Gail Z. Martin
Encyclopedia
Gail Z. Martin is an American writer and the author of The Chronicles of The Necromancer fantasy adventure series for Solaris Books
.
), and says she does not remember a time when she was not enthralled with ghost stories
. A voracious reader since childhood, she frequently chose to read books with a supernatural
slant, including folktales, compilations of regional ghost stories and gothic mysteries. She credits the TV show Dark Shadows
with her life-long fascination with vampires.
Martin discovered science fiction
in middle school. The combination of Star Trek
syndicated re-runs (the original 1966 series) and A. E. van Vogt
's Destination: Universe! made a profound impact. Martin frequented Great Lakes-region Star Trek and science fiction conventions near her childhood home in Meadville
, Pennsylvania
. One of her favorite memories of growing up was watching black and white monster movies and 1950s science fiction re-runs on the local UHF channel. Other influences included The Twilight Zone
, Night Gallery
, The Outer Limits
and Alfred Hitchcock Presents
.
Another deep early influence was the premier of Star Wars IV: A New Hope
. Martin says that she watched the movie 15 times in the theater, going alone after exhausting friends’ willingness to watch the movie multiple times.
In high school, Martin discovered The Lord of the Rings
and role playing games.
Martin graduated from Meadville Area Senior High School in 1980. At Grove City College she majored in history, and graduated in 1984. For a short time in the early 1980s, Martin also edited and wrote for Lodestar, a small fanzine.
Martin graduated from The Pennsylvania State University
with an M.B.A. in Marketing and Management Information Systems. For 17 years, she worked on fiction projects while employed in marketing roles. After achieving the career goal of becoming Vice President of Corporate Communications, Martin started her own company, DreamSpinner Communications, in 2003 to pursue her love of a broader range of writing.
Martin is a frequent contributor of non-fiction
articles for local, regional and national magazines. She is an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
and teaches adult continuing education for Central Piedmont Community College.
Married to Larry Martin since 1987. The Martins have three children: Kyrie, Chandler, and Cody.
Solaris Books
Solaris Books is an imprint which focuses on publishing science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy novels and anthologies. The range includes titles by both established and new authors...
.
Biography
Gail Zehner Martin began writing fiction as a child (her first story was about a vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
), and says she does not remember a time when she was not enthralled with ghost stories
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
. A voracious reader since childhood, she frequently chose to read books with a supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
slant, including folktales, compilations of regional ghost stories and gothic mysteries. She credits the TV show Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
with her life-long fascination with vampires.
Martin discovered science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
in middle school. The combination of Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
syndicated re-runs (the original 1966 series) and A. E. van Vogt
A. E. van Vogt
Alfred Elton van Vogt was a Canadian-born science fiction author regarded by some as one of the most popular and complex science fiction writers of the mid-twentieth century: the "Golden Age" of the genre....
's Destination: Universe! made a profound impact. Martin frequented Great Lakes-region Star Trek and science fiction conventions near her childhood home in Meadville
Meadville
Meadville refers to places in the United States of America:*Meadville, Missouri*Meadville, Mississippi*Meadville, Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. One of her favorite memories of growing up was watching black and white monster movies and 1950s science fiction re-runs on the local UHF channel. Other influences included The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, Night Gallery
Night Gallery
Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
, The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
and Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
.
Another deep early influence was the premier of Star Wars IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
. Martin says that she watched the movie 15 times in the theater, going alone after exhausting friends’ willingness to watch the movie multiple times.
In high school, Martin discovered The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and role playing games.
Martin graduated from Meadville Area Senior High School in 1980. At Grove City College she majored in history, and graduated in 1984. For a short time in the early 1980s, Martin also edited and wrote for Lodestar, a small fanzine.
Martin graduated from The Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
with an M.B.A. in Marketing and Management Information Systems. For 17 years, she worked on fiction projects while employed in marketing roles. After achieving the career goal of becoming Vice President of Corporate Communications, Martin started her own company, DreamSpinner Communications, in 2003 to pursue her love of a broader range of writing.
Martin is a frequent contributor of non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
articles for local, regional and national magazines. She is an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
and teaches adult continuing education for Central Piedmont Community College.
Married to Larry Martin since 1987. The Martins have three children: Kyrie, Chandler, and Cody.
External links
- Official Chronicles of the Necromancer website
- DreamSpinner Communications
- Gail Martin on MySpace
- Solaris Books
- Gail Z. Martin Interview with Michael A. VentrellaMichael A. VentrellaMichael A. Ventrella founded Animato! in the mid 80s. He sold it in the early 90s. Under the pseudonym "Thelma Scumm" he wrote the gossip column and later continued that for fps magazine...
, October '09