Paul Martin

This particular Paul Martin—there are many men by that name and quite a number of authors also—was born in 1967 and raised primarily in Gardner, Massachusetts, a smallish blue-collar city in the North Central part of the state.

His high school English teacher told him after reading his first book, One Man's Leg, "I always told you you were a good writer."

"Then why'd you give me a D Junior year?" Paul asked.

"I never said you were a good student," she replied.

That poor grade came about the time Paul put himself in a foster home in search of a more peaceful existence. He found his groove soon after, earned an engineering degree from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and lost his leg in a car accident six months later.

That's when he really took off. Paul saw not the loss of a leg but of an opportunity to pursue sports with a vigor he hadn't possessed since middle school. He has since completed 10 Ironman triathlons—setting the world record for leg amputees in the process, has won Paralympic cycling medals and spreads his message of optimism and work ethic whenever he's given the stage.

One Man's Leg was deemed "Irresistible" by the USAToday and his second book, Drinking From My Leg: Lessons from a Blistered Optimist—a celebration of physical abilities, psychological doggedness and spiritual clarity—reached #1 on Amazon in both Sports and Biographies.

He lives in Colorado with his wife, Dr Sharon Wetherall, and three sons, Jack, Luke, and Baby Jaguar...that last one is still in the womb as of this writing.