Martha was born in Gaffney, S.C., raised in Charleston and was gifted with a brilliant mind and strong imagination. Her dad served our country in the Navy and was stationed all over the world, while Martha’s mother ran a large daycare center. She had two brothers and a sister who she loved dearly. Growing up, Martha had a love of life that focused around the beach, animals and nature that was at your fingertips where she grew up.

Martha studied at the University of South Carolina and graduated with an undergraduate degree in English and comparative literature. She also studied at New York University and in Spain where she graduated from the University of Madrid with a degree in Spanish. She started teaching at a small private school in Hollywood, S.C. She later taught at University of South Carolina, Aiken, and at Montgomery College in Maryland.

During her younger years, she developed a love for Europe and traveling abroad. She learned to appreciate and understand cultures outside the United States. Her love of Spain and its history were unquestionable. The stories of Dante, the influence of the Phoenicians and Moores, the flamenco dance and all that makes up the Spanish history had been committed to memory. Her ability to walk through the Prado museum and enter a room with 20 to 30 historical paintings, describing each one in detail by author, date, and purpose of the painting truly amazed those with her. The setting for this novel is Madrid and is an expression of her love for the Spanish history and culture.

Martha had many gifts, but also had some challenges. She was born with a deficient immune system and was forced to fight many battles along the way. Small in stature, but large at heart, is the way she was often described — a real fighter. A severe case of pneumonia, followed by the development of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) proved more than one spirit could bear. She was laid to rest in a small town outside Washington D.C., Markham, Va., in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in a quiet and serene place fitting of her moral constitution, in 2012.