blog Tour: Provocateur by Charles D. Martin

Provocateur
Charles D. Martin

Release Date: August 14th, 2012
Publisher: Chaney-Hall Publishing

This novel is about a strong, audacious young woman and her encounters with powerful, alpha males. Provocateur explores that aspect of the human experience that surrounds the age-old contest between men and women. It is the story of Nadia, a young Russian woman who comes to America through a mail-order-bride program. She becomes employed in an enterprise operated by an ex-CIA agent named Olga, whose agency, through clever missions, extracts large amounts of money from wealthy men. In her "assignments" Nadia must get the best of alpha males that are at the top of the male order. Nadia, born an orphan, rises out of a life of poverty and despair,where she had no experience with affection, to face her struggles and take on the challenges of her "profession". She is a complex, enigmatic woman of superior intelligence who must "win" through her finesse and feminine prowess 

How did you go from working in investment to writing? Was the change difficult or did was it simple? 

I did not change my professional activity. Writing is an activity that I do for recreation. I enjoy it.

Do you have a daily routine when it comes to writing? If so, how do you go about it? 

I do not have a routine. I write when ideas bubble up, which is very frequently. It’s at that moment that I am excited about the idea and want to get it down on paper (or in the computer). I have sympathy for writers that must do it for their livelihood. I cannot imagine sitting down at 9AM and staring at a blank piece of paper and forcing myself to write something.

Your novel has a young Russian woman becoming entangled in the world of successful, but dangerous men. How did this idea come up?

I am fascinated by intelligent, audacious women and in my novel sought to line up an iconic woman against formidable men. It is an exaggerated case of the encounters that occur every day in our lives.

If you could describe your book in five words what would they be? 

Man-woman encounters; sexual tension

If your book would be made into a movie, who would you want Nadia played by? 

We are conducting an on-line contest on this subject right now. One can go to our website at www.provocateurbook.com and link to our Facebook page where you can play casting director and vote for the actress that you believe should play Nadia. Currently, Kiera Knightley is leading.

What do you consider the overall theme of your novel? 

The contest between men and women. Men want their way with women; women want their way with men. The book matches up a superior woman against the top of the male order.

Let's say you were allowed to change one thing about your book, what would it be and why? 

Good question. When the book goes to press, the ideas keep coming. But at some point, an author simply must “put it to bed”. In my case there continues to be a flow of ideas that would enrich the characters further. Perhaps we will see them in the coming sequels.

Are you currently working on any projects? If so, what can you say about them? 

The big thing now is the movie. Last week, David Ward, an Academy Award winning screenwriter finished the screenplay. So, we are beginning the effort to get it produced and financed.

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Charles Martin grew up in a small Ohio town. His parents were poor and, working two jobs, he was able to put himself through college. He has been fortunate to enjoy a lot of success in life. He had a distinguished career in Venture Capital and Private Equity founding two highly successful investment firms that he managed during the decades of the 1980s and 1990s. Currently he runs a hedge fund, Mont Pelerin Capital, LLC and serves on the investment committees of prominent universities. Mr. Martin has extensive background in finance, technology and has travelled in the exotic locations featured in the novel. However, the novel itself is more about the intrigue of the stories and the alpha female that takes on dominant males and conquers them.

Mr. Martin lives, with his wife Twyla, in a coastal town south of Los Angeles, California.

In August 2012, Martin releases his latest book, this time a novel. Provocateur explores the life of a young Russian woman who comes to America through a mail-order-bride program and ends up dangerously working for an ex-CIA agent who extracts large amounts of money from wealthy men.

Martin has lived in Southern California for the past 52 years with his wife, Twyla, who sponsors yearly the prestigious “Women in Focus” event at Chapman University’s Film School. This year the panel included Dreamworks CEO Stacey Snider, Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson and Thomas Crown Affair screenwriter Leslie Dixon as they discussed female empowerment – a major focus of Martin’s book.