11 Facts About Valerie Martin

Valerie Martin is an American novelist and short story writer.

Valerie Martin's father was a sea captain and her mother was a housewife whose family goes back several generations in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Valerie Martin was raised in New Orleans from the age of three, attending public elementary school and a Catholic high school.

Valerie Martin has taught at multiple colleges and universities in the United States, in both visiting and tenure-track positions.

Valerie Martin was the first person to read the completed manuscript of Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, claiming she told Atwood that the book would make her rich.

Valerie Martin wrote a biography of St Francis of Assisi titled Salvation: Scenes from the Life of St Francis.

Valerie Martin was married to artist Robert M Martin from 1970 until their divorce in 1984.

Valerie Martin lived with her partner, the translator John Cullen, and her cat named Jackson Gray.

Valerie Martin has continued to teach at the college level even though her writing career has been successful, sometimes taking breaks from the classroom in order to complete a work.

Valerie Martin says she needs the social activity of working with young authors to balance the solitary activity that is writing.

Valerie Martin initially writes in longhand, later transferring the text to a computer.