Post by martiverlander on Jul 18, 2012 10:27:04 GMT -5
My name is Marti Verlander and I'm in the Kansas City area (Missouri side). I write fantasy novels for adults that will be published under my maiden name, Martha Gilstrap.
I'm closing in on The End of my third novel in the same fantasy setting. The first to be published will be Elegy: The Black Diamond, which needs a professional edit before e-publication. In this novel, a bereaved gemsman seeks the mysteries of a battleaxe created from a single black diamond while evading the vicious assassin who murdered his family for it. With the help of a woman warrior, he evades the assassin and discovers those secrets – and the history and family he never knew he had.
This novel finaled in the Paul Gillette contest put on by Pikes Peak Writers every year. (And no, I don’t enter contests for the prizes, which are minimal in this case. I enter for the feedback, and this one provides a lot of that.) I’ve been a volunteer judge for this contest for three years now, and I also volunteer as a session moderator at their annual conference.
The second novel published will be The Slipaway Trail, and the third, Slitherskins, is a nearly- finished draft.
All of my novels include fight scenes that incorporate what I learned in 18 years of studying and teaching RyuTe Karate under Taika Seiyu Oyata. For over 8 years I owned my own dojo, and I also taught my weapon of specialization (chizikunbo) on his behalf at his summer camp and birthday seminar every year. I was the first woman to become his personal student and for three years I was the only woman in black belt class. That was an education!
Another outcome of the karate training was development of a workshop called “Write the Fight.” I’ve presented this workshop at the Murder in the Grove writers conference in Boise, Idaho, at a Summit Scribes writers group, twice at the Longview Literary Festival in the Kansas City area, and most significantly at Pikes Peak Writers Conference, one of the top conferences in the nation. I’ve also published martial arts articles in such magazines as Consumers Digest (how to find a karate school), Kansas City Magazine, and martial arts magazines.
I have a B.A. in English, was a county spelling champion in 8th grade and the captain of the corporate spelling team at Honeywell FM&T for the years we competed. This was Literacy Kansas City’s biggest fundraiser at the time. We won first place twice and were always one of the top three.
I’m a moderator for Holly Lisle’s Boot Camp forums, responsible for posting to a blog once a week, answering member questions, and dealing with flames and bad manners. Her courses are wonderful! And all the members have picked up the atmosphere of friendliness, encouragement, and helpfulness. It’s an amazing place to spend time, and her How to Revise Your Novel course, among others, is more challenging than my college courses. Her new handbook for the Boot Camp will include some of my articles to help new members.
My web site is www.marthagilstrap.com, although I’m currently in the process of rebuilding it to be more marketing-friendly. (You may not be able to reach it at this time since it’s in transition.)
Currently my marketing is through Holly’s boards and FaceBook, although I know I’ll need to expand before long. At this point I'm planning to e-publish my work, and for that I'll need marketing know-how. This looks like a great place to find what I need! I'm glad to meet all of you.
I'm closing in on The End of my third novel in the same fantasy setting. The first to be published will be Elegy: The Black Diamond, which needs a professional edit before e-publication. In this novel, a bereaved gemsman seeks the mysteries of a battleaxe created from a single black diamond while evading the vicious assassin who murdered his family for it. With the help of a woman warrior, he evades the assassin and discovers those secrets – and the history and family he never knew he had.
This novel finaled in the Paul Gillette contest put on by Pikes Peak Writers every year. (And no, I don’t enter contests for the prizes, which are minimal in this case. I enter for the feedback, and this one provides a lot of that.) I’ve been a volunteer judge for this contest for three years now, and I also volunteer as a session moderator at their annual conference.
The second novel published will be The Slipaway Trail, and the third, Slitherskins, is a nearly- finished draft.
All of my novels include fight scenes that incorporate what I learned in 18 years of studying and teaching RyuTe Karate under Taika Seiyu Oyata. For over 8 years I owned my own dojo, and I also taught my weapon of specialization (chizikunbo) on his behalf at his summer camp and birthday seminar every year. I was the first woman to become his personal student and for three years I was the only woman in black belt class. That was an education!
Another outcome of the karate training was development of a workshop called “Write the Fight.” I’ve presented this workshop at the Murder in the Grove writers conference in Boise, Idaho, at a Summit Scribes writers group, twice at the Longview Literary Festival in the Kansas City area, and most significantly at Pikes Peak Writers Conference, one of the top conferences in the nation. I’ve also published martial arts articles in such magazines as Consumers Digest (how to find a karate school), Kansas City Magazine, and martial arts magazines.
I have a B.A. in English, was a county spelling champion in 8th grade and the captain of the corporate spelling team at Honeywell FM&T for the years we competed. This was Literacy Kansas City’s biggest fundraiser at the time. We won first place twice and were always one of the top three.
I’m a moderator for Holly Lisle’s Boot Camp forums, responsible for posting to a blog once a week, answering member questions, and dealing with flames and bad manners. Her courses are wonderful! And all the members have picked up the atmosphere of friendliness, encouragement, and helpfulness. It’s an amazing place to spend time, and her How to Revise Your Novel course, among others, is more challenging than my college courses. Her new handbook for the Boot Camp will include some of my articles to help new members.
My web site is www.marthagilstrap.com, although I’m currently in the process of rebuilding it to be more marketing-friendly. (You may not be able to reach it at this time since it’s in transition.)
Currently my marketing is through Holly’s boards and FaceBook, although I know I’ll need to expand before long. At this point I'm planning to e-publish my work, and for that I'll need marketing know-how. This looks like a great place to find what I need! I'm glad to meet all of you.