Martha Hunt Handler
Martha Hunt Handler grew up in northern Illinois dreaming about wolves and has always understood that her role in this lifetime is to tell stories and be a voice for nature. She has been an environmental consultant, a magazine columnist, an actress, and a polar explorer, among other occupations. She has also driven across the country in an 18-wheeler and been a grand-prize winner of The Newlywed Game.
Soon after she and her family relocated from Los Angeles to South Salem, New York, she began to hear wolves in her backyard. This was the start of her twenty-plus-year career as an advocate for wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center, where she currently serves as Board President. When not up near the wolves and her rescue pups, she can be found in New York City with her husband and four adult children.
This is her first novel but definitely not her last.
Twitter: @marthahandler
Instagram: @MarthaHuntHandler
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
Like one of my characters in Winter of the Wolf, I watched the 1922 silent movie Nanook of the North in third grade and became obsessed with it. I don’t completely understand why. The only explanation I can come up with is that I’d been an Inuit in past life and perhaps had even known Nanook. That’s how deeply I felt the connection. I knew when I started writing this novel that I had to incorporate them into the story.
What’s your favorite comic strip or graphic novel?
I’m dating myself, but my favorite comic strip was The Far Side by Gary Larsen. When I was young, if I listened very carefully, I was able to hear animals speaking to me. Surprisingly, I found they had quite a sense of humor. The majority of Mr. Larson’s cartoons depicted animals saying really outlandish things. Sadly, he stopped producing his cartoons 25 years ago, but I just heard he’s resurfacing on a digital platform, so I am thrilled!
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?
Traveling to the poles. It is so brilliantly stark and quiet– something that’s getting harder and harder to find, and, best of all, there’s no internet. I also really enjoy frigid weather. It makes me feel more alive than sitting on a hot beach.
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
I collect so many things, my kids think I’m a freak. I have feathers, turtle shells, animal skulls, snake skins, wolf fur, rocks, etc. It helps me feel connected to nature and being surrounded by it while I write, both comforts and inspires me.
What brings you great joy?
Wolves! All the author proceeds from my novel are going to support my work at the Wolf Conservation Center. From the time I was very young, wolves appeared in my dreams. They always appeared in the role of teachers who were pointing out things I otherwise would have missed. I understood early on that they were my spirit animal. When I was in my early 40’s, my dreams actually came true when I heard wolves howling in my back yard. When I investigated, I met a young French woman who told me of her plans to open a non-profit wolf center that would focus on: 1) educating the public about the importance of this keystone species, 2) advocating on their behalf, and 3) acting as a breeding and pre-release facility for the two most critically endangered wolves in North America; the red wolf and the Mexican grey wolf. I jumped on board to help her and have been doing so for over 20 years ago. I believe storytelling and bringing wolves back from the brink of extinction are my role in this lifetime.
