John Martell

John Martell is a historian and adventurer from the coast of North Carolina. He grew up traveling the east coast by car or sailboat, exploring the Atlantic shore and the inland waterways throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. After graduating from UNC with a focus on geography and 20th century history, Martell took time to explore the changing landscape of the east coast, traveling the old roads used before the interstates passed by the small towns.

Martell crossed the country several times, both east/west and north/south, searching for the last remnants of the Lincoln Highway and Route 66, as well as the winding roads from southern California all the way to Canada. He tracked the industrial development and expansion of the Midwest and the use of airplane travel across the areas around midwestern states.

But the coast always called him back. Moving back to the Carolinas, Martell settled back on the coast with his wife and children. He spent his winters gathering all his information in digital form, while still creating adventures for his family as the weather got warmer. After telling his kids stories, both real and made up, about legends and tales of the coast, he penned his first novel, a fun and exciting tribute to the horror and thriller paperbacks of the 1980s he used to find left behind in beach houses after the summer tourist season was over. His first book, The Unmerciful Sea, puts a paranormal spin on events that happened in 1985, as well as during the early stages of World War II along the coast of North Carolina.