Karen Hoenecke

I have always loved the smell of a fresh box of Crayola Crayons! And my parents provided plenty of them, along with so many other tools of education still present to this day, but mostly: books, books and more books. School is my comfort zone and always has been. I was fortunate to take several years off from teaching when the kids were little. I began writing almost as an 'escape' during those years at home with three preschoolers, enrolling in a Community Ed. class for beginning writers hoping to be pubished. Dr. Albert A. Bell, Jr. a professor at Hope College in Holland, MI taught the class. My first assignment culminated in my first sale to the Christian Science Monitor's Parent & Child column, and I've been 'hooked' ever since. This past year, I wrote a Middle-Grade Novel with my niece, Julie Komejan, and my husband, Mark. It's called, The Time Tracer! There were many obstacles, but it was so much fun to collaborate on a book! My husband, Mark, and I have recently published 5 early reader books with Little Star Books, and I'm very excited about my new beginning chapter book titled, Lizz-Bitt Lacey and Friends, PJ Day at School. This book will be available in the first part of 2011. Besides parenting, teaching and writing, I love spending time with my husband, Mark, playing the piano, reading, baking/cooking and believe it or not...mowing the lawn. Although both of our boys live farther away now, my daughter, Katy, and I still manage to do some substantial damage to the checkbook while out for lunch and shopping. Katy is a second grade teacher in Grand Haven Public Schools nearby. I can't imagine a life without kids, my own and the young children I taught. Besides all of the daily joys, they've inspired, challenged and provided SO many ideas for writing--how fortunate can a person be to do something they love every single day! karenhoenecke@hotmail.com