#2025AuthorFeature
For GM Katz, storytelling is a natural extension of a life filled with adventure, discipline, and imagination. A retired U.S. Air Force veteran, Graciela Martinez-Katz spent 20 years serving her country, traveling the globe, and gaining a unique perspective on life and human connection. These experiences sparked a creative fire within her, inspiring her to craft stories that explore what our world might look like if magic and myth were woven into its fabric.
Now, as a romantasy author, GM Katz channels her passion for storytelling into creating enchanting worlds where romance and fantasy collide. When she isn’t writing, she and her husband enjoy traveling, sipping wine, and exploring the great outdoors with their dog, Simon. In this piece, we uncover how GM Katz’s military career shaped her creative journey and how she transforms her vivid imagination into captivating tales that invite readers to dream beyond the ordinary.
New Release Coming January 16th, 2025:
Set during the Prohibition Era, this book brings with it magical elements from the Greco-Roman myths. A water nymph, the God who risked it all to save her, and the evils that threaten their happiness. A love story you won’t want to miss!
My Fun Interview with GM Katz:
If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be, and what would you do together?
I think I’d love to spend it with my characters from new book. They hail from the Greco-Roman world of mythology but are living the life in the Roaring Twenties of the human world. Call me crazy but I’d love to see what it was like in the OG speakeasies of that era. Listening to some jazz, dancing the night away, and enjoying a glass or two of the best bath tub gin available.
What’s the strangest or most surprising thing you’ve had to research for a book?
That award would probably go the question in my search history that consists of “How did rumrunners escape the law during the Prohibition?” Discovered that humans can be quite creative when painted into a corner. Tell us we can’t drink alcohol and boy did we find a way to get around that stupid law.
Do you have any quirky writing habits or rituals that help you get into the creative zone?
I wouldn’t say quirky, but I do need to have all of my things in their place. My laptop at a slight angle to my left, my notepad at a slight angle to my right, along with a stack of sticky notes nearby and at the ready for those random thoughts that I put up on my story board that I may have to use later. And mustn’t forget the glass of wine just within reach. It’s was fuels my brain and an absolute necessity.
If your latest book were made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?
I could see Sam Heughan (he plays Jamie Frasier in the Outlander series) as my main male character Mercurio (a drop dead gorgeous God who sacrifices everything for the woman he loves). As for the main female character, I could envision Sophie Turner (actress from GoT) playing the role of Lara the headstrong and selfless water nymph. With her blue soulful eyes the color of her crystalline lake, she would be perfect.
What’s the most unexpected place or situation where inspiration for a story has struck you?
While in the shower, always in the shower. Not sure why, but seems that’s where most of my ideas pop into my head, which is why I am in desperate need for a water proof note pad and pen.
Which book (not your own) has had the most profound impact on your life or career, and why?
I’d have to say it would be the book Malice by Danielle Steel. This was one of the first books I read that really got me hooked into reading and thus changed my life. This story had so much emotion that it helped me appreciate the art of writing. As a military veteran, reading was my escape into someone else’s life, someone else’s struggles, and someone else’s triumphs. And these all fueled me as a person, and eventually as a writer myself.
Do you hide any Easter eggs in your books that only your most devoted readers might catch?
Absolutely! I am a total panster style writer so half the time, I don’t even realize I’ve put one in there until the scene is written out. My muse takes control and next thing you know I am rereading it and chuckling to myself at the little hint hidden in there.
If you could co-author a book with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what genre would you write?
I’m getting super into the M/M romances and I would love to co-author a book with any of the amazing writers of this genre. As a huge LGBTQ+ supporter, I truly enjoy reading these books that describe a world where love is love and the public is accepting of it. We need more of that and I would love to give it a go of creating a story that brings that in to light. Just to name a few are Courtney Dixon, Eden Finley, Andi Jaxon, and Lauren Blakely. Oh, and Michael Robert, Matthew Dante, and Gary Michael. I would also love to give a good dark romance a try with some great authors of this genre such as Shae Coon, HD Carlton, and Nordika Night. See! I can’t just pick one! Too many greats out there.
What’s one piece of writing advice you received that changed how you approach your craft?
I’d read Stephen King’s On Writing and his advice of “to be a good writer, one must be a good reader” is something I have taken to heart. I have always been an avid reader but since becoming a writer, it carries so much more weight. Reading is not only a perfect escape from reality, but it is also my zen. With that zen, I find my brain gets reenergized and geared up to write my own story.
If you weren’t an author, what other creative pursuit do you think you’d explore?
Painting. It’s one of my go to hobbies that I enjoy when in need of a break from writing or in between book projects. I’m no Picasso, not even close, but I enjoy it all the same.
Thank you for taking the time out with me! I enjoyed getting a look inside your books, writing world, and life behind how you became an author!
Connect with GM Katz Here:
