Patricia Miles Martin
Patricia Miles Martin (November 14, 1899 – 1986) was an American children's author who published under her own name as well as using Miska Miles, Patricia A. Miles, and Jerry Lane. As Miska Miles, she received a Newbery Honor for her book "Annie and the Old One" in 1972. Biography. Born in Cherokee, Kansas, she graduated from the University of Wyoming. Following her graduation, she worked for four years as an elementary school teacher in Denver, Colorado and Arminto, Wyoming. Martin and her husband, Edward R. Martin, then moved to California. In 1957, Martin enrolled in an  upholstery class at San Mateo College. When she discovered that the class was full, she sat down instead in a creative writing class where seats were available. During that course, she wrote the manuscript that would become her first published book, "Sylvester and the Voice in the Forest" (1958). Martin would go on to write more than 100 stories in her career under several pen names. "Annie and the Old One" received a 1972 Newbery Honor, and was made into a 1976 film. The "Washington Post" would later describe "Annie and the Old One" as characterized by "gentle restraint." Martin  died in 1986. Her papers are held by the University of Southern Mississippi library and the University of Minnesota library.