Official Bio:
Tyrean Martinson is a word hunter. She forages for words both sweet and tart in the South Sound of Washington State. An eclectic writer, she writes speculative fiction, contemporary and historical fiction, short scripts, devotions, writing books, song lyrics, and poetry. She has been a fencer (long ago), a kickboxer (for a short minute), and an action-movie fan. She is a life-long book lover, a Christ follower, and walker. Once upon a time, she was a Girl Scout who sang too loudly, and now she’s a podcaster and praise team member. Since childhood, her imagination has been swept away by fairy tales, science fiction, tales of overcoming the odds, and redemption arcs.
My goal for writing: to provide entertaining, thought-provoking, inspirational, and empowering fiction, poetry, and non-fiction for a primary audience of young women and men (age 11-18) and a secondary audience of adults.
A note for Christian readers: Jesus is my Savior, my
redeemer, my rock, and my refuge. I have read the New Testament over seventeen
times, and the Old Testament over ten times. I love the Lord. But I do not love
how many Christians treat women. God has always treated women with respect, not
like objects, servants, fools, or weaklings. If you doubt, check out Deborah’s
story, Esther’s story, Mary and Martha’s story, the story of the woman at the
well, the story of how Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene at the tomb and
specifically of what he told her to do. He didn’t tell her to clean up the
tomb, he told her to share the story of his resurrection. A woman with a
checkered past, in a time and place where women were probably less respected
than they are today, was expected to tell the disciples (the most trusted followers
of Jesus) about the most important event in faith and world history.
Recently, I read a terrible example of a Christian speculative
fiction novel for teens in which the male protagonist shamed his love interest
because of her physical appearance – and I was horrified. I have read Christian
fantasy novels written for adults in which the male protagonists slapped or hit
their love interests in a way that promoted that behavior, and I threw those
books in the trash. Christ did not show violence to women or children. Jesus
did not shame women. Because I have read Christian novels
which have treated women as objects, weaklings, or fools, I write the counterexample:
women as individuals, warriors, and scholars.
I do understand in fiction writing we need to have examples of bad behavior to show what a hero/heroine might be up against. In one short story published by an online magazine, I did have a male villain who enacted violence against a woman. I was trying to get into the thought process of a loathsome character, NOT give an example of how decent people should behave, but I do regret sending that story out into the world. We didn't need one more example of loathsome behavior.
What we do need: examples of flawed protagonists becoming heroines and heroes, examples of decent, every day people overcoming odds, and examples of redemption. That's my focus these days.
My writing e-mail: tyreantigger@gmail.com
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iBooks Page
Barnes and Noble Page
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Ministry, Volunteer Centers, and Missions that I support, financially and/or with prayer:
One Hope Church is a small church with a local and global impact. We wear casual clothes, but we're passionate about sharing the gospel with our hands, our feet, and our voices. 20% of our members have been on mission trips around the globe. Even more members serve or have served in our community.
Peace Rehabilitation Center in Nepal works to prevent human trafficking, and help at-risk girls and women.
Global Seed Planters supports people throughout the world with solar players, Sister Acts, the Story Revolution, and more.
Go Missions International has it's hands and arms spread across Latin America. In 2017, a group of youth from One Hope Church including my daughter, will serve in Peru with Go Missions.
Several other members of One Hope Church have served there in the past four years.
Peace Community Center supports and encourage youth historically underrepresented in college to cultivate their talents so they can reach their full potential.
World Vision's Statement sums up who they are and what they do.
