Dana Martin

A Little About Me…

I am best characterized as a ringmaster of many circuses, but I’ve actually made money as a freelance writer for various magazines, as a nine-time contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul, and working with haunted attractions across the United States (I scared people for money). I was the president of Writers of Kern for five years and the editor of the nation’s first citizen journalism magazine, The Northwest Voice. I currently own and operate an escape game business developed for elementary-aged students called Schoolhouse Escapes.

After growing up in Bakersfield, Calif., I married and had three kids before attending the local university. When I earned my degree in English, someone said, “Wow, you just wasted four years of college on a degree you can never use.” My response was, “It took me nine years, thank you.” Now, I tell this story every chance I get to illustrate the point that no education is EVER wasted.

In 2016, I appeared on The Price is Right and got to utilize the infamous $1 low bid in "Contestant's Row." It worked. I made it onto the stage with Drew Carey but then didn't know the price of a small can of dog food, so I left with nothing. I DID, however, get to spin the wheel, and it's a lot heavier than it appears on television.

I am a mother, grandmother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. I wear cowboy boots a lot because they’re my favorite, I mind my own business, and I am a follower of Jesus. I work on abiding in Him daily, and He has been a patient Teacher.

My birth stone is a coffee bean.