Martin was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and she received her BA in history from Grove City College in 1984, and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Management Information Systems from Pennsylvania State University in 1986.[1][2] She worked for seventeen years as a VP of Corporate Communications and other marketing roles before founding DreamSpinner Communications in 2003.[3]
Her first novel, The Summoner, was published in 2007, and she has been a prolific author ever since. In addition to her fiction writing, Martin writes feature articles for regional and national magazines and teaches public relations writing and public speaking for the University of North Carolina - Charlotte.[1] In 2018, Martin started publishing romance under the pen name Morgan Brice.[4]
Her first story was about a vampire, which she wrote at age five.[1] She also enjoyed watching Dark Shadows and Lost in Space in preschool.[1] In college, she started a fanzine and is a regular attendee of science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs, and living history sites.[1]
She married Larry N. Martin in 1987 and has three children.[3]
Awards and receptionedit
Ascendant Kingdoms Sagaedit
SF Signal felt that Ice Forged "Starts out with the swagger of a disaster/post-apocalyptic/fantasy hybrid but undergoes an unappealing change of course at the 2/3 mark and ends with a whimper,"[5] while a Publishers Weekly review felt it suffered from an "inflated dialogue-to-action ratio."[6]
Publishers Weekly said that the extensive cast of characters and detailed action in War of Shadows were "...both strengths and weaknesses." They further said: "Colorful descriptions of vivid battle and magic scenes, complete with terrifying fantastic creatures, and complex familial and political relationships will reward the motivated reader, but when characters speculate on the actions of their adversaries it slows an already unwieldy story."[7]
The Chronicles of the Necromanceredit
In Fantasy Magazine's review of Dark Haven, Richard Dansky explored the novel's world-building versus character development, saying "Fans of world-building will probably find it lightweight, while fans of characters will be much more engaged."[8]
Fallen Kings Cycleedit
A Publishers Weekly review called found book one, The Sworn, "fun and accessible, if hardly groundbreaking...There's little plotwise that will surprise fantasy veterans, but it's a solidly told story and very friendly to new readers."[9] However, it found The Dread, "Ambitious in scope and meticulous in detail, this adventure has no shortage of intrigue and action. Unfortunately, it’s bogged down by a sizable cast, myriad plot lines, and a slow start."[10]
Deadly Curiositiesedit
“One of the most action-packed stories I've read for a while ... one of the best starts to an urban fantasy series that I've read in the last year”—The Book Bundle on Deadly Curiosities [11]
"A few loose threads leave the impression that this is the first of many adventures for Cassidy and her team, and a refreshing lack of interpersonal and sexual drama will appeal to longtime fans of paranormal mysteries."—Publishers Weekly on Deadly Curiosities http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-78108-233-1
Bibliographyedit
Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (published by Orbit Books)edit
Ice Forged. January 2013.
Reign of Ash. April 2014.
War of Shadows. April 2015.
Shadow and Flame. March 2016.
Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Short Stories)edit
No Reprieve. December 2015.
Assassins of Landria (published by Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency)edit
Joe Mack (Novellas) (published by Falstaff Books)edit
Cauldron. July 2019.
Black Sun. April 2020.
The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures (Short Stories)edit
Raider's Curse. February 2013.
Caves Of The Dead. March 2013.
Storm Surge. May 2013.
Bounty Hunter. June 2013.
Blood's Cost. July 2013.
Stormgard. September 2013.
Monstrosities. January 2014.
Bad Places. February 2014.
Dead Man's Bet. March 2014.
Dark Passage. April 2014.
Bad Blood. September 2014.
Haunts. November 2014.
Cursed. December 2014.
Death Plot. December 2014.
Brigands. February 2015.
Bleak Harvest. March 2015.
Hard Choices. March 2015.
Dead Reckoning. April 2015.
Desperate Flight. May 2015.
Deathmatch. January 2017.
Guardian. February 2017.
Smuggler. April 2017.
Spells, Salt, & Steel (Novellas) (published by Falstaff Books)edit
Spells, Salt, & Steel. July 2017.
Open Season. February 2018.
Double Trouble. June 2018.
Close Encounters. September 2018.
Night Moves. August 2019.
Monster Mash. March 2020.
Creature Feature. October 2020.
Storm and Fury Adventures (Short Stories) (co-written with Larry N. Martin)edit
Resurrection Day. July 2015.
Grave Voices. January 2016.
Airship Down. February 2016.
Rouge. March 2016.
Ghost Wolf. April 2017.
Lagniappe. May 2017.
Ruin Creek. June 2017.
The Hunt. September 2017.
Wasteland Marshals (Novellas) (published by Falstaff Books)edit
Wasteland Marshals. July 2019.
Witch of the Woods. February 2020.
Ghosts of the Past. July 2020.
Stand-alone titlesedit
Iron and Blood. July 2015.
Sons of Darkness: A Night Vigil Novel. November 2018.
Non-fictionedit
The Thrifty Author's Guide to Launching Your book Without Losing Your Mind. April 2010.
30 Days To Social Media Success : The 30 Day Results Guide to Making the Most of Twitter, Blogging, Linkedin, and Facebook. Career Press. October 2010. ISBN 9781601631305.
Thrifty Author: Social Media and Mobile Apps for Authors. Comfort Publishing. August 2012. ISBN 9781936695959.
Referencesedit
^ abcde"Gail Z. Martin returns to Solaris with a brand new urban fantasy novel!".
^ ab"Author Query – Gail Z. Martin – A Fantastical Librarian". Archived from the original on 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
^"Welcome to the 2018 Days of the Dead Tour". Retrieved 2021-01-13.
^"BOOK REVIEW: Ice Forged by Gail Z. Martin". Sf Signal. 20 December 2012.
^"Fiction Book Review: Ice Forged: Book One of the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga by Gail Z. Martin. Orbit, $15.99 trade paper (592p) ISBN 978-0-316-09358-3".
^"Fiction Book Review: War of Shadows by Gail Z. Martin . Orbit, $16 trade paper (640p) ISBN 978-0-316-27802-7". Publishersweekly.com.
^"Book Review: Dark Haven by Gail Z. Martin". 9 August 2009.
^"Fiction Book Review: The Sworn: The Fallen Kings Cycle, Book 1 by Gail Z. Martin, Orbit, $7.99 mass market (576p) ISBN 978-0-316-09357-6". February 2011.
^"Fiction Book Review: The Dread by Gail Z. Martin. Orbit, $7.99 mass market (640p) ISBN 978-0-316-09361-3". 31 January 2012.
^"Book review: Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z Martin". The Book Bundle. 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2015-12-01.