The Silver Squad

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 seventh book, 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 is Marty's eighth and most mass appeal book to-date. It is the Gold Medal Winner in the 2025 IPPY Awards for Humor, Winner of the 2025 National Indie Excellence Award for Best Romantic Comedy, and the Winner of the 2024 Indies Today Award for Best Humor Book, and a Booklife by Publisher's Weekly Editor's Pick.Marty is also a popular college speaker. Over the past eighteen 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.