Francisco Martins was born in Santarém, Portugal. He wrote and directed his first play when he was twelve, and got curious about the effect it produced on people. Bearing that in mind, he began experimenting with essays and short stories that he only showed to a small group of friends. When he was fourteen, he started conjecturing about the underpinnings of human nature, and wrote a series of stories about significant historical events. It was only after spending a month in New York City that he started writing in English. The Salmon under the Soulberry Tree is his debut novella.