May is typically Mental Health Awareness Month, but that’s not nearly enough promotion. I’m reminded daily of the need to assess my mental health and advocate for those who have mental illness. I experienced a lot of ups and down when writing BLISS ROAD, a memoir about my neurodiverse family. While the book helped me figure out that part of my life, I don’t discount the need to check my mental health often, and to take seriously people who are struggling. Mental Health Americ

by Steve Zettler Buy NOW! Steve Zettler hits the ball out of the park with his hilarious forthcoming memoir, LEAVE THE KID ALONE! He writes from the viewpoint of his seven-year-old self grousing about having to operate the family’s inn and restaurant’s industrial dishwasher on an Easter Sunday in the 1950s in Bucks County Pennsylvania. The day dramatically changes, however, when the restaurant closes, the family finally sits down to eat, and the author goes upstairs to discov

I wrote GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS in 2007, but ever since then, I often revisit the idea about defining details: an itty, bitty, teensy, tiny detail that explains how a character rolls. One of my favorite characters is Alexandra Fuller, who wrote this memoir about her youth in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Her defining detail? That photo! Like a little pirate girl. “Take no prisoners, arrr!” Check out this excerpt. It's hilarious and exactly matches her photo. Who’s your favorite c

Buy NOW! Three years ago today started my launch week for BLISS ROAD, my memoir about being the daughter of an undiagnosed autistic dad. Since then the book continues to sell well, primarily because of people like you who recommend it to neurodiverse families — those with special needs and those without — who need some help in understanding the challenges they face. Thank you! ___ For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to her website: Mart

by Angie Athanassiades Buy NOW! I’ve read so much fiction and nonfiction in long book form that when I read this spare, poetic memoir, I AM TWIG, FEATHER, BONE by Angie Athanassiades, I felt I’d been lifted into the air. There I gradually transformed through some ethereal means that can only happen amidst the beautifully described setting of a quiet, isolated Greek island and a woman turning a serious eye upon nature as a means of healing her trauma. The book’s language is ab

The Hidden Gem Philosophy Martha and her mom circa 2010 I was maybe 8 or 9 and my next door neighbor friend, Liz, invited me to her birthday sleepover. Our houses were separated by our driveway, a line of hedge, and her family’s driveway. Mere steps, yet emotionally, the prospect felt like being sent to Siberia. I’d be away from where I felt most comfortable. What if I had a bad dream? What if I threw up from eating too much junk food? Worse, what if the girls stayed up all

Buy NOW! April is Autism Awareness Month, so on my author page I’ll be posting about BLISS ROAD and my experience of growing up the daughter of an undiagnosed autistic dad. I wanted to post generally, though, to continue promoting the idea that all members of a neurodiverse family are affected by the neurodiversity. While some of the challenges are rough and cause trouble, there are also amazing outcomes. While my dad’s undiagnosed condition definitely caused challenges, he a

Buy BLISS ROAD now! When writing BLISS ROAD , my memoir about being the daughter of an undiagnosed autistic dad, I found almost no resources to help me understand and heal from the emotional distance that can occur between neurotypical kids and their neurodiverse parents. Then I found the Adult Children of Autistic Parents Facebook page. Run by a caring, sensitive moderator, there are now over 500 members from around the world. If you know of anyone who might be struggling

buy NOW! Here’s hoping you can spread the love that little bit more and help me crest that magical 100 reviews on Amazon (104 ratings on...

Buy NOW! Almost every week I get a letter like the one above from someone who’s read BLISS ROAD , , my memoir about being the daughter...

Buy NOW! When I was at a writing conference last March, I went to a panel about the importance of poetry in times of political and social...

When working on my memoir, BLISS ROAD ( Vine Leaves Press ), one of my early readers asked if narcissism and Autism Spectrum Disorder ...

Happy New Year to all of you! Here’s what’s on my reading list (the links are through Bookshop.org , so purchases benefit independent...

Buy NOW! Happiness, let alone bliss, is definitely a complex experience that can be tricky to attain. Just check the 2024 World...

by Joanna Kadish Joanna Kadish writes beautifully about the brutal truths of living a thousand lives in a single lifetime in FLIRTING...

By Eleanor Vincent Reading Eleanor Vincent’s just-released memoir DISCONNECTED: PORTRAIT OF A NEURODIVERSE MARRIAGE , about navigating...

Buy NOW! It’s easy to blame others. It’s harder to look at what went wrong and find ways to repair the damage and move on. The former...

I had the pleasure of attending a book talk here in CA where Jen Lang (left) spoke beautifully about her newest flash memoir, LANDED: A...

I love helping other authors, so by forwarding a Roz Morris interview with artist and author Alycia Vreeland (her illustration...

Happy birthday to my oldest sister, Dee (middle)! I say “oldest,” but there’s only 3 years difference between us, with my sister, Sue...