Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Spotlight on Martha Rogers and a Christmas Give Away






Good morning from Houston, Texas.

Martha Rogers here, one of the regular bloggers on HHH blog. Born and bred in Texas, I’ve never lived in any other state except for six months with my aunt in Washington, D.C. when I was in eighth grade. That was an amazing time for me and my sister as we were able to see and do so much in that great city.




I am the oldest grandchild on each side of the family. When we were younger, I liked to "organize" things for us to do because I was just a little bossy.  I liked telling my cousins "how to do things". Those cousins and my sister and I still get together for what we call "Cousin Camp" every year. Here we are at the church in St. Francisville, Louisiana where we met to commemorate our great-grandparents 105th anniversary. I featured the church in my book about my grandparents' love story in Love Stays True.

My husband Rex and I live in Houston and have lived in the same house for 44 years. Lots of history here. Rex and I met at a social for Career Singles at Houston's First Baptist church where we were married and are still members.On October 24, we will celebrate 61 years of marriage.

My husband and I loved to travel when we were younger and have visited many of our great states. We’re retired, but at the age of 84, we are no longer able to travel like we once did. 

My favorite things or people are our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Our sixth great-grandchild, Zachery Ryan, was born in August and is a delight. Our youngest grandson is a senior in high school and was recently elected president of his senior class. So, despite COVID, this will be a year of good memories.


I love to read and grew with weekly trips to the library for as many books as they would let me check out. I’ve been writing since I was able to hold a pencil and scribble out stories I told my mother. I had a very creative imagination and my teachers in elementary and secondary school encouraged me in my writing.                                                                                            

My freshman English professors at Baylor University also encouraged me in my writing, and from them I learned more about sentence structure and the
mechanics of writing. I wrote my first novel at the age of 17 on a typewriter in my dorm room. I still have a yellowed copy of it. I am an avid Baylor fan and love my Alma Mater as evidenced by the Baylor wall in the room I use as my office.

After graduation, I wrote short stories while I worked as a Home Economist with the electric company here in Houston. Then I married, had a family, and put my writing on the back burner. I started teaching and eventually earned my MEd in curriculum and began teaching English. I then taught at the college level. 

Right after I began teaching at the college level, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery. After treatment, it still came back five years later, and in 1999, I had the second surgery. This time the treatment took care of it, and I've been cancer free since 2004. God has blessed my life in more ways than I could ever count, and I give Him all the praise and glory for all that He's done for me. I am especially proud of our family and how God has blessed us with beautiful grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Below is a picture of our family at our grandson Seth's wedding to Katherine three years ago. 



Finally, after thirty-six years, I retired from teaching when I had my second cancer surgery. I then began attending writing conferences, and got serious about my writing. In 2005, my first novella was published by Barbour in a collection called Sugar and Grits. Our son and his family lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, so we made many trips up there. We always stopped at the Welcome Center just over the Texas line, and I began picking up pamphlets about the history of Oklahoma. That inspired me to set my first book in the state after the land run in the late 19th century. Then, believe it or not, the acceptance letter for my first full-length novel in the Oklahoma series came on my 73rd birthday in 2009. One book became the first of six. These are the first four.


Since then, I have over 55 novellas and novels published.

In my series, Homeward Journey, I used some journal entries and letters from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother just after the Civil War as the starting point for my story. Writing it required a lot of research about the armistice and the conditions of POW camps in the north. My great-grandfather was a prisoner at Pt. Lookout, Maryland and was exchanged a few days after the Armistice to make his way home on foot with his younger brother which is the starting point for the book. That then required research into what towns existed in 1865 between Maryland and his home in Louisiana. Since then, the majority of my books have been set in Texas.


The theme of all my books centers around reunion and reconciliation. That reconciliation may be character to character, the character with self, or the character with God. My characters face tragedy, adversity, loss of faith, sin, and rejection, but through it all, their lives are changed through restoration of faith and prayer.

I'm a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and write the devotional for that loop every week. I'm also a member of Christian Author's Network, WOTS chapter of ACFW in The Woodlands, Texas, and Inspirational Writers Alive, our local writing group in Houston. I also teach a Ladies Bible class on Sundays and co-lead a First Place 4 Health group.

This is one of my most favorite pictures from ACFW conference. I'm getting a hug from Frank Peritti at the Saturday night gala in 2013.











My latest release is a contemporary Christmas story set in south Texas with characters who knew each other in high school, but misunderstanding and a humiliating experience ruined their relationship. Ten years later, it’s time to forgive the past and look to the future, but getting there looks impossible.

Ask me a question about my journey or my books and include your email address. You will then be in the drawing for this book either as a paperback or an e-book.

Learn more about me on my website and Facebook:
marthawrogers.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarthaRogersAuthor



7 comments:

  1. I just love these writer spotlight days!!! Thanks for sharing your story. You are surely an example of persevering with your dreams. I guess I'd like to know if you have a favorite trip that you've taken.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Connie. In 1995, I traveled to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland with our choir. We gave a concert at the Mozartorium in Salzberg, and walked some the routes and to places where they filmed Sound of Music. Unforgettable trip climaxed by a trip to the top of Klein Matterhorn to view the higher Matterhorn and the Alps. Unbelievable beauty.

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    2. I forgot to add my email. bcrug(at)twc(dot)com

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  2. Martha your story is such an inspiration to me. My first novel released when I was 60. Since then like you I've retired and keep putting words on paper. It's great to see how much you enjoy life. My email address is cindyhuff11 at gmail dot com. What is your favorite setting in Texas you've incorporated in a story?

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    1. Wonderful that you are now published. I'll have to look you up. I've written stories set all over this huge state from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast, but I seem to gravitate back to the Hill Country north of Austin or the area just west of San Antonio. Texas is so versatile with mountains, canyons, beaches, pine forests, and plains.

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  3. Martha, what a delightful spotlight! Thank you for sharing your story because it always inspires each of us in some way. I am so blessed to read about your journey and your family is LOVELY!! May the Lord continue to bless you. ((HUGS))

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  4. Thank you, Elaine. I hope many, many writers are inspired to never give up on their dreams or goals in life. The Lord has truly blessed me.

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