Marty Essen

Marty Essen began writing professionally in the 1990s as a features writer for Gig Magazine. His first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, won six awards, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune named it a “Top Ten Green Book.” His second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico, won four awards. His novels, Time Is Irreverent, Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again! Time Is Irreverent 3: Gone for 16 Seconds, and Doctor Refurb have all become Amazon #1 Best-Sellers in at least one category. His seventh, Doctor Refurb, was a Booklife by Publisher’s Weekly Editor’s Pick and a Top-5 Finalist in the Shelf Unbound 2022 Best Indie Book contest. The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles, published in early 2025, is Marty’s eighth and most mass appeal book to-date. Marty is also a popular college speaker. Over the past seventeen years, he has captivated audiences with the stage-show version of Cool Creatures, Hot Planet, performing it on hundreds of campuses in forty-five states. Marty Essen's book awards: Winner: Best Books 2006 Book Award for Travel/Essay Bronze: 2006 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award for Travel/Essay Winner: 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award for Travel/Essay Winner: 2007 National Indie Excellence Book Award for Travel/Essay Bronze: 2007 IPPY Award for Travel/Essay Winner: 2009 Green Book Festival Award for Animals Winner: 2016 National Indie Excellence Award in Nature Winner: 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Award in Environment Silver: 2016 Nautilus Award for Animals & Nature Silver: 2016 Nautilus Award for Middle Grades Non-Fiction