MY OTHER LIFE - A Novel Approach

Both as a compliance support manager and as an author, Denice Martin understands the power of the written message

DENICE MARTIN has a way with words.

In her role as a compliance support manager at Connective – her ‘day job’ – being able to communicate clearly and accurately is essential.

At night, Ms Martin, now already a published author, puts on her writing hat. At that moment, being able to communicate her thoughts and creativity becomes even more important.

She began writing at the age of six, and Ms Martin’s devotion to her craft has clearly paid off. Earlier this year, she became a published co author.

The release of her first solo title should not be far off either, with Ms Martin currently in negotiations for a book to be based on a friend’s remarkable life story.

“I am currently in the process of negotiating with a publisher my first adult title, A Kink in my Armour, which is a biography that tracks the huge events which have taken place in a friend’s life,” she explains.

“The chance to write this story came about when my friend asked me to put into words the life changing experiences she had undergone for other people to read, such as being involved in the Granville train crash when she was 15 and having to spend eight and a half hours under a mountain of road, rock and steel until help arrived.

“It is such a remarkable story and I have high hopes that this book will be turned into a movie as well,” she says.

To devote herself full time to writing A Kink in my Armour, she decided to take some time off work.

Prior to this she had spent 13 years working for a major lender. It was only after her 12 months out of the lending industry that she joined Connective.

Strangely enough, having to juggle both work and writing at the same time hasn’t proven to be a challenge to Ms Martin. Instead, she uses writing as a way to let off steam after a hard day’s work.

“I usually write at night and use it as a release,” she says. “Writing never feels like a chore to me because I love it and I am passionate about it; I just put my fingers to the typewriter and away I go.”

Much of what fuels Ms Martin’s passion is the desire to create a piece of work that will generate excitement and interest among those who read it.

“My son was interested in fantasy novels as a child and he would get very excited every time he picked up one of these books,” she says.

“I look back at how excited he would get and this is the reaction I try to recreate when I write. I want to generate excitement in a reader.”

But Ms Martin doesn’t leave her writer’s hat at home when she sets out for the Connective office; rather, she applies her skills as an author to all facets of her compliance support manager role.

“I use my writing skills to enhance my work,” she says. “Having a writing background means I put a fair bit more thought into the records we prepare.

“Whether it’s a detailed document or the simple task of sending an email, I am always thinking about the message my words are conveying.”

While Ms Martin needs to be straightforward with her communications at work, her books, on the other hand, use fiction and fantasy as vehicles to create meaning.

“A majority of my children’s stories are fantasy with real life situations built into them; the books are like a learning activity whilst still being fun to pick up,” she says.

“Novels are much the same: the story may be fiction but messages can still be drawn out to be used in real life – themes such as self-esteem and self-empowerment.”

Ms Martin has high aspirations for her career in the lending industry. “Connective is a very important part of my life and I aim to grow within my role and with the company as it goes from strength to strength,” she says.

But while for the time being she is happy to read biographies penned by the famous, she hopes that one day it will be her autobiography that people are reading.