About the Author

Short Bio:

I and my husband live in beautiful North Dakota. We have three children who are now out of the house and on their own.

One of my passions is loving God and I am committed to furthering His Kingdom with my talents.  My talents include writing children's picture books, adult fiction and sometimes non-fiction articles. I compose and play music; and illustrate my own books. I am part of the worship team in church, and sometimes I present short seminars on various subjects in the surrounding area of Grand Forks County.

I am always working on story ideas and have two in the fire right now. I am also collaborating on a book with a colleague, who is located in California.

You can contact me at: cweshen1@yahoo.com for more information.


Events: 2012

• August 18 - Trip to Barns & Noble - Fargo, ND

• Sept. 15 - Art & Wine Walk - Grand Forks, ND

Long Bio:

I was born Carol Ann Moody in 1951. I was raised on the central coast of California where I learned to love the beach and ocean and delight in the creatures that lived near and in the water. I found tide-pools fascinating and I liked to watch the creatures that lived in them: little fishes, hermit crabs, anemones, tiny shrimp. I grew up in the city of Salinas which is located at the mouth of the Salinas Valley. The Valley is called the Salad Bowl of the country because just about everything a person would put on a salad is grown there, and then some.

I began to show artistic talent at a young age, though not a prodigy. My mother had the gift of art and music and I followed in her footsteps.

I first began to write when I was in middle school during the early sixties. I had begun to watch science fiction movies and I was fascinated by the genre, so I began to write short sci-fi stories of my own. My mom was quite diplomatic when I asked her to read one of them. She was careful not to squelch my enthusiasm and at the same time she was careful not to stoke the fire either. I wrote three or four stories, then put the activity away until high-school.

In my junior year I was encouraged to write whatever I wanted to every Monday when in my English class. It encouraged me even more when my teacher praised my efforts and even commented on my 'deep' thinking. Back then, being 'deep' was everything. In my senior year of high-school I attended a creative writing class. However, the teacher wasn't so encouraging, in fact, if I had allowed his comments about my writing to discourage me, I would not be an author today.

I married my husband in 1971 and in 1972 we left California for Alaska, because he was in the Air Force. We lived in Alaska for 7 years. I didn't write a thing during those years. After his stint in the military, in 1978, we moved back to California where our first child was born.

In 1981, I saw 'Star Trek the Movie' and the music was so dramatic that I bought the soundtrack. Its music coupled with a recent reading of an inspirational book, 'Hinds Feet on High Places" by Hanna Hernard, propelled me into writing my first attempt at a novel. Boy, was that an experience. I learned more by attempting a novel than I had learned in school. I found a writer's group and learned even more. Then, I found out about magazines like 'The Writer' and 'Writer's Digest' and devoured them for a decade and learned how to hone my craft. In the late 1980s I was emboldened to write a couple of feature articles for the local newspaper and one for the local college paper. These were my first paying gigs. I felt successful.

We moved out of California in 1996 and settled in Grand Forks County, North Dakota. Culture shock! It was like moving to the back forty, actually, because we did. We lived in a little house on the prairie that my husband, Lee, referred to as the little shack on the prairie. I didn't think it was all that funny. After a little adjustment, I began to fall in love with North Dakota. The landscape is amazing in its lush summers and stark winters. It is just what an artist craves.

While working in North Dakota I began to contemplate writing a children's picture book. I had no idea how to begin, so, the research on writing began all over again, this time in the genre of children's fiction.

My first picture book entitled 'My Daddy the King is Very Busy' was influenced by my love of the North Dakota landscape and my experiences as a child growing up in California. The second book entitled 'Justin's Question' was also influenced by the same, but includes ideas taken from the Holy Bible. I am also in the process of writing a novel for the adult christian market. More on that soon.