By Kristine Thomas
Chilly evenings offer a perfect excuse for finding a snuggly blanket, a soft pillow and an enticing book, then curling up on the couch for an adventure.
Or, perhaps you’ve always dreamed of writing your own book or telling your family’s story. Local authors shared their advice on writing a book and what books they enjoy, along with telling a little about themselves.
LENNIE MARTIN
Lennie Martin was a nurse practitioner and taught at Sonoma State University in California, later working in a rural clinic. She travels between Silverton and Mexico.
Books written: Dreaming the Maya Fifth Sun: A novel of Maya Wisdom and the 2012 Shift in Consciousness. She co-authored Taking Charge of the Change: A holistic approach to the three phases of Menopause and Yoga for Menopause.
What inspired you to write Dreaming the Maya Fifth Sun?
Martin said she felt called to learn about the Mayan culture, even though she previously had not been aware of them. “It did feel as if I had lived prior lives as a Maya in certain cities,” Martin said.
What is the book about?
“The story focuses an emergency room nurse and an ancient Maya priestess. Action is set in contemporary times and the classical phase of Maya civilization. A recurring dream causes the nurse to search for the meaning, deciphering its clues as these lead her into the land of the Maya. The nurse has to overcome challenges to fulfill a mission that brings her to reenact Mayan ceremonies set in motion earlier by the priestess. These ceremonies relate to the ending of the Mayan calendar and the significance of 2012 to the world.”
What were your work habits while writing the book?
“It took two years from the initial inspiration to completion of the book, she said, plus another year of refinement, editing and seeking a publisher. She worked part-time in a medical clinic while writing the book, often rising at 5 a.m. to write before going to work.”
What advice would you give to someone writing a book?
“Find your inspiration and nourish it heartily. The power of what wants to be expressed through you can provide the energy and commitment to follow through to the finish.”
What are your favorite books?
I love many books, to mention a few: Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon; James Michener, The Source and Mary Renault, The Bull From the Sea.
JEAN BRADEN
Jean Braden is a graduate of Marylhurst University with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She retired from Portland General Electric after 22 years. She was born at Silverton Hospital in 1941 and now lives in Gresham. She and her husband have been married 47 years and have two children and two grandchildren.
Published work:
Her story “Resurrection,” was published November 2005 in an anthology of Portland writers called How to Leave a Place. The story details the events of her father’s death.
She received Special Honorable Mention in the May 2006 short-story contest of ByLine Magazine for her entry entitled “No Place Like Home.”
Her book The Journey to Oregon – 1934 is the true story of eight family members who travel from the drought and dust storms of Nebraska to the promise of Oregon during the Depression. The family settled in Pratum.
The 10-day journey is a part of their story. The rest takes place in Oregon and includes how a small farming community provides support for the family.
What inspired you to write the book?
“I grew up hearing the oral history of the trip to Oregon at family gatherings. As an adult I realized what an undertaking the journey had been and I kept saying, “I’m going to write this story.” When my father died in 1983, I realized I had lost a valuable resource and started interviewing my mother and my aunts and uncles. It wasn’t until I retired that I started to finally put my story together and I self-published my book in November 2006. My mother was 91, my aunts were 93 and 85 and I wanted to get it done for them to enjoy.”
What advice would you give to someone wanting to write his or her family history?
“If you are writing a family history, start interviewing people as soon as possible. When you begin to write you will have a lot of questions and you will need to talk to these people time and time again – so don’t wait too long before you start putting your story to paper.”
What is your favorite book or author?
“My favorite authors are Mary Steward and Kate Wilhelm and I enjoy other bestseller authors – Robert B. Parker, Jonathan Killerman and Michael Connelly.”
FLORENCE HARDESTY
Florence Hardesty is a professor emeritus of mental health nursing from Oregon Health Sciences University. When she retired in 1989, she decided to follow her life-long dream of writing. She is married to Verl Holden and has two grown daughters.
What started your writing career? “I had written two books but was unable to find a publisher. When I complained to my colleagues, they told me to write about what happens on the farm. They all wanted to eat lunch with me because I entertained them with my stories.” Her first book detailed the adjustments she made living on a farm with her husband who owns a wholesale nursery.”
What books have you written?
Down on the Tree Farm, I Always Faint When I See a Syringe, The Trees and Me and Rock Garden Flower.
How did your life experiences help with your writing?
“As a nurse I always enjoyed working with the patients no one else liked,” she said. “I could relate to them because they reminded me of characters I had read about in books.”
What advice would you give to other writers? “Write what you know.”
NASEEM RAKHA
Naseem Rakha is an award winning journalist whose work has been heard on National Public Radio. On July 7, her first novel, The Crying Tree, will be published by Broadway/Doubleday.
The Crying Tree is about a mother who must overcome hate, grief and secrets that surround the murder of her 15-year-old son and defy the church and her family as she attempts to stop the execution of the man who killed her son,” Rahka said.
Rakha said the book was drawn from her experience as a reporter covering two executions as well as interviews with Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking as well as exonerated death row inmates and victims that have learned to forgive the unforgivable.
What do you learn while writing?
Many people told me it was a bummer story and it would be a nightmare to get it published. I didn’t let any of that get in the way because I totally believed in the story and the characters. I’ve learned a story comes from someplace I can’t put a finger on and you really have to trust yourself as a writer and where your story takes you.
