Pump Up Your Book Chats with Michael Martel

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Michael Martel was barely eighteen when he walked into the Army recruiter’s office in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. He told him he wanted to see the world. He satisfied Michael’s wish and sent him to Berlin, Germany where he had a great time in the “Divided City.” There began his love of travel. All together he spent a total of thirteen years living in Germany, traveling around Europe, the Middle East and Africa. His Army career spanned just over twenty years. spending time as an infantryman, paratrooper and Green Beret.

After the Army he moved onto technology. He worked as a computer security expert keeping extremely sensitive information safe from hackers. He earned a Bachelors and Masters of Science in Information Technology and Business Management along the way.

Michael was recognized for his leadership, knowledge and ability to work with people. Very soon, he was moved into the executive ranks and led large business divisions.

Always on the lookout for a challenge, He discovered he had a gift for coaching. From the experiences, both in the military and in corporate world he has a lot to give back. His real world leadership experience combined with his technical education and skill give him an unique ability to work with other leaders to help them achieve success.

Throughout his life, he has done the hard stuff, experienced what works, and has the skills to get the job done, whatever it is.

Michael’s latest book is Get Er Done.

You can visit Michael Martel’s website at www.mikemartel.com. Connect with Michael at Facebook at www.facebook.com/michael.martel or Twitter at www.twitter.com/MichaelMartel.

PUYB: Thank you for this interview, Michael. Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

I always thought I had a book inside of me. I was working with a coach and she asked if I had ever thought about it. I said yes and we decided to go for it.

PUYB: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The hardest was just getting started. I spoke with a friend of mine that had already published a book and he suggested a good format that got me going.

PUYB: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I started writing blogs a little over two years ago. I found that I had a knack for taking my experiences and current events and using them as examples for showing people how to create results.

PUYB: Besides books, what else do you write? Do you write for publications?

I write several blogs. I do find that when I am on a writing project, concentrate primarily on that one. It is hard to write different projects at the same time.

PUYB: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Use a format for your book, e.g. my Get Er Done: The Green Beret Guide to Productivity uses a story, discussion, action plan format.

PUYB: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I have been married to my beautiful wife for 22 years. We live in Washington State south of Seattle. My son just graduated from college. At the moment, we have a old Bernese Mountain Dog and two crazy cats.

PUYB: Can you tell us a little about your childhood?

My father died early. I grew up as a single child with my mother who struggled to make ends meet. We lived in a trailer park for the early part of my life. My entry into the military and later Special Forces was way to escape.

PUYB: What do you do to get away from it all?

I have traveled all over the world and one of my favorite places is still my home. I love going out on my patio in the early morning and watching the sun peek up over the trees.

PUYB: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

The first place I promoted my book was on Facebook which got a surprising high amount of traffic.

PUYB: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

I would thank my wife for being a military wife and enduring the months of separation while I was off having adventure. I would also thank her for her unwavering support for everything I choose to do.

PUYB: Thank you so much for this interview,Michael. We wish you luck!

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"Oh, awesome!! Thank you so much! You ran such a lovely tour. Those images are great, I look forward to using them and will miss seeing the regular postings on Twitter ;-).
I really appreciate your steadfast and ongoing support. It means a lot!!"Palmer Pickering, MOON DEEDS

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Maria Andrade, DEFIANCE AND REDEMPTION

"Everyone did an excellent job. The blog pages were beautiful, and the trailer was so clever and funny. Thanks for sending these lovely "souvenirs" from my tour. I will be able to use all of these posts on Twitter. I enjoyed this so much and look forward to my next tour!"
Irene Woodbury, HONEYMOON ROULETTE

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Arabella Sheraton, THE LORD BLACKWOOD REGENCY ROMANCE SERIES

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Wendy Leighton-Porter, THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS

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M.B. Lewis, THE PILATE SCROLL

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Kathleen Shaputis, HIS KILT DROPPED HERE

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Joni Ankerson, TO KILL OR BE KILLED

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Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

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Laura Preble, ANNA INCOGNITO

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Lena Gregory, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

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Jennifer Chase, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

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Elysia Strife, A PROMISE IN ASH

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Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

"I think you did an excellent job last time, thank you!"
Shami Stovall, KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST

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Suzanne M. Hurley, THE TEDDY BEAR EYE CLUB

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Sharon House, BRIMSTONE AND WATER

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Christine Donovan, BLACKJACK

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Michael Allan Scott, GREY DAZE

"Just wanted to thank you for putting together a great tour for You Won't Remember This. I think the author was pleasantly surprised and overall very pleased."
Bacon Press Books

"Dorothy, thanks so much for another great VBT!!! The Twitter-Party was a new feature this time that I particularly enjoyed. I will continue to recommend PUYB to my writer-friends, because you are simply the best!!!"
T.M. Wallace, WINTERGARDEN

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I’m in the middle of my third book and will definitely call on you again when it’s time to market it."
Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

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Ashley Fontainne, GROWL

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Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Lee Papa, TEMPLE OF ALL KNOWING

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Madeline Wynn, DAUGHTER OF THE FALLEN

"Just wanted to say I'm appreciating your tweets so much. This is really helping my book sales, and I'm telling writer friends about you."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

"When it comes to looking for a virtual book tour coordinator, Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book Tours is simply the best. I have tried several virtual book tour coordinators and have even set up a book tour on my own, but none of them were as successful as my tours with Pump Up Your Book Tour, which has the combination of expertise and experience needed to get the author the results they need. On this latest tour, TWELVE TO MURDER made it up to number three on Amazon! Thank you, Dorothy!"
Lauren Carr, Best-Selling Mystery Author of Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime, Mysteries

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Monique Roy, ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES

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Kaylin McFarren, BURIED THREADS

"Thank you for a great virtual book tour. I thought it went really well and it was great to have a wave of PR that flowed through the two month period of my book release. I'm working on my next book - and will definitely reach out to you when it comes time to market! You were a delight to work with and really made me feel looked after. As I've mentioned before, I just don't know how you do it all."
--Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

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--Lila Munro, LOVE VINDICATED

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--Carol Nicolas, THE SIXTH POWER

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--Sandra D. Bricker, ALWAYS THE BAKER, FINALLY THE BRIDE

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--Jo Sparkes, THE BIRR ELIXIR

"I just wanted to let you know that tonight Steven Manchester's Twelve Months became The Story Plant's first #1 Kindle bestseller. This couldn't have happened without you. Barb's cover is an absolute showstopper, Sue's copyediting boosted the overall work, Jackie's proofreading kept all of us honest, and Tracee Gleichner's blog tour started what has become an avalanche of great reviews."
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-- Suzanne Jenkins, PAM OF BABYLON SERIES

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--Mary Ann Loesch, NEPHILIM

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach