Meet Christy Martin, wife of this month’s featured author, Charles Martin. His latest novel, The Mountain Between Us, is the She Reads November book club selection.

Christy, will you share with our readers the story of you and Charles, and what it’s like being the woman behind this novelist?

Ladies, it’s so fun to get to share my side of our journey.  Charles shares a bit of our back-story as an Afterward in The Dead Don’t Dance and Maggie, which are his first two books.  I hope you’ll have the opportunity to know us even better by reading them.

The first memory I have of Charles was in high school. (I was in 10th grade; he’s a year older). He was speaking at Fellowship of Christian Athletes one night after having finished football practice. I was struck by his authenticity and real relationship with the Lord. He talked about Him like a friend, someone he really knew or was getting to know better.

Unfortunately for me, he had a girlfriend at that time and I a boyfriend, but about two years later we found ourselves freed up! We dated through college – half of it painfully long distance. So I have known him a long time now. That was 21 years ago. We’ve been married for 17.

Seven years into marriage we had a moment like in the movie The Firm. Remember the one where Tom Cruise is offered the envelope from the Memphis attorneys? It represented Tom’s dream come true, big salary, move to Memphis, start the career.  You just couldn’t wait for him to pick up the envelope and pack the U-Haul. Remember how it felt?

Charles had been working in the business world while also writing a novel in his own time. He got that envelope and had to make a decision. Take the wonderful job opportunity being offered him, but unlike Tom Cruise, not the one he was passionate about, but would provide financial security. Or jump off the cliff and try this writing thing. It was a moment of decision and he would have taken the job to honor me, but really didn’t want it.

After a very long weekend of consideration (did I mention I was very pregnant with our second son … so throw in raging hormones), I told him, “OK, one time, all out, we’ll try this writing thing. I don’t want you to be in your 40s saying, ‘I shoulda woulda, coulda tried to be a writer.’”

He wrote and did all the menial labor jobs he could find. I cut coupons, and didn’t have hot water in the kitchen for 6 months. We sent out queries, got rejections, and talked to everyone we could find in the writing world and prayed like crazy. Finally a breakthough happened.

{That breakthrough led to an agent and the publication of The Dead Don’t Dance}

Charles hasn’t changed over the years. He says in The Dead Don’t Dance in tribute to his parents: “thank you for teaching me to run with reckless abandon and then letting me do it”…. Yes, they gave him boundaries and curbs to keep him in check, but they challenged him to live “all out” in life and in his pursuit of the Lord. His mom has said they gave him a long leash and as long as it wasn’t immoral or illegal they let him try it. He started hunting with his dad and grandfather as a very young boy. Learning from them, being trusted with more and more responsibility as he proved himself.

I think his parents, mom especially, did a beautiful job not allowing her fear of what might happen to restrict his heart and dreams.  He learned that whether glory or failure you can learn from both.  I think it’s only been in the last few years, raising three boys of our own, that I have begun to understand what that really looks like and means.  It’s a gift they gave him. They really trusted him to The Lord, to mold and make, and to bring about His purposes for Charles.

My cousin sent me a Facebook message this week saying she had been reading Charles’ fan mail and “wondered if it was ever hard for me to read all those messages from so many females, like a rock star with groupies.” I told her he’s a real guy.  Just like all of our husbands. He has to brush his teeth in the AM, has bad moods, and funny quirks. And he shoots varying-sized animals –he’s a hunter, big time.  “We interrupt this marriage for hunting season” is true in our house.  It really has affected my personal decorating style … camouflage doesn’t work with my color scheme. Marry a Martin and you get the animal heads as part of the package.

If he’s in writing mode I can have a full five-minute (albeit one-sided) conversation and then realize even though he’s looking at me he hasn’t heard a word. He takes long, adventurous writing “research” trips and leaves me with the boys for days, or weeks at a time. His phone rings constantly and he’s continually telling me to “hold on.” Another one-sided conversation. I’m getting good at them. Pretty soon I’ll wise up and start answering for him and really get my way.  Maybe I’ll plan a “research” trip. To Europe, first class.

He’s not perfect, but he’s tender, adventurous, a GREAT dad and my very best friend.  We have a lot of fun. He’s an unusual mix: very tender and able to articulate his thoughts and emotions, and a man’s man. He grew up with three sisters.  I guess he had to learn to communicate or die from estrogen-overload.

Why all this about our past and Charles when this is supposed to be about me?

Because we are a team. We have been from the beginning.  This thing – this LIFE , this journey – we are doing it together. I think seeing Charles’ faith in the Lord and consistent, passionate pursuit of what he was created for coupled with his desire to ultimately glorify Him through his life, gave me the courage to throw away a future that seemed secure with the firm for one that is totally unknown.  It was a big jump; Corporate America and six figures, my dream house with the white fence, and glass slippers, for the life of an artist and lots of uncertainty instead.

People say to me regularly: “oh you are so great to give him the freedom to pursue this career. How did you trust him enough to go for it?” I didn’t trust Charles enough, but I trusted and do trust that the Lord is moving in an active way in pursuit of us. Our gifts, talents, and dreams are His and HE will correct and reprove where Charles or we get off track.

My deep faith in The Lord’s goodness and love, gave me the ability to place my worries of financial security, acceptance by our family (especially mine!) and my children’s future and security back on the Lord and say I trust YOU with US.

It removed the pressure I would normally put on Charles as my emotional and material provider as I gave it to the Lord.

Yes, I still gripe and complain sometimes….wish we had a pool or even that I could have my dream house. For Pete’s sake I’m an interior designer. It would be really beautiful! We could have lots of rooms for guests and closet doors that slide properly. I could fight Charles and say no, “THIS ISN’T SAFE. What if they don’t renew your contract and we have to start all over?”  But…

We’ve trusted God at every step and turn. I’ve said many times He didn’t bring us this far to drop us off on the curb and leave.  We have had to walk through personal and professional fires. The process is painful, but the result can be beautiful. Our life is rich in ways that are of greater value than my current economic situation.   We are seeing the faithfulness of the Lord regularly and we know His presence.

So when I look back and reflect on our journey walking away from Corporate America (remember you have to read the Afterward for more details) do I wish for it all back?  Heck No! I love living a life and being in a place where I have an expectation of God to speak, act, intervene, protect, provide for and defend my family and me.

Simon Ponsonby in his book More says, “I want to live out an expression of Christianity that is biblically authentic, vigorous and vital.” To live in expectancy, I like that, vigorous and vital, that’s exciting and to know that YOU and I are loved by God. The King who wants to be in relationship with me and you.   It’s a good place to be. Not safe by the world’s standards, predictable or easy.  But it is full, rich and a place of hope.

“…we exalt in the hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exalt in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings perseverance; and perseverance proven character and proven character hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given us.” Romans 5: 2-5

About Ariel Lawhon

Ariel Lawhon is the co-founder of She Reads, novelist, blogger, and life-long reader. She lives in Texas with her husband and four young sons (aka The Wild Rumpus). Ariel believes that Story is the shortest distance to the human heart.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•