Meet Martha

Isn’t it just like God that I found Him through a book and now He has me writing them?

Books have always shaped my life, the most important one being the Bible. When I discovered it as the Word of God, it was an “Aha!” event. At last, a bottom line of how to live. No more situational ethics for me.

I wasn’t born with a passion to write, so it was odd when I discovered an old high school term paper saying I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. How did I get started? Back surgery for a ruptured disc in 1982.  After my operation, a friend sent a Christmas card and wrote, “Gee, Martha, you could write a book about your experiences.” Those words flashed like a neon urgent-care billboard.

A few months later, I found myself at the Mt. Herman Christian Writer’s Conference. I’d been told attending would either get me very excited about writing or I’d say, “Nah, this isn’t for me.” Well, excited was an understatement. I was charged, ignited, ready to blast off.

At Mt. Hermon I met an editor of a Sunday School take-home paper who bought my very first article. My literary career began.

Over the years, I worked on articles, many of them published. Then I wrote my first nonfiction book, Held Captive by Futile Thoughts? Break Free! published in 2000, now out of print.

A story about intimacy through letter writing was picked up by Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul. Several other tales were placed in other compilation books, and another Chicken Soup.

At the Glorieta Christian Writer’s Conference, I had less than 30 seconds to pitch a parenting book to an editor. The timing was right, she liked the idea and Parenting 20-Something Kids: Recognizing Your Role as They Find Their Way made it into print in 2005. Since then, it’s been printed in the Afrikaans language and as an ebook.

Interesting side note: I was touring in Pamukkale, Turkey in 2008 and met a woman from South Africa. I mentioned my book had been recently translated into Afrikaans. She asked the title. When I told her, her eyes got big. She said, “I just reviewed your book for my newspaper and people loved it.” Made this writer smile. Talk about small world!

In addition to writing, I love watercolor painting and have been in a Monday afternoon class for many years now. Travels to Mont St. Michel (France), St. Petersburg (Russia), Riatea (French Polynesia) and the Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey) are bucket-list travels I’ve completed. French, sailing, painting and creating memory books are also things I love. Oh, don’t forget lunch with friends and chocolate. Preferably Godiva.

A few years ago I completed a trilogy of novels. The first, War of Whispers, was published in October, 2013 and is available on Amazon. The second, The Echo of Whispers, and the third, Unloving Whispers are also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online. These fictional tales deal with healing and reveal heavenly forces, angels as well as demonic interlopers who exert important influences to our health and well-being.

Formerly, I was on the board of the San Diego Christian Writer’s Guild www.sandiegocwg.org and hosted a monthly critique group.  A graduate of Bethel’s (Redding, CA) first year School of Supernatural Ministry, I have traveled with Randy Clark’s ministry to Brazil to pray for healing for many people.  Be in Health Global is another ministry I participated in and ministered to others how sin can affect healing.

Recently, I joined Matt Tommey’s “Created to Thrive” mentoring group for artists of all kinds. It is an amazing, stimulating community of creatives who believe they are called to use their gifts in coordination with God and to His glory. And slowly I have turned my focused attention to painting, exploring with color and texture.

I live in southern California and have two beautiful married daughters and four grandchildren.

Writing awards:

Finalist, ACFW Genesis Contest 2006, Fiction

Honorable mention 2005, SDCWG for Non-fiction

Finalist, San Diego Book Awards 2006 Non-Fiction

Art Awards:

Art on 30th Street, San Diego, Second Place 2021

San Dieguito Art Guild, Second Place 2022 x 2

San Dieguito Art Guild, Second Place, 2023

Carlsbad Oceanside Art Guild, 2022, Second Place

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