Mary E Martin began her career as an estates lawyer in 1973. Her
first office was “very much like the creaky old lawfirm” that
her protagonist, lawyer Harry Jenkins, practices from in her popular
crime fiction series, The Osgoode Trilogy.
Her legal experience gave her the chance to see the world through
her clients eyes – a golden opportunity for someone with a
writer’s mind. “I sometimes think that I practiced law
so that I would have something to write about,” reflects Martin. “I
think that a lot of life experience is needed to write with any
depth. I was most fortunate that, in addition to personal experience,
I got a great deal of second hand experience through my clients.
For example I, myself, have never personally experienced divorce,
but I have worked through the ins and outs of plenty of divorce
actions and know the pain people go through.
After leaving her law practice in 1999, Martin became a full time
Torontonian writer with “the perspective of a true insider
who conveys a compelling sense of the city and its legal milieu.” Her
books are informed by her many interests, including philosophy,
art, and Jungian psychology.
When not writing or practicing photography, Martin enjoys time
with her three children and indulges her enthusiasm for good books.
|
