“Belief in oneself comes when a connection is made, an understanding nurtured and bond formed and truly believing that anything is possible”
In my life, I have met and worked with some amazing and talented individuals. This article is my tribute to a very special artist who came into my life quite by chance. Her enthusiasm for my work, in her work, will stay with forever!
I first met Martine in the Imperial Hotel Youghal. We had agreed to meet for a coffee to discuss new book cover designs for my book.
I came across Martine quite by chance. Her name cropped in a conversation with the proprietor of Fantastic Flavours, Youghal. He showed her design for his annual loyal customer Christmas card. I remembering asking Micael if she had designed any book covers.
As I entering the bar area, the tantalising aroma of fried breakfast greeted me. Sat at one of the tall tables sat a little grey-haired smiling lady. We had never met. I had no idea what she looked like. Nervous, I had no idea why. We shook hands. She smiled and continued sketching with great determination. She already had a coffee.
After sorting out a cappuccino, I sat down opposite. She was still sketching. Martine stopped and showed me some ideas in an A4 plain notepad. Starters. She had filled half of the sketch pad with ideas. We had discussed my poor brief over the phone and to my surprise, she had a copy of Lemon Zest and had read it.
As I browsed through the sketches I realised that we had connected. A special writer and artist connection. Martine Finucane seemed to know what I was looking for, even if I didn’t at the point.
We agreed upon two designs for a new cover for Lemon Zest (Book 1) and my new unpublished book – Limoncello (Book 2).
Our next meeting was at her tiny little art studio next to College Gardens in Youghal. It was a nice tidy little workshop with many pieces on display. I was already in a flow of excitement at the thought of seeing my first book cover design from her.
I can still recall the shortness of my breath as she unveiled the two pieces of artwork. At that moment, I was more inspired than I had ever been about my writing. I was starting to enjoy the whole process of creating a new book.
If you are familiar with any of the works of Salvador Dalí, then you might some resemblance. The designs were perfect. I loved them so much that I insisted on having the originals. She did if reluctant agreed.
I sent my design off to York Publishing to create the actual book cover. My next dilemma was to choose a gloss or matt finish. When the sample book arrived, I knew I had made the right choice. The cover design and the stories wrapped inside were a perfect union of two artists. My passion for writing matched by that of Martine’s flare.
Former Walt Disney Illustrator
I knew very little about Martine. She did say that she had worked for Walt Disney. A google search took me to imdb.com where I found an entry for her work under the title of Filmography.
VISUAL EFFECTS
- 2003 – El Cid: The Legend (effect animator: Pigs in the Attic)
- 2001 – The Little Polar Bear (2D effects animator)
- 1996 – Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster and the Beanstalk (Video game effects animator)
- 1994 – A Troll in Central Park (special effects animator)
- 1994 – Thumbelina (special effects animator)
- 1991 – Rock-A-Doodle (special effects assistant animator)
- 1989 – All Dogs Go to Heaven
SPECIAL EFFECTS
- 1997 – Anastasia (special effects assistant animator)
ANIMATION DEPARTMENT
- 1988 Tha Land Before Time (apprentice ink artist)
Writing as a Hobby
I have been writing for many years. In fact, more than I care to remember. My fictional writing is more a hobby for me than a commercial venture. I enjoy thinking about the plots. The ideas for my stories come from various sources. My first boo; Lemon Zest (Book 1) was written in 30 days.
When I started I didn’t know what the first story was going to be about. That was the case for the next 30 days.
My book sales will not make me a rich man. I doubt that I have sold 500 copies of either book, to date, but I get a real buzz from all the positive feedback. My books have been sold in small numbers, but around the world.
My latest challenge was to write 30 short stories based on a single word, selected at Random (Rule 1). I tasked myself to create original stories based on the meaning of each individual word.
Martine loved the idea and got to work immediately on the boom cover for Lemon Meringue (Book 3). She not only came up with a design that followed the lemon theme but produced an idea for book 4.
I had mentioned in conversation that I wanted to compile a collection of local stories for a fourth book. The title of which to be “Rebel Lemon”.
Equal Force
Although my book sales fell short of my expectations, I continued to pursue my ultimate dream. To write a novel has been a childhood dream and I had made several attempts.
My passion for a good detective story inspired my latest idea, Equal Force. I am a huge fan of Morse, Poirot, and many others.
By the time I had met Martine, I had come up with a complex plot of stories to span 8 novels. During a coffee, with Martine, I discussed the idea with her and she offered to come with some ideas. It wasn’t her enthusiasm about this detective, the main character, being a woman.
Equal Force was to be a male detective in my original plan. It was after discussing the idea with a work colleague that I changed my mind. I was never afraid to take on a challenge. Writing from of women’s viewpoint would not be easy for me. Yet, it does provide me with great scope for learning as a writer.
Martine set to work on some ideas for the first novel from the eight. Equal Force: Chapter One – New Identity. She looked at it from all angles and came with all sorts of ideas of what Siobhan Foley might look like.
We had reached a stage we agreed that we had a preliminary cover design with a theme for the eight books. I liked the rose through the smashed pane of glass idea. By now, I was deep into the writing of the novel and we hadn’t talked for quite some time. Martine had sold her house and moved to Rosslare Harbour. We exchanged the occasional email.
THE SET BACK
As I got close to finishing the first draft of Equal Force, I was thinking that I need to contact Martine. I was ready for the book cover and I planned to send her a copy of the first draft. She had wanted to read it or at least the first few chapters before finishing her design.
On 15th May 2019, I received an email from Martine’s daughter, Remee, to inform of the death of her mother. She had died in April. Remee was reaching out to all those people that knew or worked with her.
It was a huge blow. My enthusiasm to complete Equal Force crashed.
It was a huge personal loss to her family and for me, I had lost someone who knew a side of me that many others couldn’t. I had lost and friend, a fellow artist, and the inspiration that came from her artwork. My creativity went on holiday.
Her death left me with several dilemmas. After much deliberation, I had decided to publish ePub versions on Amazon. I had reached the point where I needed to upload the images for the book covers. It was then I realised that the resolution of the images was insufficient for the covers.
I wanted to keep her work alive and wanted to find a way to incorporate her artwork in the online book cover design. It took days and to be honest, the result fell way short of my expectations. I owed it to Martine to share this rich union of writer and artist. Yet, as I look at the covers, now, I don’t see that I even came close.
This also meant that I will also have problems with the resolutions for the next paperbacks. That is, Lemon Meringue and Rebel Lemon.
So, not beaten, Martine did prepare a special cover for sampler book for Lemon Zest and Limoncello. She combined the two book cover designs. I never used it. So, my tribute to Martine, I plan to publish a PDF version (only). This will be a selection of my favourite stories and some behind the scenes notes.
Well, as if, Martine was still here.
Dear Martine,
Thank you for all the inspiration and support you provided me. We had a unique connection that many might not understand or appreciate. I miss your insights and ideas. They say a picture paints a thousand words. Your sketches sent me on a journey. Now, I must continue my journey with only a memory to hold on to. Your artwork will still help provide me with inspiration for my forthcoming books.
Life is never permanent. Change is inevitable.
Rest in peace.
Perry Simpson
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