We were lucky to catch up with Eileen Martin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Eileen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

This was my inspiration to write my first 400-page historical novel, Lena-tu-ha, An Apache Maiden. I am married to the great-great grandson of Geronimo, the famous Apache warrior. 30 years ago, when I met my mother-in-law, I asked her to tell me something about being an Apache. She was living in Denver at the time and not on a reservation. She told me about her grandmother and two aunts who had escaped from the POW train, by crawling through broken slats on the cattle car. The train was taking the children to from San Carlos to the Indian School in San Carlisle, PA, to become “civilized.” These 3 young, teen girls traveled across the desert, searching for the Rendezvous points set up by Geronimo. They had nothing but the clothes on their backs – not even shoes! Her grandmother, Lena-tu-ha, was captured and sold into slavery to Mexican ranchers. The story of how she went from there to becoming a wealthy dame in Denver, Colorado, who spoke 4 languages, played the piano, danced and sang, intrigued me. I felt compelled to write down everything she told me. I wrote the first few chapters and set it aside, periodically adding stories my husband would tell me about his famous relative. Then my husband got on Ancestry.com and uncovered actual documents about Lena-tu-ha and other relatives. Simultaneously, we had moved to Arizona, which is rich in Apache history and heritage. I started researching and reading on the history of the Apaches, both in the US and in Mexico. I had to learn about Pancho-Villa because he played a large role in how Lena-tu-ha attained her stature. I finally published my book in May, 2023 . There seems to be a public renewal of interest in the Native Americans at this time, thanks to series like “Yellowstone”. “1883”, “Dark Winds” and others. I personally believe the tale of these 3 young girls would make a great movie. If nothing else, I am hoping the book makes people realize the hardships the Apaches endured, and are still enduring.

Eileen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My father was a physicist and an author of science fiction novels. I think I always wanted to write like him, so I believe he was my inspiration. I was always a voracious reader and would rather read a book than watch tv. While my children were little, I worked in the schools. I would help the students with their school newsletters. As I moved on in my career, I worked for a major corporation as their West Coast News Editor. The company was good to me and sent me to writing classes. For a while, I had my own newsletter called the “Magpie Gazette” in a rural town in Ohio. It was actually picking up steam and I had a good reader base. I even had major companies asking if they could buy advertising space. Unfortunately, my husband had a transfer to Texas, and I had to give up my paper. In Texas, I got a job as a Human Resources Manager for a start-up company and wrote all of their rule books and manuals. Simultaneously, we had our own start-up Fiber Optics company, and I wrote our manuals as well. I had started a book about my husbands’ great grandmother and his aunts, but never felt like I had the time to put into it to complete it. Every now and then, I would pick it up and add to it. After I retired, I became serious about completing it. However, all of the people with first-hand knowledge of the family had passed on, so I had to dig up all of the documentation myself. And I had to read over 15 books to find the necessary information and facts about my husband, Geronimo’s , family. I finally completed my 400 page novel in May 2023. I am now a member of the Western Writers Association and plan to continue to write.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I get to share what I learned about the trials and tribulations of the Apache People with everyone who wants to learn more about them. I was raised as a middle-class white girl. Geronimo, my husband, was my first contact with any Native American. All the knowledge I had about Indians came from the “Lone Ranger”! Although my husband, (Geronimo’s great great grandson) was adopted by a middle-class family in Denver when he was 3, he was also raised by his great-grandmother, Lena-tu-ha, who lived nearby. From my spouse, I learned that he had to stay in hiding and pretend he was Mexican, for fear that he would be captured and taken off to an Indian Boarding school. That was happening until 1969. Being married to him, I learned about prejudice firsthand for the first time in my life. We were refused service in restaurants, even in Las Vegas. We were stared at in public places, like freaks. (I am a blue-eyed blond) I was challenged with questions such as “what are you doing with the likes of him:” In researching for my book, I interviewed many American Indians, mostly relatives of my husband. I learned about the hardships they went through, as well as what their families endured. I read biographies, history books, and newspaper articles. I discovered how remarkable, adaptive and resilient the Indians were and are. In my book, I am able to expose the realities the Indians faced and let others learn more about them. After people have read my book, they call me to ask me questions about where and how I got my information. Educating the Public has been my greatest reward.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have actually been writing this novel of and on for twenty years. When I retired and settled into some serious writing, I wrote a whole chapter about a white man Lena-tu-ha met in Tombstone. In my early writing I had planned to make him Lena-tu-ha’s lover and mate. After I had written about twenty pages, my husband informed me that his great grandmother found “half-breeds” to be disgusting. So I had to delete twenty pages and start over again. I wanted my book to be as historically accurate as possible. The longer I took to write it, the more information I would get that would cause me to rewrite or research a whole new aspect. In the book, Pancho Villa played an important role in how Lena-tu-ha assumed a new identity as the rancher’s wife. In my whole life, nobody ever taught me anything about Pancho Villa. So I had to pause my writing and read as much as I could find on Pancho Villa. I had to continually modify my storyline to match new historical events that came to light. I found the research to be as much fun as the writing though and I learned so much about the times and lives of the people in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Contact Info:

• Website: Geronimolegends.com
• Linkedin: Eileen Martin

Image Credits
Ed Mitchell photography