Pondering history, myth, and fantasy from an early age, Martin grew up in Southern Oregon wondering what lay outside the sleepy Pacific Northwest. Readings of haunted lighthouses and native legends quickly turned to readings of the Kalevala and Prose Edda​​​​​​​. He took his interests to school where he graduated from University of Portland with a BA in History with a focus on Pagan and Christian interactions in Late Antiquity, then to Fordham University where he earned an MA in History with a focus on royal saints in High Medieval Scandinavia. He now resides with his fiancé and their two cats, Apollo and Daphne, back where it all began in Southern Oregon.