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Book Review: "American Gyro"
Jim Zervanos’ newest book, AMERICAN GYRO is a deeply immersive dive into the world of a Greek-American family in the Philadelphia area. When the book opens, we’re with teenager Johnny Demos’ as he and his family keep vigil at the deathbed of Johnny's grandfather, the patriarchal immigrant who established a restaurant on which the family continues to thrive. But Johnny wants to be free of the expectation he’ll remain in the area and work at the restaurant. He’s got his own dr

marthaengber
Oct 16, 20251 min read


I Love to Teach Writing Workshops!
I joined the California Writers Club eons ago when I first moved to the state. I’m still involved years later because what an impressive organization! According to the Website history: The informal gatherings of Jack London, poet George Sterling and short story writer Herman Whitaker, among others, eventually formed the Press Club of Alameda. In 1909, a faction of the membership split off to form the California Writers Club with Austin Lewis, an English civil libertarian, as

marthaengber
Oct 15, 20251 min read


Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!
When THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGB , the story of two female warriors in precolonial Connecticut, was first published, I ran a Facebook ad. A number of indigenous people commented, wondering if I was Native American, and if not, whether I made the same mistake a lot of non-Native American people do, that indigenous tribes were/are more or less all the same. I’m not indigenous, and I did not make that mistake for two reasons. My research illuminated how different each

marthaengber
Oct 13, 20251 min read


WINTER LIGHT Turns 5!
Buy NOW! Who'd have thunk that when I was writing this young adult novel when my own kids were small that I'd have grown a character that...

marthaengber
Oct 8, 20251 min read


Giving away 3 ebooks!
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...

marthaengber
Sep 29, 20251 min read


Happy Birthday "The Falcon"!
Buy NOW! Happy birthday to THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD ! It launched three years ago and has aroused a lot of comments from...

marthaengber
Sep 22, 20251 min read


Book Review: "Carcrash Parker and the Haven of Larpers"
by Ian M. Rogers Buy NOW! https://vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/last-radiance-by-karen-malpede I never would have imagined a...

marthaengber
Sep 16, 20252 min read


Time to Read WINTER LIGHT If You Haven't Already!
Buy NOW! I’m currently running an ad for WINTER LIGHT so people have time to read it before the sequel, SCATTERED LIGHT comes out Nov....

marthaengber
Sep 15, 20251 min read


Mary Donahue: A Protag Who'd Stand Up for You
Order NOW! I don’t know about you, but I was reared in a family of three girls. And while the careers back then were only just opening up...

marthaengber
Sep 8, 20251 min read


Farewell Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest!
Seriously, folks! Over the years, the prose written by the winners of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest has never failed to crack me up....

marthaengber
Aug 20, 20251 min read


Rolling Toward Publication
Preorder NOW! I'm starting to get rolling on promotion for SCATTERED LIGHT . I'm so grateful for those who've helped along the way, like...

marthaengber
Aug 18, 20251 min read


Letter From Reader of BLISS ROAD
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...

marthaengber
Aug 11, 20251 min read


Book Review: "Remodel Your Brain"
by Sherian Lee Buy NOW! Well-organized, well-written, kind and hopeful, Sherian Lee , the author of this remarkable book does a fabulous...

marthaengber
Jul 21, 20252 min read


New Author Photo
I’m not a huge fan of having my photo taken, but I never liked my old photo and so decided to contact a few local photographers to...

marthaengber
Jul 21, 20251 min read


Subversive Poetry: Relief During Repression
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...

marthaengber
Jul 14, 20252 min read


A Poem for SCATTERED LIGHT
In my upcoming book, SCATTERED LIGHT , which will be published Nov. 25, 2025 (sequel to my IPPY Gold Medal in YA Winner, WINTER LIGHT ),...

marthaengber
Jun 30, 20251 min read


WINTER LIGHT Read-along Comments
I’ve never done an Instagram read-along, but have always wanted to try one. No better time than now, because I want others to read WINTER...

marthaengber
Jun 23, 20251 min read


BLISS ROAD Turns 2!
Buy NOW! 100 Goodreads ratings/90 Amazon reviews “A crucial and compassionate story!” “One of the most honest books I’ve ever read!”...

marthaengber
Jun 9, 20251 min read


Book Review: "Body: My Life in Parts"
by Nina B. Lichtenstein Buy NOW! I’ve never read a memoir with a more unique and organic structure than BODY: MY LIFE IN PARTS . The...

marthaengber
Jun 3, 20252 min read


WINTER LIGHT Read-along: June 1 - 30
I'm excited to announce that SCATTERED LIGHT , the sequel to WINTER LIGHT , my IPPY Gold Medal in YA book, will be published in less than...

marthaengber
May 30, 20252 min read
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