Carolee Wells Henney

My website is http://www.Carolee-Wells-Henney.com

My email is Caroleesbooks@gmail.com

Tweet me @CaroleeWells

Also, find me on Google and Bing

My "Princess Trinka and Basil: Cats in Love" has received a good review by Kirkus Reviews, ". . . an authoritative voice in book discovery for 80 years." Here is an excerpt from that review by Kirkus Reviews:

Young fairy-tale lovers and cat enthusiasts will purr over this predictably sweet story of royal feline fancy. . . . the black-and-white illustrations lend a classic feel and complement the simple plot. . . . The animals in the book will please many young readers; e.g., the wise, old cats, though bony and somewhat scraggly, are friendly characters. Princess Trinka is regal in her cape and crown, and the cartoonish "serenading" toms are humorous. . . . elementary readers who love cats and royal marriages may enjoy this modest tale.

A fun story with traditional appeal.

Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 6411 Burleson Rd., Austin, TX 78744

indie@kirkusreviews.

Readers Favorite Reviews have given me two five-star ratings for my novel,

"Hellfire and Snowdrops." Here is an excerpt from one of the reviewers:

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

"C.W. Henney's romantic psychological thriller, Hellfire and Snowdrops, is

lush and haunting as the reader watches Walter Hendricks' life go from

idyllic to the stuff of nightmares. The author hints at past lives and ancient

wrongs in her narration of Walter's descent. Hellfire and Snowdrops is a

marvelous tale that's beautifully written about Walter, his wife, Alexis, and

Michael, Alexis' boss, and how Walter's startling transformation into

someone else rocks the dynamic of these three lives. Nivala and her

seeming accomplice, the girl-woman who appears only to Walter, seem

as harsh and implacable as the Furies of classical mythology as they, oh,

so patiently accompany him to his doom. I wanted to read more about

the frozen wastes Walter dreams of at night, and to understand just what

the frozen wastes Walter dreams of at night, and to understand just what

had followed this kind and attentive man into this life, and I'm hoping to

do just that in Henney's sequel to this story. Hellfire and Snowdrops is

most highly recommended. Wow! Brava!"

An excerpt from the second five-star review is as follows:

Reviewed by Bill Howard for Readers' Favorite

"C.W. Henney draws the reader into the plight of the characters from the

very start and only tightens her grip as Hellfire and Snowdrops

progresses. I felt the frustration of both Walter and Alexis as something

completely beyond their control intervened in their happy life and began

to unravel it. This story was well-written with subtle hints of what was just

around the corner while avoiding being predictable. Hellfire and

Snowdrops is a romantic thriller that will leave the reader spellbound and

wondering if those perfect lives that we admire are all as perfect as they

seem."

Now, my biography:

I have now published five children's stories. “Calbert and His Adventures,” a chapter book, and “Tac and Tuk,” a 16-page color storybook, both in library binding, were published in the Nineteen-nineties. The Calbert book was also published in paperback and is still being sold by independent booksellers in England and the U. S., and is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. “Princess Trinka and Basil: Cats in Love,” “The Escape: Naughty Bluejay and Woodpecker,” and “Tac and Tuk,” all have received five-star ratings by reviewers and are available in paperback and Kindle ebooks on Amazon, and in paperback on Barnes & Noble.

I was awarded Second Prize in Free Verse (judged by Nikki Giovanni) for “The B & O Engineer” in the 77th Irene Leach Memorial Literary Contest.

Born in Maryland, I now live near the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, from which point I have traveled near and far, getting my writing ideas from people and places encountered. I love birds and cats, especially my lap-kitty, Oliver, who often walks across my keyboard to get my attention while I am on my computer.

I have enjoyed writing stories and poetry since early school days. When I write my children's stories, I'm in a happy, fun-filled, adventurous world with happy endings. I need quiet places to write, but strangely enough, the car, when riding as a passenger or driving, is one of my favorite places for inspiration. Perhaps it's the shapes and colors and people I see which inspire the thoughts I get: I wrote most of my prize-winning poem, "The B & O Engineer," while waiting for a funeral procession to pass.

Little things inspire my stories and poems; for example, seeing little ground squirrels in Alaska and Canada inspired "Tac and Tuk." While living at Chapel Hill, N.C., one of our various assignment locations when my husband was a pilot in the Air Force, my three children found some tiny hoppytoads in our yard. During our nightly reading time, my children wanted me to tell them a story about the hoppytoads. Instead, I agreed to finish reading their current story and write a little story for them about hoppytoads for the next night. After hearing what I had intended to be one story, the children insisted on more. So, each night, for 12 nights, I wrote more about the little hoppytoads ("Calbert and His Adventures"). My children loved the stories, and happily listened to them for years.

Later, when my husband was stationed in Hampton, Va., I took a job as an elementary school teacher and taught creative writing, among the other subjects, for 20 years, using my Calbert manuscript as one of my methods for story development. Through those 20 years, Calbert was listened to, commented on, copied, and criticized by elementary school children in grades two through six.

Upon my retirement from teaching, my husband started a publishing business, using "Calbert and His Adventures" as our first publishing venture. The original story was revised to make a "chapter book" of 12 chapters, ideal stories to read to young children at bedtime. A local artist was found to draw the illustrations and our first book was born. "Tac and Tuk" and other books followed, all illustrated by local artists.

All of my children's stories embody the ideas of good manners, friendship, kindness to others, and neatness, attributes most of us strive for in our own children. Children read for the joy of it so I try to make sure my stories are entertaining, uncomplicated, and as attractive as possible. I avoid racism and sexism in my books and try for a happy ending in each one.

All of my stories have talking animals, and I think that using animals lets the author say symbolic things about human behavior, and life as children might see it. Animals are of universal interest, and most children love them and can relate to them. Also, using animals helps children have a feel for nature and other living creatures in our environment. I do not believe in stories of violence for children, or horror stories for the young. I want my books to be a happy fantasy land for today's harassed child to retreat to and feel safe.

“Calbert and His Adventures” will be republished soon in Kindle and paperback on Amazon.

“Calbert and Morse: Further Adventures,” “The Tower Cat,” “Frisky and Oliver,” and a story for young readers, "June and Raven: A Love Story of Young American Indians," will be published later.

I also write novels for adults. “Hellfire and Snowdrops,” a five-star rated love story page turner is in print and Kindle on Amazon. Soon “Rough Edges” and “Irene,” will also be published in print and Kindle.

When all of my books have been published as Kindle ebooks, and all published by CreateSpace (an Amazon subsidiary that publishes paperbackbooks), then I'll publish a book of my poetry, a book of short stories, and a DVD of myself reading some or possibly all of my children's books.

My website is http://www.Carolee-Wells-Henney.com

My email is Caroleesbooks@gmail.com

Tweet me at @CaroleeWells

Also, find me on Google and Bing