A naive Midwestern exchange student immersed in the exotic sights, sounds, and smells of central Turkey falls under the spell of a charming Turkish Svengali and unwittingly becomes an international rug smuggler.

The Turk ends the relationship, shattering Martha’s dreams, but remains a controlling and difficult influence as she strives to rebuild her life back in America. After committing herself to her studies at the Juilliard School, she believes she has broken her addiction to the Turk and his culture, but in a moment of weakness, returns to Turkey.

Witness the joys and struggles of her search for love.

Martha Thompson’s first book, The Oxygen Mask Rule: How My Battle with Anorexia Taught Me to Survive, in 2012, was a finalist in the women’s issues category of the 2012 International Book Awards and honorable mention in the biography/autobiography category of the 2012 Hollywood Book Festival and the 2012 New York Book Festival. Her second book, Giving Paws: Having a Service Dog for a Hidden Disability, earned an honorable mention in the dog category for the 2018 Animals, Animals, Animals Book Festival.
Before she discovered her love for writing, Martha worked for twenty-five years as an actor. She studied at the Juilliard School of Drama, toured nationally with John Houseman’s Acting Company, and worked in many theatres. She also appeared in national commercials and sitcoms. Martha writes and performs for Iron Skirts Productions, an all-female storytelling company in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband, two dogs, and four quail.