Martha Novak
Mountain lover, writer, actor, and therapist are all descriptors of Martha Novak, whose latest novel, Blood Mountain, has burst onto the scene to rave reviews.
As a recognized winner of the “2024 Storytrade Award for Best Traditional Mystery,” Blood Mountain is a bestseller and tells the tale of Kate Adair, a New York investigative reporter in pursuit of two things: a serial killer and a Pulitzer Prize. Her desire for the prestigious award gets her too close to the killer, who seeks her out.
Targeted, she goes to the North Carolina mountains to hide out, specifically on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. Kate, who remembers little of her harrowing childhood, sets out to discover her past, and at one point, the story of the killer and her story intersect. What unfolds is a heart-stopping account of family, sacrifice, a mother’s love, and murder.
Kate returns to her roots in the story, and in real life, Martha Novak does the same, returning to the mountains of her youth. Born in Atlanta, Martha eventually moved part time to Highlands, where she spent many years on Lake Sequoyah. During this time, she worked as a screenwriter, playwright, director and actor, performing at the Highlands Playhouse in Annie Get Your Gun, Tintypes and other musicals. Martha now makes her permanent home on Lake Glenville, where she is penning her next novel.
When asked what her inspiration is for her work, Martha responded, “I find the world very disturbing, so this is one minor part of my experience that I can control. In my book, the bad guys get caught, and they don’t always get caught in the real world. I cherish these mountains and find them quite magical, and the book has elements of everything I love, including a bit of magical realism. I’m crazy about animals, too, and we have such a plethora up here; it’s such a gift to walk out of our door and see them every day. And I’m often asked about the dog in my book, Cully, who has a Milkbone dog biscuit mark on his head. I actually found him on Cullowhee Mountain Road and wrote him into the book.”
Martha has published two niche-market nonfiction books, The Life You Want and The Teacup Prophecies, tailored to the unique needs and passions of a specific, smaller segment of readers.
Martha just finished a whirlwind of book signings of Blood Mountain at the Highlands Hudson Library, the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, Happ’s Restaurant in Glenville, and a Champagne Event at Sashay Around Clothing Store in Cashiers.
This month, she will release an audio version of Blood Mountain which she narrated herself. It will be available on Audible.com.
Upcoming local book signings include Saturday, August 9 at 2:00 P.M., at A. Jones Co. in Cashiers. Come by for champagne and chocolates! And at Highlands Merchantile on Saturday, August 16 at 2:00 P.M.
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