Marty Strauss and his wife Suzanne live in Colfax, California where he has been rebuilding a Victorian home since June 2000. He commutes to work in Sacramento where he works for the City's Solid Waste Division.

Now in his 50s, Strauss has been writing stories since he was a teenager. His first published book, Ice to Fire, is one of many stories and was republished in spring of 2007 by Booksurge. The story of a Southeast Alaska fishing village, it is a fictional work based on oral histories collected by Strauss when he lived and worked in Alaska.

Tale of the Golden Whale, his latest book, is now available to order directly from Mr. Strauss. This more contemporary story takes place on Alaska's North Slope. The story focus is the search for nickel, copper and silver which are so essential to our electrical world. These minerals lie at the bottom of the ocean under a swirling ice pack; the challenge is in bringing them to the surface. The story starts in 1968 with the discovery of oil on the North Slope as the two main characters start their careers.

Strauss is also working on a children's book, Chagall, the Recycling Dragon, written for 3rd and 4th graders. Through the main character, Chagall, Strauss tells the story of how a dragon's home is filled with garbage and household hazardous waste, and how Chagall teaches the neighboring village to reuse and recycle the materials they are throwing away.