Lee Martin

A born storyteller, the California ranch girl has worked hard at her craft to become a successful Western novelist and screenwriter.

- Henry C. Parke

When Western novelist and screen writer Lee Martin visited the set of Shadow on the Mesa, the first film based on one of her books, the cast and crew were astonished to meet the author. "When my sweetheart and I went to the location, they all thought he was Lee Martin. One of those crusty old guys almost swallowed his cigarette. But [leading man] Kevin Sorbo didn't bat an eye when he saw that I was female; he was very gracious. I've always wanted him to be in my Westerns; he's attached to Hang Town right now, when we get the funds."

For the author of 28 Western novels, with three Western movies made, the romance and mystery of the West was a perfect fit. "My father came to California on horseback. He was part Cherokee and French and German. He worked on different cattle ranches. And he had a cattle ranch at the end. We lost him when we were young, so my brothers became my heroes, and they are probably in some of my novels. My sister and I followed them around the rodeos."

Martin hasn't been influenced by any particular Western authors. "Actually, I was influenced by movies, all the Westerns, and John Wayne especially. In third grade I started writing stories in spiral notebooks. I didn't decide to be a writer: I never had a choice. I just began writing stories because they were in me and had to come out. When I write, even now, it's spontaneous, without planning; and sometimes the hero demands it."