When Short Hills native Alfred Martino was residing in Los Angeles in the early 1990s he had a semi-epiphany.

“When you live in L.A., you have to write a screenplay,” Martino, 45, said jokingly. “I’m not sure if you’re allowed in L.A. without writing a screenplay.”

Despite starting a successful audiobook company—Listen & Live Audio—that's published well over 200 titles, Martino found his true passion while residing on the West Coast. Albeit it wasn't screenplays, it did involve pen-to-paper interaction.

“I love my business, love owning a company that allows me to be creative,” said the 1982 Millburn High School graduate. “But someday, I hope to write full-time and to have a book come out not every four to five years, but maybe one a year.”

 Martino, who now lives in Jersey City, has authored two fiction books—“Pinned” and “End of the Line”—and currently is working on his third, scheduled to be titled “Perfected by Girls," and a fourth, which is about the game of step-ball that was played in parts of New Jersey in the 1960s.

HOMETOWN SETTING

Martino never knew his birth parents.

He’s never sought information on them nor sought the circumstances leading them to the decision to give him up for adoption. But through an organization called Catholic Charities, Martino found a home and grew up in the Short Hills area. 

His background—Martino wrestled at Millburn High School where he still coaches part-time—helped lay the foundation for his first book, “Pinned," released in 2005.

He worked on it for a few years. After many rejections by publishing companies, Harcourt Inc. eventually published the book. The story follows the tale of two senior varsity high school wrestlers as they journey towards the state finals, where they compete against each other for top honors.

 “I wanted to start off with a topic I knew very well,” Martino said about his first book. “The wrestlers came from different backgrounds and parts of the state.”    

The only thing similar between his first book and second book—“Over the End Line"—was the Short Hills setting. The book, which was released last summer, explores a first-person account of a soccer player, Jonathan, witnessing his teammates commit sexual assault on a girl at a party, and the ramifications stemming from the events of that horrific night.

“This book definitely has a darker and different feel to it,” Martino said. “There’s plenty of stuff athletes do to women and there’s a real disconnect to how law enforcement handles their cases versus it being a non-athlete."

An example of the disconnect Martino refers to happened in California when he was living there.

“There was a high school in the suburbs of L.A. where some boy athletes had a point system they kept among themselves of what they did to girls,” Martino said. “It was pretty despicable. But when the news came out, the parents of the boys were blaming the girls and not their own sons.”

Martino also referred to the infamous Glen Rock incident in the late 1980s where several high school football players sexually assaulted a special-education female student.

“Cases like this happen—at times—in towns where people would never believe something like this would take place,” Martino said.

Although Martino lives in North Jersey and the fictional incident in the second book takes place in Short Hills, he holds his roots close to his heart.  

“I think (Millburn-Short Hills) is the best place in the world to grow up,” Martino said. “I can’t think of a better place for kids to grow up. It’s safe and you can run around at any part of town, anytime at night, never have to worry.

“Millburn High School is a wonderful, wonderful high school with dedicated teachers.”

‘PERFECTED BY GIRLS’

“Perfected by Girls” takes place in a Michigan town where a girl attempts to compete on an all-boys wrestling team. Her brother is the senior captain of the team.

“(She) wants to be the first girl at her high school to wrestle at a varsity match,” said Martino. “That’s sort of the climax of the novel.”

In order to gain a better perspective into the female psyche, Martino spoke with dozen of girls who competed on boys' wrestling teams.

“There were actually quite a number of obstacles the girls had to overcome,” he said. “The typical barriers starts with them getting permission from their parents to wrestle, then the idea of getting the school administration and coach to let them wrestle.

“And then of course, dealing with teammates and fans; unfortunately, these girls run into a lot of (heckling). I think what makes it even more interesting is the physicality of the sport. You have to touch the boy and the boy has to touch you.”

 The title of the book, ironically enough, came off a female wrestler’s T-shirt.

“It was interesting, her shirt said ‘Invented by Boys, Perfected by Girls,’” Martino said.
 
For more on Alfred Martino and his work and future appearances, visit his Web site.