Bookmark Interview: Sheree Zielke: Martha's Vine

Not many budding writers likely would have the audacity to seek a meeting with the head of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang as part of their research, or shove a copy of their first novel into the hands of legendary film-maker James Cameron with an invitation to make a block-buster film in Alberta.  But that’s exactly what Edmonton writer Sheree Zielke has done in the past year in pursuit of her calling.

Zielke is author of Martha’s Vine, a violent and occasionally steamy novel that features a war between motorcycle gangs and survivalists in post-apocalyptic Alberta. The 55-year-old Zielke, a photographer, teacher and born-again Christian, has come late to the role of novel writer and she’s not letting anything stand in the way of fulfilling this particular dream. She published the book herself, using print-on-demand technology to keep printing costs down. She’s marketing the book herself, from selling the book on Amazon.com to setting up a Facebook page and a website, to knocking on bookseller’s doors to get the book on shelves.

I caught up with Sheree Zielke at the Chapter’s store in West Edmonton Mall on a Saturday morning in February, where she was busy signing copies of Martha’s Vine. You can listen to our conversation by clicking on the Title of this Blog Entry.