i blog 4 books: Hey, Martha! Thanks so much for stopping by for a Blogside Chat today! For any readers who might not be familiar with you, please tell us a bit about yourself. Martha Rogers: Although I’ve been writing for almost all my life, I came into the world of full length novels late in life. I received my first contract at the age of 73. In the past 2 ½ years I have written ten full length books and one novella. Number 9 will be released in May and Number 10 in October.
ib4b: Wow! That's pretty impressive! Give us a little background on your latest novel.
MR: My latest novel now in bookstores is Winter Promise and tells the story of Abigail, Daniel Monroe’s sister and Rachel’s best friend in Summer Dream and Doctor Elliot Jensen from Autumn Song. Abigail comes to Texas to set up a library for the town of Porterfield and is drawn to the young doctor whose eyes are shadowed by a great sadness. Theirs is a story of growing and changing as one realizes the true meaning of God’s love and forgiveness.
ib4b: What was the inspiration for Winter Promise?MR: I wanted to tell Abigail’s story as well as Dr. Elliot’s. As part of a series, it’s fun to take minor characters from one book and let the reader learn more about them in their own story.
ib4b: What do you hope readers will take away from reading it?
MR: With all my books I want the reader to see and understand the all encompassing love of our Savior and God. His love and forgiveness know no bounds and crosses over into every culture, every way of life and into every sin.
ib4b: That absolutely comes through! It seems like most authors have quite an interesting journey to getting published. What did you do in your "former life"?
MR: I taught school for 36 years. For almost 24 years I taught Home Economics which included Home Management, Home and Family Life, and Child Development as well as teaching students to cook and sew. For the last 12 years I taught English at the secondary and college levels. I also supervised student teachers for five years.
ib4b: On a totally random note ... As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
MR: A missionary, but God never gave me a call, so I went into teaching, and that led me to the mission field He’d planned for me then. Now I spread God’s Word through my writing.
ib4b: If you were Miss America, what cause would you champion?
MR: Human rights including protection of the rights of unborn babies.
ib4b: My mom always let me choose a special meal for my birthday. What's on the menu for your birthday dinner?
MR: Anything Tex-Mex plus a Lady Baltimore Cake or Coconut Cake with Lemon or Coconut filling. My Grandmother always made one of those two cakes for my birthday when I was growing up. The last one was for my 21st birthday.
ib4b: Yum! That sounds wonderful! What a sweet memory of your grandmother too! What were some of your favorite books growing up?MR: I read all of Grace Livingston Hill’s books and also all of Janet Lambert’s books. Nancy Drew came in a close second to these ladies.
ib4b: I'm a huge Nancy Drew fan too! What was the last "must read" Christian fiction book that you read?
MR: I would say The Chair by James Rubart as the fiction must read, but Abby Rike’s Working It Out is a close second and my first recommendation for non-fiction.
ib4b: Do you have a "life verse" or favorite Scripture?
MR: The verse I use with signature at all my book signings is Galatians 6:9. It says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” How true that was and is for me.
ib4b: Can you tell us a bit about what you're working on now? When can we expect to see it in stores?
MR: I just started a new series, Love’s Homeward Journey, that will first appear in the bookstores in early 2013. The first book is based on the love story of my great-grandparents just after the Civil War ended. The following two will simply carry the story forward with other family characters, some of it based on truth, the rest will be completely fiction.
ib4b: That sounds wonderful ... can't wait to check it out! Is there anything else you'd like to share with us before we go?
MR: In May, the fourth book of the Seasons series will be released. It’s a very special book to me because it parallels my own journey to forgiveness for a completely unacceptable lifestyle by a
family member. In order to forgive others, we must realize that God forgives them unconditionally when they come to Him and seek it. That’s what happened with my brother and the heroine in my book. They book came to know the Lord and sought His forgiveness. My hero and I then had to accept the fact that if God forgave them, we must also forgive. It was a hard lesson and a difficult journey for me and it in the book, it is a difficult one for my hero.
ib4b: I can't wait to read the last book in the Seasons series. You are one busy lady! Thanks so much for taking the time to drop in!
Martha, we not only have our first name in common, but Grace Livingston Hill and THE CHAIR, too. Your new book sounds wonderful and I look forward to reading it. Such an encouraging journey--thanks for posting, Brooke.
ReplyDeleteI have so much in common with Martha besides writing. Wow! I read everyone of G.L. Hill's books growing up (My grandmother got me started on them) and all of Nancy Drew's among many others. My mom and grandmother and father were all teachers, but somehow I escaped, LOL! I love reading and writing historical fiction, and I also find it so much fun to take a secondary character and give them a life of their own in another book. Oh, and I'm also having fun on Pinterest, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI must say, I LOVE Martha's writing. She's a talented author and her books are a joy to read. And what a beautiful cover on this newest one! Blessings Pam and Martha, on all that you do!
Miralee
Marti and Miralee - Thank you so much for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed the interview with Martha!
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