We chat with Jay Martel, which is the pen name of husband and wife writing team Andy Bennett and Katy Helbacka, about their latest book Codebreaker. This original, interactive thriller follows a brilliant teenage girl as she races across D.C. to decode the clues her father left behind, which may just be the key to saving the country from a devastating tragedy.
Hi there! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves?
Andy: I’m the “Jay” in Jay Martel, which is my middle name. I have an MFA in Creative Writing from NYU, and the crippling student loan debt that goes with it. I spend around 10-12 hours a day staring at a screen and typing, with the bulK of that spent in cybersecurity. But, before you ask me to help you recover your stolen identity, I work in cybersecurity marketing. The other hours I spend in the dark writing novels. It’s bleak and cold a lot here in Minnesota, so writing is kinda the perfect hobby. I also co-founded an escape room company, so codes and ciphers are kinda my bag.
Katy: I’m the “Martel” in Jay Martel, for the same reason as Andy. I’m a self-proclaimed cool mom living in northern Minnesota, which means I own several flannels, can carry kayak on my back, and wear shorts when it hits fifty degrees. I love spending time outside with my husband, our son, Theo, and our two dogs, Taika and Boo. I also love to read (shocker) and write (double-shocker). I spent a decade as the artistic director for a regional theatre company, have years of experience teaching kids in both the arts and nature-based play, and, when I can stay up late enough, I love performing improv comedy. But I can rarely stay up late enough anymore.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Andy: I think I can tRace my love for stories back to two books: It by Stephen King and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I read both multiple times as a kid, and my early attempts at writing were basically me copying the style of these books and these writers. I got into acting because I thought I’d never be able to figure out grammar enough to actually be a writer. And then went back to writing because it’s so much more fun to create the whole world in your head than to play a small part in it. Also, plays rehearse a lot and I like to be at home in sweatpants.
Katy: I grew up loving to tell stories. As a little kid, I would make my parents watch the plays I wrote with my siblings, cousins, and the neighborhood kids, which were basically a half-hour of us dancing around to a Disney soundtrack. I’ve always been drawn to theatre and music, and that only grew stronger as I got older. It’s actually how I met my husband, Andy. We started collaborating on comedy sketches while in college, and that naturally progressed to working on plays and musicals at the theatre, and then, finally, to books. My favorite way to spend a day is with a pot of coffee and a pair of laptops as we work together to break a story.
Your latest novel, Codebreaker, is out July 22nd! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Andy: Thriling. FunnY. Twisty. Empowering. Interactive.
Katy: Fun. Page-turner. Edutainment. Surprising. Not-as-spicy-as-I-wanted-but-they-are-kids-so-fine.
What can readers expect?
Andy: It’s an interactive book, in that there’s a way to read the novel that lets the reader solve codes before the characters do. But it doesn’t have to be read that way. We leave the choice uP to the reader. The codes are challenging but not break-your-brain challenging, in the hopes that it adds to the story, not takes readers out of it. They should also expect a story that reminds readers you don’t need magic or superpowers to be a hero. All you need to change the world is your brain and a book.
Katy: They should expect to learn some interesting stuff about cryptography and the history of the country, while also having a blast. The codes and ciphers are essential pieces of the plot, are tied directly to the lives of the main characters, and hopefully lead up to a twist that readers will never see coming.
Where did the inspiration for Codebreaker come from?
Andy: When I was a kid, something happened in the flowerbed outside my house. I can’t geT into it here without spoilers, but the event stuck with me and, years later, after I told the story to some new friends, Katy said “that would be a pretty wild way to start a novel.” She was right. And that was the first seed of an idea that would eventually become Codebreaker.
Katy: But the full story of Codebreaker took another few years to fully form. We were working together on a production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Assassins. I was directing. Andy had
been cast as John Wilkes Booth and, in our research for the role and the show, we took a
trip to DC to visit Ford’s Theatre. We became fascinated with the history of Lincoln and Booth, and realized we could marry that history to that flowerbed moment and tell something that was personal and emotional while also being very of-the-moment.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Andy: For me, researching the cryptography and the pieces of hidden American histOry, writing the codes and ciphers used in the book, and making them work for the story and the characters was so hard, but so much fun. I’m really proud of the way it all came together. Oh, and my answers in this interview actually include a secret message. If you can find the seven letters in my answers, they spell out a password you can use on jaymartelbooks.com/codebreaker-challenge to enter to win a really cool prize.
Katy: LOGAN. He’s so much fun to write. I wish I could hang out with him. I also really loved taking Mia on the journey she goes on through the book. She’s brave and smart and it was so much fun to have her grow and develop.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Andy: The way we write may sound Strange, but it works for us. We break the story and outline the major beats together. Then we take turns writing and revising chapters. But that doesn’t mean we’re both focused on the same things equally. Katy focuses on characters and relationships, and I focus on plot, history, and cryptography. Writing like this makes it almost impossible to have writer’s block. Whenever you’re stumped or frustrated, the other one comes in and kicks things back into gear.
Katy: It’s a challenge to write a book with a partner. Especially when you want to stay married to that partner after the book is done. Thankfully, because we’ve been working together for *mumble* years, we had a pretty easy time writing, and there were very few arguments. There were, however, lots of cups of coffee and plenty of compromises.
What’s next for you both?
Andy: I’m working on an adult thriller, with Katy serving as my first reader, best editor, and most reliable voice of constructive criticism. But it’s been difficult to find the time to work on that lately for two major reasons: it’s summer and I’m working hard to get all the swimming and sunburns in that I can, and it’s so much more fun to work on projects with Katy than without.
Katy: Which means we’re pretty close to finished with the outline for the next Jay Martel book. Maybe it’s something brand-new. Maybe it’s something that continues the story of Codebreaker. Maybe it’s something super spicy (it’s not, but boy do I wish). Readers will just have to wait and see!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
Andy: In YA, this year I really enjoyed Sunrise on the Reaping, but who didn’t? It kicked me back a decade to when I was devouring the orginal Hunger Games trilogy, which was some of the most fun I’ve had reading. I also had a blast with Kayvion Lewis’ Thieves’ Gambit. But I’m also reading a ton of adult fiction for a thriller I’m working on solo, and have been blown away by S.A. Cosby, who I just discovered. King of Ashes is the latest, but they’re all fantastic reads, with All The Sinners Bleed being my favorite.
Katy: I love reading all genres, but I’m definitely on a romantasy kick right now. The series I’ve had the most fun with this year is the Zodiac Academy and its prequel series, Dark Fae, all by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. I’m about to start the Guild series, which I’ve been looking forward to for a bit, now.
