About the Books

Book: About Face, Rest, and Intents and Purposes
Author: Tonia Colleen Martin
Genre: Illustrated Poetry
Release Date: 2019 and 2020

The terrible accident happened too long ago to remember the specifics. Having lost what she doesn’t remember owning, it takes the miracle of crossing paths with Hush, Shush and Silence, to reveal the truth. The shock of realizing she struggled to maintain an identity never meant to be hers, floors her. From a position of surrender, the surface of her tears mirrors who she has always been but hasn’t seen and does not know. Unimaginable possibilities, surprising choices and thrilling freedom ensues.

At the core of all anxiety is mistaken identity. About Face invites readers to consider who they might be apart from other people’s expectations and who they might become.

Click here to get your copy of About Face!

A perennial gift book for the stressed and beleaguered. Falling into the growing category of children’s books for adults, Rest: An Invitation to Freedom, lures readers out of frenzied productivity into a state of peaceful contemplation. Written for exhausted high achievers, this story is suitable for office lobbies, coffee and bedside tables.

“The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. At its best, the fairy story or fantasy is far from being a flight from reality; it is, rather, a flight to reality.”- JRR Tolkein

“The trumpet of imagination, like the trumpet of the Resurrection, calls the dead out of their
graves.” – GK Chesterton

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” — C.S. Lewis

Click here to get your copy of Rest: An Invitation to Freedom!

This story took longer to live than to transcribe. For daydreamers, truth-seekers, joy-feeders, and those longing to let your heart instruct your mind, this little book is for you. Falling into my own stylized category of children’s book for adults, Intents and Purposes, chronicles the path of a life abandoned by disconnection and loneliness as it moves to the threshold of hope and contentment.

Both text and illustrations are mine. Although countless versions reside in my constantly reconfiguring memory, this compilation seems to be its truest version.

Click here to get your copy of Intents and Purposes!

About the Author

I earned my MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, received the Hallberg Award for Art; Best of Show, Blue Line Gallery, Membership Medley; published in The Arts in Religious and Theological Studies; Ruminate Magazine; Metonym; Sierra College Journal.

More from Tonia

They are ready! Finally! These three illustrated books are condensed chronicles of various phases of my spiritual development. Over the years, I’ve learned that the deepest matters of the heart seem to be resistant to the confines of words. Images aid in the capture of emotions, but even still, the heart is shy. It runs from impatience and requires a concentration of listening and a suspension of judgment.

Each one of these books hovers over distinct territories and touch down in depths most avoid. I struggle to put my experiences into a kind and beautiful package, hoping to lure readers into places of feeling many might avoid. Not realizing they would be officially released during this unnerving pandemic, I am now so grateful for the message of hope that invites readers into possibilities and faith in our merciful Father of Lights who brought all things into being and is, even now, administering Peace to those who simply ask and expect. For those who suffer in the unknown, as I have and often do, I invite to include the reading of these missives of encouragement and their distribution of the message of Hope hidden in their pages. They were written to uplift you on the days when you can find no words for your longing, no relief for your uncertainty and a deep desire for encouragement. I am eager to get them out in the world.

Author Interview

What was the inspiration behind this series?

Tonia: The three books being promoted by Celeb Lit were developed as a response and an exploration of the path from living like an orphan in a story of my own invention to living out the redeemed story of my position as God’s daughter and a joint heir with Christ Jesus.

How long did it take you to write this novel?

Tonia: These books are not novels. They are gift books, much shorter than a novel, more dense and concentrated in terms of their messages of hope and how to overcome discouragement and loneliness. Several years went into the writing and illustration of the books. I can’t say I kept track. I just kept whittling away at my message, carving off unnecessary words or superfluous ideas.

What was the most surprising thing you discovered while researching and writing this set?

Tonia: It surprised me how often the core issues of abandonment and misidentification propel people into recycling back over and over again in a direction of repetitive harm.

Do any of the novel’s characters hold a special place in your heart?

Tonia: They all hold a special place in my heart. Their struggles are my struggles.

Do you have a favorite quote from this novel?

Tonia: “When people with poor eyesight mingle with those with selective hearing, accidents happen.”

What do you hope readers take away from this novel?

Tonia: I hope readers will be encouraged to have their struggles revealed & represented by the various characters.

If the novel was made into a movie, who would like you to see play the main characters?

Tonia: My little books would lend themselves quite well to very short videos that could be sent to encourage people who are feeling alone and discouraged.

Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?

Tonia: I lived most of my life being afraid of freedom, even though I didn’t realize it. When a life-altering tragedy put me in a position of having the freedom to make all kinds of decisions, I suddenly realized how frail my faith was.

In what setting do you enjoy writing the most?

Tonia: I need big blocks of time and silence.

What are you reading now?

Tonia: I am reading a novel about the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict.

How many bookshelves are in your home?

Tonia: Five….they are everywhere.

Who is an author you would recommend to anyone and everyone?

Tonia: C.S. Lewis; Frederick Buechner; Wendell Berry.

What do you like to do when you aren't writing?

Tonia: I paint, garden, cook; spend time with children and grandchildren, participate in “story” writing workshops.

Where can readers find out more about you and your novel?

Tonia: www.toniacolleenmartin.com; I love email correspondence: tonia.colleen@gmail.com.