I do so much weird research for my books that I thought I’d start sharing some with you. The above fish knife is made by a company called Maestro Wu , which claims its knives are made “from salvaged artillery shells fired on Taiwan by mainland China since the early 1900s.” I found the detail when looking for the knife that one of my OCEAN LIGHT (due out January 2028) characters would use: a Chinese American woman who does surf fishing in SoCal (Malibu area). Out of curiosit

I’ve never done an Instagram Live interview before, but I know Elaina Battista-Parsons is going to make it fun! 3:30 Pacific/5:30 Central/6:30 Eastern TONIGHT, Nov. 10, 2025 IG @WritingInThe.Winter To get your name is the drawing for the 2-book set giveaway of WINTER LIGHT and SCATTERED LIGHT … Do as the video says: leave a question or comment below regarding protag Mary Donahue, or on Elaina’s IG profile during the event. I hope to see you there! ___ For updates about Mart

Buy NOW! Don’t like to buy books without getting a recommendation? Consider following these Instagram bookstagrammers. They’re reading copies of SCATTERED LIGHT , and will post every day with comments and reactions. They’re not shy about giving their opinions! Dec. 1 @katiesluvtoread Dec. 2 @bluefairybugsbooks Dec. 3 @book_a_holic_17 Dec. 4 @reading_mel Dec. 5 @bianca_reads_books Dec. 6 @afelton6212 Dec. 7 @daisyhollands Thank you, Kelly Lacey and Love Book Tours , for organi

Buy NOW! I’ve interviewed a lot of people in my career as a writer and journalist, but none have been as interesting as interviewing Mary Donahue, the protagonist of SCATTERED LIGHT (just published!). Find out how she answered on Women Writers, Women’s Books , a fantastic website of books by/for/and about strong women. Look for “Character interview: Martha Engber.” What would you ask Mary? ___ For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to he

Buy NOW! I love strong, feisty, smart female protagonists. In THE MAESTRO'S DAUGHTER by Catherine Thrush (The Lady Blade Series Book 1), teen Francesca de DiCesare, daughter of the Maestro, a famous fencing master in 1716 Tuscany, Italy, is all that. A natural rebel, Francesca strongly objects to everything young ladies are supposed to learn in order to become the wives of nobles. Cooking, household management, gardening. No thanks! What she really wants to do is fence like

Buy NOW! Though the video has a fun vibe, trauma is a fact of life, and it’s no joke. I come from a background where people told me, “Get over it!” We humans try, but we often can’t. In fact, according to the Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress , 70% of the world’s population has been exposed to a traumatic life event. What ends up happening is that the stress and hurt — sometimes consciously unknown to us — comes out in different ways. We’re short with other people. Our

Read NOW! My thanks goes out to Barbara Bos of Women Writers, Women’s Books , which just published my essay, "Scattered Light": How Fiction Can Help Us Heal Our Own Past Trauma . I hope you take a read and let me know: Does fiction help you discover more about yourself, and in some cases, heal? ___ For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to her website: MarthaEngber.com . SCATTERED LIGHT , a novel, sequel to WINTER LIGHT , (Nov. 2025) THE F

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