Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Martin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Heather. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started writing stories and poetry as a child, but the road to becoming a public relations and corporate communications writer, and an author, has been a winding road. I studied economics in undergrad at CSUN and started a career in sales after graduation. That allowed me the opportunity to learn effective communication to different parties, and to articulate emails and other correspondence to clients.
Later when I lived on the East Coast, I received my M.B.A. from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. At the time I was helping to run a company – I supported sales growth and operations efforts as the VP of Sales at a company based in New Jersey. There I began writing business tips and other editorial pieces for industry publications. It reminded me that writing and communication were my true passions. I pursued sales for quite a few years before finally doing copywriting, communications and book writing full time. Now I help companies and individuals communicate their value and write full-length articles, press releases and blogs.
My experience as a VP at the NJ firm ironically, and in a spiritual sense not surprisingly, served as a background for my latest novel “Fuchsia Parade: One Woman’s Quest for Sex, Love and Redemption.” It follows a businesswoman in the male-dominated New York construction industry who uncovers repressed memories of childhood sex abuse and seeks out the help of a clairvoyant in Manhattan to unravel the mess her life has become. I wrote the book in early 2016 before the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements really took hold. The novel was a way for me to share my healing journey so that other women would know that they are not alone and that there is hope for healing after sexual abuse.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My road has been paved with potholes, self-doubt, failure, fears, sexual harassment, confusion, a bankruptcy, a near-miss home foreclosure and absolute confusion. It was not a linear road to confidence, self-acceptance, success and connecting with my passion on a daily basis.
Many years ago, while I was still the VP of the NJ construction firm, I decided I would finally write the novel I had always wanted to write, now available on Amazon under the title “Reclaiming Konia: A Tale of Love, Loss and the Armenian Genocide.” It was inspired by the true story of my great grandfather, Melkon Jenanyan, who fled Turkey before the Armenian Genocide in 1915. When I began the book, my creativity was severely blocked, and despite my ability to churn out emails, proposals and articles for business, I had no idea how to write a novel. Eventually I found my way to the 90-day-novel, a course hosted by Al Watt of the LA Writer’s Lab, and after eight long years of struggling, I finally completed and published my first book. What a sigh of relief! It’s a burden to have a story that wants to be told and be incapable of getting the words down in a coherent fashion.
I think the lesson I’ve taken from my winding road is the spiritual and business are intertwined. The skills I learned opening up my creative and writing flow for my first novel have served me very well, including giving me the ability to write 10 pieces of blog content per week for a company in the security industry. Once the creative juices can flow, you can use them for any type of content you want to master. And, writer’s block doesn’t have any real meaning for me now. I have the tools to overcome procrastination and ways to unblock my own thinking so I can create.
Courage, confidence and creativity go hand-in-hand, and I literally pray for them every day.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Heather Martin – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As a writer for businesses and entrepreneurs, I am proud that I use my background running a mid-sized business to inform my advice and deliver a no-nonsense approach. Many small businesses don’t know how to sell themselves or articulate their value to clients, so I like to boil it down to digestible pep talks and insights that allow people to grow their own sense of confidence in their own expression of their worth.
I’m also proud that I haven’t hidden from my failures, because so many people are struggling. By owning my challenges, I free up others to admit their own, and then move beyond them. If you’re paralyzed by fear or lack of confidence, it’s difficult to articulate a client email, to write a press release, or to put thoughts on a blank page. But when you can own the fear, suddenly you’re free to express yourself honestly, and in the unique way only you can.
It’s why I encourage clients to develop ways to express their value – the process of creating an article, blog or press release is a collaborative process where the client input can be just as valuable as my input. I can craft messaging for you, but if it’s inauthentic, it’s only going to take you so far.
It’s also why I love writing my novels, because I have full creative license to express the stories that I need to tell in the way I am guided to tell them.
Novel or business communications, either way, you’re telling a story!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future include more writing. I am in the beginning stages of marketing my book Fuchsia Parade, so that will be a big focus for 2018. I also have another novel titled “Gratitude Happens” in the works, about a ‘good Italian girl’ who desperately seeks love with the help of vision boards, tarot cards, healing crystals and a gluten-free diet. I hope to finish that book later this year. A future project I’ll revisit soon is a fantasy coming-of-age novel about two young orphan girls who discover they are the heir to the throne of a secret world.
Contact Info:
- Address: Culver City, CA
- Website: https://www.heathermartin.org/
- Phone: 323-379-2033
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/h.r.martin/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theHRmartin
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
