A WILD JOURNEY
Beyond the Savanna begins in the African wilderness where nineteen-year-old Hannah feels like she has it all—a lion cub she’s raised after his mother is killed, virtuous parents who love her, and dear friends who try to protect her. Hannah boldly embraces her wild life, even after her friends warn her to be careful. When poachers invade their peaceful coexistence, Hannah courageously goes up against them.
One terrifying night, her entire life—with everything she loves—is shattered. Hannah is forced to flee half a world away. In her new home, living with distant relatives who can’t begin to understand Hannah’s passions, she falls for a man whom she cannot have. Beyond the Savanna is the story of a young woman who journeys to find her true destiny, and discovers love along the way.
JOIN MARYANN
© 2020 Maryann Martinsen
TREE SPIRITS
My calm center is a meadow of graceful quakies, pale trunks stretching into the sky, the tinkling music of their leaves frolicking in the sunlight like hundreds of dancing fairies. There, I no longer feel alone, but one with the trees, their energy—their spirits. Trees are connected. They share intelligence, form alliances, nurture their young and protect their old. Their message—no living thing is alone in this world. We all live longer, healthier, and happier in the space of community. Sustainable change comes through communal evolution, not revolution.
It is my belief that the world is not changed by forcing opinions, but gently placing ideas in the path of others and helping them to recognize those same truths in themselves. I am the message tinkling in the air.
MARYANN MARTINSEN
Maryann Martinsen is an award-winning writer and animal and earth advocate. When she was just nine years old, she wrote a story, lovingly crafted it into a little book, and placed it on the shelf at the local grocery store alongside the other hopeful best sellers. Little did she know, many years later that early dream would come to life. Maryann's ambitions to become an author were forgotten when her parents divorced, and her early teens were turned upside down. It was a high school creative writing teacher who took Maryann under her wing and encouraged her to write again. During this time, she was reminded of those early aspirations, and the first seeds of the story of Hannah and her lion were planted.
