Wendy Spurlin 
Dr. Martha Lucas has an interesting story about how she was named. This and much more from her on being a baby in her Catholic Daughters of Catholic Mothers book about life as a Catholic woman in the 60s, 70, and beyond. They named me after Saint Martha, the patron saint of housewives, servants, and cooks. Catholics turn to her when dealing with chronic stress and doubt. Martha was a worker, keeping everybody fed and … Read more
Being a single working mom attending college is hard enough. Find out what happened to Dr. Martha when she was also ready to date. Twenty somethings date. So I did. In my mind, I can’t apologize or punish myself enough for not being at home with my children every minute that I wasn’t at work or in school. Did you say Catholic guilt? Oh, I’m an expert at that. I was guilty then and I’m … Read more
Dr. Martha talks about shaming women about their appearance, a thing that seems timeless. Did your mother preach modesty or let you choose what you wore? Here’s an excerpt from Catholic Daughters of Catholic Mothers and one of Dr. Martha’s experiences on the topic from when she was growing up. Modesty and shame. Strangely, I think they go together or at least have gone together in my life. My mother’s focus on modesty created a … Read more
Dr. Martha learned the importance of taking time for self from her experiences as a child. She knows what it’s like to spend too much time worrying and what it does to the body mind and spirit. In this excerpt she shares her story and one way you can relieve stress. Martha’s Rat Brain Trauma is a strong, scary word. But honestly, my childhood experience drives my animal brain to think that if one of … Read more
You’ve come a long way, babe. That’s what Dr. Martha shows in the chapter about her divorce in Catholic Daughters of Catholic Mothers. In this excerpt she shows her willingness to challenge the beliefs of the day and set her life on a nontraditional path. My D I V O R C E Naturally, I was taught that marriage is for life. If you got divorced, you weren’t allowed to remarry unless the first marriage … Read more
Hello, and welcome to my interview, although it’s more of a brain dump. I figure it’s fitting to go 1st person considering I’m the one who posts the interviews in this blog. Who am I, and why did I decide to start a publishing and video production company? Well, there’s the fact that it’s what I know best. I’ve been a writer forever and have written all kinds of stuff. The only thing I love … Read more
ArmLin House Productions welcomes Miranda Tanner to our team of children’s book authors. As you’ll see, she’s unapologetically herself and her imaginations is incredibly vivid. When asked to describe herself, she says, “Friendly, fun & spontaneous. Sprinkle of mom, Pixiedust.” In Miranda’s book series, a chemical spill flows through a town and turns animals and inanimate objects into unique monsters with vibrant personalities. After humans force them to relocate, these spunky creatures build a community, … Read more
The missing fonts issue in InDesign, which I originally encountered while placing text from an external document file, is a well known problem, or possibly it works as designed, although poorly if you ask me. Regardless, and as annoying as it is, there is a quick fix. I mainly use a Window’s machine, so the instructions below are for that operating system. The Problem of Missing Fonts in InDesign Per my opening complaint, does the … Read more
From the very beginning of self-publishing, formatting books has been one of my favorite things to do…like a hobby. I first learned the eBook process by writing the HTML and XML that encompass a book you can read on an eReader. After working in tech jobs for the early part of my career, it was a given that I’d delve deep into the guts of an eBook before learning any other method or tool to … Read more
Dr. Martha Lucas holds a Ph.D. in Research Psychology as well as a degree in Chinese Medicine. She has more than 20 years of teaching and speaking experience. While Lucas loves practicing Chinese medicine and writing, her absolute favorite role in life is that of grandmother. In Catholic Daughters of Catholic Mothers, Dr. Lucas candidly recounts memories of her Catholic daughter’s childhood. The book beginning with her parents choosing which saint to name her after … Read more