Linda Jo Martin

Author, Work At Home Blogger, and Giant Squid

Linda Jo Martin, author of The Scribe of Irohila, The Seagull Rebellion, The Alyssa Project, and other novels, lives in Northern California in the Klamath National Forest.

Also see: Lensography of Linda Martin

I confess that photo of me is from a few years back... about 2005.

I'm a novelist because I love to write. I'm a work-at-home blogger, lensmaker, and in-general all-around content writer, because I need the money! I lost my job in September 2008, and this is all I've got!

I'm a Giant Squid because it is an honor for Squidoo lensmasters who've made over fifty quality lenses.

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Writing Novels
My Novels In Progress
Tips on Writing Middle Grade Novels
Bird by Bird
Creating and Using Your Writer's Notebook
When you should write:
Writing Sites
Writers on Twitter and Squidoo
Perspectives on Writing
Blogging
Bigfoot Sightings
Bigfoot Sightings Lenses
The Hoopa Project
Fight CPS
Wounded Innocents
Klamath Design
CSS
Country Kitchen Pantry
Healthy Living
Geniyyah Healing
Hands of Light
EFT Joy
EFT
My Spiritual Beliefs
The I-Ching
I Do I Ching Readings
My Winter Holiday Celebration
Flowering of the Human Consciousness
Dowsing and Energy Healing
My Social Media
My Current Internet Activity
Your comments are welcome...
About the author
My social media links

Writing Novels

...something I always wanted to do, and now am doing.

I've been writing for many years, but I wanted to write a novel. I tried, and tried, but kept failing. Finally in 2001 I signed up with NaNoWriMo and was able to finish a novel in only seventeen days. Amazing what you can do when you feel a bit pressured!

At the end of 2004 I wrote a short article about my attempts at novel writing: Writing A Novel.

My writing blog, Perspectives On Writing, contains inspirational articles to help other writers. It also contains some of my flash fiction.

My Novels In Progress

Most of these are in development; only one is completely revised and ready to sell. Four of these novels are part of my Antediluvian Adventures series.

The Scribe of Irohila - 2001 - I just finished the sixth revision and am ready to submit this ms. to an agent. This is the first novel in my Antidiluvian Adventures series. The query letter and synopsis are ready. In The Scribe of Irohila Raoli, age 12, discovers there are people living outside his village, Irohila, and is convinced he must learn more about them. This leads to a huge adventure - and you must read the book to find out what happens! But first, I must get it published!
The Escape - 2001 - For lack of a better title. This one has never been revised, and if there will be a revision, it will be a major overhaul. It was one of those "practice how to be a novelist" attempts. In it a high school art teacher is caught up in a small town's web of murder, foster children, and scenic seaside beauty.
The Seagull Rebellion - 2002 - Needs more revision. This is the second novel in the Antidiluvian Adventures series. Maralin, who was a minor character in The Scribe of Irohila, age thirteen, has moved to Valeka, a large city near the ocean. When her zoologist father cages a seagull, a nearby primitive tribe kidnaps Maralin in retaliation.
The Alyssa Project - 2002 - Needs more revision. Shannon, a teen mother, is shocked when CPS decides to take her baby from her citing dysfunction in her household. The novel is about how she deals with this traumatic situation.
A Curious Woman Wants To Know - 2003 - Needs revsion. This one was inspired by the small mountain town I live in. A homeschool family is dependent on the income the father earns at the town's local sawmill. What happens when environmentalists ostensibly protecting the Spotted Owl pull the rug out from under the lumber industry with a series of costly lawsuits?
Far Out: The Journey To Oblivion... - 2004 - Needs revision. Eileen grows up as an East San Francisco Bay Area teen in the sixties, and as she reaches adulthood is caught up in the local turmoil: riots in Berkeley, psychedelics in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. What next? Despite that I grew up nearby at the same time, this novel is not autobiographical... not in the least. I can honestly say Eileen had a more exciting, albeit fictional, life.
River Girl - 2004 - Has been revised a few times but needs more. Sometimes I call this Claire of the Klamath. Ten year old Claire's family leaves the San Francisco Bay Area in 1918 to go live in a cabin they've inherited in far-northern California, in the Klamath River Valley. This story chronicles her travel and her experiences adjusting to the new environment.
Primal Harmonies - 2005 - This is an unfinished novel... the only one I started during NaNoWriMo and never finished. It stands at about 50,000 words and needs another 20,000 at least. A young woman travels north to spend her summers hiking in Northern California's Marble Mountain Wilderness. During the winter she lives nearby in a community divided by secrets and controversy.
The Legend of Kao Pao - 2006 - Needs revision. This is the third novel in my series of Antediluvian Adventures. In it, Raoli, nearly 14, rebels against his village's traditional coming-of-age ceremony and feels the pull to learn more about the founder of the community's spiritual belief system.
The Valekan Migration - 2007 - Needs revision. This is the fourth novel in the Antediluvian Adventures series. In it, Maralin, fifteen, becomes part of a massive migration north after her city, Valeka, is invaded.

Tips on Writing Middle Grade Novels

Not all my novels are for middle grade aged children (ages 8 to 12, approximately) but a few of them are. Here are some of my tips for writing one of your own.

Tips For Writing Middle Grade Novels

If you have any writing skills at all, you are able to write a middle grade novel. It is easy to do and I'll show you how. A middle grade novel is intended to appeal to children ages 8 to 12. If you want to write a middle grade novel, the best way t...

Bird by Bird

...one of my favorite writing books.

If you're at all interested in learning to write novels, you're going to benefit by reading a few books by people who have already done it. This one is easy reading and well-loved by most writers.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

by: Anne Lamott

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/14/2009)

This isn't a book of writing instructions. It is more like a woman's attempt to put her writing development into perspective. She talks about her early writing experiences, novel revision madness, and her little brother's need to write a paper about birds, one bird at a time.

Creating and Using Your Writer's Notebook

If you want to write, a notebook is indispensable!

Creating and Using Your Writer's Notebook

Writers need notebooks. That's where they record all the flash inspirations the Muse sends them. Thoughts are fleeting. If you have a good idea for a writing project, you need a place to write it down. The logical place, the place thousands of writ...

When you should write:

"Grasp the day, seize the moment, enjoy the hour."

Writing Sites

...a few favorites.

These are sites that have helped me quite a lot on my writing journey.

Forward Motion for Writers: One of the best message boards for aspiring novelists I've ever seen.
National Novel Writing Month: Write a novel in a month! With a crowd!
The CBI Clubhouse: A new community for children's book writers.

Writers on Twitter and Squidoo

Great Writing Resources, Tips, Twitters, and Inspirations

This lens is filled with information to help writers develop their craft. Writing is a way of life that many of us cannot live without. A day without writing seems . . . imbalanced, don't you think? You can meet some great writers through Twitter a...

My Blogs

Perspectives on Writing

...my writing blog

My writing blog, Perspectives On Writing, has inspiration and information for writers.

Writerly Success: Success is a word that goads writers into doing things they never thought possible.
Making Time for Writing: Despite a busy schedule, you can make time for writing. No matter how little time you have, writing the first sentence is key to getting something done.
Ten Tips For New Writers: Ten tips for new writers as they set out on their writing journeys.
Let The Words Flow: How to get into the flow of writing and editing to formulate, revise, and complete a manuscript of any type.
The Unfinshed Manuscript: Advice on how to finish a stalled novel manuscript.
Themes in Children's Fiction: How to discover and develop a theme for your children's fiction.
Writing a Novel: My novel writing journey.
Twelve Tips For Writing Better Articles: If your articles seem dull, try these tips for making them spicy and exciting as well as informative. You can capture your readers' attention and make them anxious to read more.

Blogging

I blog because I like to express myself in writing. I also like web design. Writing and web design are two aspects of blogging. Blogging is more than a hobby. Currently about half my income comes from blogging.

Bigfoot Sightings

...yes, I'm a Bigfoot researcher!

My Bigfoot research blog, Bigfoot Sightings, started as a local Klamath River Valley research project.

Dazed Bigfoot Crossed California Highway 101 During Fires: There was a Bigfoot sighting on CA Highway 101 during the summer of 2008, near Willets, California
The Hoopa Bigfoot Project: Review of The Hoopa Project, a Bigfoot book by David Paulides.
Santa Cruz, California Bigfoot Sighting, 1999: There was a Bigfoot sighting in 1999 about a mile north of Santa Cruz, California.
Pennsylvania: Footprints Found In Luzerne County: Pennsylvania Bigfoot researcher, Scott Snook, found Bigfoot footprints in a patch of poison oak in Luzerne County.
Modoc National Forest Bigfoot Sighting - 1980s - Northern California: An early 1980s Bigfoot Sighting in the Modoc National Forest left three young men changed forever.
Life in Bigfoot Country: Happy Camp, California: My life in Bigfoot country - and why I decided to research Bigfoot sightings.
Theodore Roosevelt’s Bigfoot Story: President Theodore Roosevelt published this Bigfoot story in his book, The Wilderness Hunter, in 1893.
Oak Knoll Ranger District, North of Seiad Valley: Bigfoot research exploration in the Oak Knoll Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest, north of Seiad Valley. Bigfoot footprints have been reported to be seen in that area.
Possible Bigfoot Habitat Destroyed By Forest Fire: A forest fire destroyed what may have been an area with Bigfoot habitat near Happy Camp, California.
Bigfoot Expedition Near Bend, Oregon: Matt Moneymaker's Bigfoot expedition in Oregon was publicized in a Bend Oregon newspaper.
Bigfoot Bones Hidden In Indonesian Cave, Islanders Say: Indonesian islanders claim a Bigfoot used to live on their island, and they still have the bones.
Texas: Bigfoot Sighting at the Neches River: Bigfoot interrupted a fishing trip to the Neches River near Beaumont Texas, sending three friends running into the river in fear.
Tony Martin and his Bigfoot Fossil Footprints: Tony Martin and the fossil Bigfoot footprints found in Coos Canyon, Maine.
Bigfoot Sightings Reported in the Bigfoot Buzz: Bigfoot sighting encounters by indigenous people are reported in the Bigfoot Buzz by Terence Sakohianisaks Douglas.
Bigfoot Are The Old People of the Forest: An article by Bart Nunnelly tells about Cherokee Bigfoot sightings in Kentucky.
Carter Bigfoot Sighting In Tennessee: Janice Carter Coy's statement about seeing Bigfoot during her childhood is the subject of Mary Green's Bigfoot book, 50 Years With Bigfoot.
The Tobico Theory: The Tobico Theory claims that broken branches, often attributed to Bigfoot habit, may be caused by wet trees being frozen quickly, causing them to snap.
Should Bigfoot Researchers Care About Shape Shifting Reports?: There's lots of comments on this article about shape shifting!
Mushmasta's Bigfoot Video: A video that's rather blurry but intriguing.

Bigfoot Sightings Lenses

I have two Bigfoot lenses; one I made featuring sightings around the town I live in, in the center of the Klamath National Forest. The other has some great YouTube videos.

Bigfoot Videos

These are some of the best Bigfoot videos to be found on YouTube and other video sites. I've been researching Bigfoot for several years - see my Bigfoot Sightings blog for my collection of articles about Bigfoot. Note: The artwork featured here is...

Bigfoot Sightings

I've always been intrigued by the idea of Bigfoot, but it wasn't until 2005 that I decided to learn more about them. I've never seen Bigfoot, but I live in a small town in the middle of a huge forest in Northern California, and lots of people around...

The Hoopa Project

This book is about a Bigfoot research project that took place about seventy-five miles east of my town.

The Hoopa Project: Bigfoot Encounters in California

by: David Paulides

Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 07/14/2009)

I've been reading this book lately and it has been keeping me up at night - I can't put it down! These sighting reports are well-written, believable, and gripping.

Fight CPS

...my activism project.

There are few things in life more devastating than the loss of a child. When that loss is perpetrated intentionally by government agents right here in the USA, against innocent, loving, grieving family and extended family members, the loss is much more heartbreaking and traumatizing.

My intention is to serve and assist innocent victims of our country's unconscionable family devastation laws. Sad to say, there are far too many cases of children permanently removed from their families on very trivial charges. My heart aches for these families, and for the children who cry at night wondering why they can't be at home with the parents who love them.

When You’re Dealing With CPS, Where Are Your Friends?: When CPS victims are traumatized, they often don't get needed support from friends and family.
How Can We Solve The Problem Of CPS False Accusations?: How should CPS be reformed to eliminate injustice and CPS workers false accusations?
Parents: Do You Remember The Fourth Amendment?: A FIA caseworker in Michigan wanted to strip search a homeschool child.
Who Will Prepare Your Case?: Who will help you prepare your CPS case?
Make Your Court-Appointed Attorney Work For YOU: Make your court-appointed attorney work for you by writing the person a letter requesting adequate legal representation.
Filing for a State Administrative Hearing: A state administrative hearing can force a CPS caseworker to change the way a CPS case is handled.
Study Concludes That Kids Are Better Off In Troubled Homes Than In Foster Care: A study by Joseph Doyle Jr. of MIT found that children have better lives when left with troubled families, and not transferred to foster care homes.
Contacting Your State Legislator For Help: To get relief from obnoxious and abusive government agents, try writing a letter to your state legislators.
Guestbooks: Visitors to Fight CPS are welcome to sign the guestbook.
Your Case Notebook - Is It Up To Date?: During a CPS case you should keep a case notebook to record all information aobut your CPS case.

Wounded Innocents

Richard Wexler's book has become a classic about our terrible child abuse industry.

Wounded Innocents: The Real Victims of the War Against Child Abuse

by: Richard Wexler

Amazon Price: $21.58 (as of 07/14/2009)

Learn why CPS cannot be trusted to provide child abuse and neglect services to children. When the states make a big profit by dividing families and adopting them out to strangers, it encourages profiteers to behave unjustly. It looks like when there's enough money involved, they don't care who they hurt.

Klamath Design

...start a web design business!

I used to be a web design business owner. Then I got burnt out... and now my old web design site is dedicated to helping others start web design businesses. Why not? It is a great way to earn money.

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CSS

I use this book on CSS fairly often, and recommend it as a reference tool for every aspiring webmaster or web design business owner.

CSS: The Definitive Guide

by: Eric Meyer

Amazon Price: $29.69 (as of 07/14/2009)

Country Kitchen Pantry

...my cooking and ranting blog.

I cook, I write about my life, and sometimes I post recipes. That's my kitchen journal blog. I'm surprised to see that this blog is gradually gaining a regular audience. I focus on vegetarian cooking, herbs, and other naturally good stuff.

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Healthy Living

...take care of yourself!

I'm a long-time vegetarian and highly recommend this site for getting the best raw foods. David Wolfe is a master of raw food wisdom, has written several books, appeared on Coast to Coast AM to be interviewed by George Noory, and in my opinion, is someone we should all pay a lot of attention to. Being healthy is one of the most important things in life. If we're not healthy we can't enjoy the rest of life. Put health first!

Geniyyah Healing

...energy healing.

Geniyyah Healing is my blog for writing about energy healing exercises, visions, divination, and related topics.

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Hands of Light

There's no one book that perfectly matches my beliefs, processes, and activities regarding energy healing (maybe I should write it!) . . . but this is an excellent primer!

Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field

by: Barbara Brennan

Amazon Price: $19.80 (as of 07/14/2009)

This is an in-depth look at energy healing from a master of the art. It contains drawings of various states of aura sickness and health... definitely a book every energy healer should read and learn from.

EFT Joy

...emotional freedom techniques (EFT).

Wow... EFT has brought so much peace into my life! I was in terrible shape, emotionally, before my boyfriend found a EFT link on his favorite news site. That link saved us. EFT is what I use for whatever goes wrong whether it be emotionally or physically. It works for me!

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EFT

EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) help people recover from emotional traumas and other disorders by removing blockages in the energy meridian system. Through a routine of simple tapping on a series of specific sites on the body, the energy is allow...

Spirituality

My Spiritual Beliefs

I love life and all people, and form my own concept of the unknowable essence of God... I like to call God the Great Beneficent Force of the Cosmos. I'm not associated with any religious organization.

I like the Tao Te Ching:

Lao Tse

There is as much controversy about whether Lao Tse existed as there is about whether Jesus existed. Maybe more. According to tradition, Lao Tse was a great philosopher who lived about 400 BC. He is the author of the Tao Te Ching. If you're not a me...

The I-Ching

My favorite book of all time is the I-Ching:

The I Ching or Book of Changes

by: C.F. Baynes, R. Wilhelm

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/14/2009)

Insightful philosopher Richard Wilhelm translated the I-Ching into his native German, annotating along the way. This is very much worth reading and using. I've been using this for more than thirty-five years.

I Do I Ching Readings

I Ching Readings for a Changing World

Occasionally I consult the I Ching oracle on a matter of public interest, and will post the results here. The I-Ching is an ancient Chinese oracle book comprised of 64 sections, each of which explains an important condition of human experience. Thos...

My Winter Holiday Celebration

Rather than celebrate Christmas or other traditional winter holidays, I've created my own. I call it the Festival of the Inner Light and it is closely tied to a process of Creative Alchemy. This lasts from December 21 through March 21 each year.

Festival of the Inner Light

There's a new winter holiday. It's called the Festival of the Inner Light. Come along on a new adventure -- a winter-long holiday of spiritual and creative growth.

Creative Alchemy For Creative Growth

Creative alchemy is creative change. It involves your willingness to grow beyond your present boundaries and become a more versatile, daring artist in whatever medium you work with. You can experience creative alchemy in graphic arts, writing, music...

Flowering of the Human Consciousness

I've learned a lot from Eckhart Tolle about living in the now, releasing the past, and maintaining purity of spirit.

The Flowering of Human Consciousness: Everyone's Life Purpose

Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 07/14/2009)

Dowsing and Energy Healing

I do a lot of dowsing and consider that part of my spiritual path. Raymon Grace is my dowsing teacher (via books and DVDs) and I think he's pretty phenomenal.

Raymon Grace: The Future is Yours - Do Something About It!

The Future is Yours - Do Something About It! is the title of a book by Raymon Grace, an energy dowser. He combines dowsing with years of spiritual training to clear negative energies and create positive ones, bringing health and well-being into the l...

Dowsing

I've learned a type of dowsing that goes beyond just reading bio electric fields that surround each feature of this planet, including human beings. The dowsing I've been training myself to do involves actually changing energies from negative fields t...

My Social Media

I belong to so many sites... but I'll organize them all here.

Social media is something I love. I'm constantly testing out new sites just to find out what they are like. I love the creativity of web developers!

All these links go to my profile pages on the various sites.

Delicious: I use this mainly for collecting links to health information.
StumbleUpon: Great site that I don't use enough.
Digg: I like looking through popular sites for inspiration.
YouTube: I haven't made any videos of myself yet... but hope to one of these days.
Flickr: I have a few photos on Flickr... keep meaning to put more there.
Gather: I used to be very active on Gather - but that was before I found Squidoo. I'll still be at Gather to write articles. I love the way that site is set up. If you don't have an account there yet, please use my join link.
Twitter: I don't chat all day but stop in once or twice nearly every day to interact.
Tagfoot: Great bookmarking and networking site!

My Current Internet Activity

...you can keep track of me on FriendFeed

I stay busy on the internet because this is where I make my money. I have lots of blogs... plus stay active here on Squidoo and on Gather.Com too.

Your comments are welcome...

I look forward to reading your thoughts.

Lensmaster

motherbunny wrote...

You have covered some topics in your lens that I have always found interesting, have enjoyed the read very much, oh and thank you for your visit to my Def Leppard lenses. As a newbie it's so nice to be visited Jackie 5*

Posted July 05, 2009

Lensmaster

Jewelsofawe wrote...

Hi Linda,
Lulu or Create Space gives you an ISBN when you publish with them.

Posted May 24, 2009

Lensmaster

WindyWinters wrote...

I love your story! It makes you, you! I will return often to read more. Thanks! 5* :)

Posted January 12, 2009

This page created by Linda Jo Martin of:

About the author

Lensmaster LindaJM, aka Linda Martin, has been a member since June 11 2007, has rated 1,284 lenses, favorited 586, and has created 103 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Fighting Child Protective Services False Allegations". See all my lenses

My Bio

I live in the Klamath River Valley of Northern California. I share my life with my boyfriend, Bob. We like to watch movies at home on DVD, swim, hike, and prospect for gold in the Siskiyou Mountains.

You can learn more about me by reading my lensography or this page about my novel writing and blogs.

Are you a Squidoo lensmaster over age fifty?
Come join the Senior Squids!

Check out these great lenses...

: Image and Video Mentor
Welcome! I'm Linda Martin, your Image and Video Mentor here at Squidoo. I love working with images and know you will too once you have the right software and a few simple instructions. This lens lists sites where you can find free images on the web.... view lens
: Helpful Words From a Squid Angel - Quotes and Advice Too!
Hello lens visitor... are you looking for a SquidAngel? I'm one of over thirty as of April 2009. This means I'll be reviewing lenses to see what's hot and what's not. When I find a lens that deserves more recognition, I'll bless it, which will give a... view lens
: A Trip Into the Grand Canyon - January 1972
When I was nineteen I met a young man in the Haight Ashbury. A few months later we went on a hitchhiking trip that took us all the way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. This is our story, as I remember it. Unfortunately I took no photos while I was... view lens
: A Baby Boomer Defines Life After World War II
I was born in 1952 in Oakland California. My father had been in the Army during World War II. My mother was very young. I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area towns of El Cerrito and Richmond. The following free-form narrative explains my feelin... view lens
: Do You Support the Separation of School & State?
This is the statement I agreed to when I signed the Proclamation of the Alliance for the Separation of School and State: "I proclaim publicly that I favor ending government involvement in education." I signed the Proclamation about nine years ago -... view lens