Dana Martin has somehow managed a burgeoning career as a freelance writer and an aspiring romance novelist while juggling the schedules of her 9-, 11- and 13-year-old children.

The 32-year-old Bakersfield College student had her first article published in the March 17 issue of Woman’s World.

She has followed that up with another article, sold this week to the popular magazine.

Although she is proud of the romantic short story that earned her $1,000 in March, she admits Woman’s World wasn’t looking for her finest, most intriguing work.

“You have to make it as corny as possible,” she said, explaining that editors want simple plots that are easy to follow and they don’t want the stories nearly as racy as romance novels.

Martin had submitted several stories to the magazine before a helpful editor explained to her that her stories were too complicated.

The March story that fit the magazine’s formula was titled “Tea for Two,” the story of two strangers who meet by coincidence and end up working together at a high school.

She should know about romance novels. She has been reading them since she was a freshman in high school.

“I can remember the first romance novel I ever read,” she said. “I was a freshman in high school and it was rainy day, I found it in my mother’s drawer and I was just so enthralled by it.”

She did not put the book down until she finished it the next day.

Martin enjoys romance novels so much she began writing her own.

Recently, she took up a challenge put to her by a creative writing teacher and wrote a 50,000-word novel in a month, which averages out to 1,800 words a day.

With such a busy schedule, she couldn’t write 1,800 words every day. Sometimes she would have to play catch-up.

“One weekend I wrote 14,000 words,” said Martin.

She added that her 17th century historical romantic novel, “Winds of Change,” is currently entered in a contest that could give her a shot at having her work read by one of the top publishing houses.

Although she enjoys writing romance novels, she also has won acclaim as an essayist.

She has several top entries in the district’s literary competition. In 2001, her essay, “The Elephant,” placed third in the national competition.

She credits some of her success to her writing instructors at BC and sees her writing as a work in progress.

“Every year as a writer, your writing improves,” she said.

Whether or not Martin realizes her dream of becoming a romance novelist, she always will have a thing for the books that made Fabio famous.