It is my joy to welcome Martha Rogers to my website and blog today. Martha is a long-time friend, and I’ve enjoyed her books for several years. Martha’s writing journey is unique in that her first full-length novel was published after she turned 73! Her story proves it’s never too late, and God’s timing is always perfect!
Her new release is A GIFT OF LOVE:
JOURNEY TO A DREAM
My writing journey began when I realized how much I like to make up stories and live in a fantasy world where I could create the perfect family, especially after my parents’ divorce. I made up stories for my paper dolls and my dolls using them as the characters. I wrote short stories as a teenager and my first novel as a freshman in college, still using it to escape into my “ideal” life.
After retirement from teaching English to college freshmen, I became serious about my writing. I met DiAnn Mills at a writing conference, and she took me under her wing, mentored me, and formed a critique group. She also convinced me to join a new writing group, American Christian Romance Writers. That was the best thing I could have done.
Through ACRW and then ACFW, I met and made friends with some wonderful authors who gave me great advice and information and met Tamela Hancock Murray who became my agent. At the age of 65, I had little hope of being published, but with the encouragement of Tamela and my friends, I persevered.
DiAnn, Kathleen Y’Barbo Turner, Janice Thompson, and I collaborated on a novella anthology, Sugar and Grits and submitted it in 2001. Patience paid off as we waited until 2005 when we were offered a contract for it. When it was published in 2007, I thought now I would be on my way. Two years later I still didn’t have another contract, but I didn’t give up.
I adopted Galatians 6:9 as my writing verse because I knew if I didn’t give up on my dream of what I believed God wanted me to do, I would reap a harvest. Then in 2009, on my seventy-third birthday, Tamela called me with the news that Strang Publishing was interested in Becoming Lucy. They first sent an offer letter then a contract for one book with an option for three more. In September of 2009 I signed the contract the Winds Across the Prairie series. From that came a prequel to Lucy and a Christmas story on the same characters.
Since then I have over fifty-five novels and novellas published. When God opened the door, He kicked it wide open.
The road to publication was not easy, and the hundreds of rejections hurt. However, I learned from the rejections. I paid attention to what my critique partners and judges in contest said. Of course some of what they said made me a little angry, but then I settled down and began to think things through.
I faced detours, bad roads, hazardous conditions, stop signs and other road difficulties that tried to distract me from my dream and my goal. Prayer and patience guided me along with perseverance. I learned God’s timetable is not mine, and He is always on time—never too early and never too late. Now at age 84, people are asking me if I’m still writing. I tell them yes, and I will continue to do so until I hear Him telling me it’s time to stop.
♥♥♥
Martha Rogers is a multi-published author and writes a weekly devotional for ACFW. Since receiving her first novel contract at age 73, Martha has written and published over 50 books. Martha and her husband Rex live in Houston, Texas where they are active members of First Baptist Church. They are the parents of three sons and grandparents to eleven grandchildren and great-grandparents to six. Martha is a retired teacher with twenty-eight years teaching Home Economics and English at the secondary level and eight years at the college level supervising student teachers and teaching freshman English. She is the Director of the Texas Christian Writers Conference held in Houston in August each year, a member of ACFW, ACFW WOTS chapter in Houston, and a member of the writers’ group, Inspirational Writers Alive.
Find Martha at:
www.marthawrogers.com,
www.hhhistory.com
Twitter: @martharogers2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarthaRogersAuthor