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Carla Beene

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Carla Beene

Carla Beene was an army brat and traveled the world before settling down in Colorado. The first time she drove through New Mexico, she fell in love with Santa Fe and decided to make it her forever home.

For years, Carla was a teacher and librarian at the New Mexico School for the Deaf. She also taught students with learning disabilities and cerebral palsy. She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Although she has written one picture book, middle-grade is her niche.

She lives with her husband, Gary, and a diabetic tuxedo cat in Santa Fe.

IN THE AUTHOR’S WORDS

Author interview

Interview submitted .

What inspired you to start writing?

I first began writing in middle school and was quickly transferred into AP Writing. I became obsessed with writing short stories, a passion that continued through college. During my time as a teacher for the Deaf, I found small windows of time to begin my second fledgling career writing middle-grade novels. I continue that passion today.

Who are some of your favorite authors and books?

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle, So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, When My Name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.

What would you like to tell readers who have just discovered your books, but haven't read one yet?

Give THE TWIN WITHIN a try! I bet you'll like it!

Who is the favorite character you created, and how did they come into being?

Cassiopeia "Cassie" Cortez, the almost 13-year-old protagonist of my book, THE TWIN WITHIN. Believe it or not, I was just waking up from a dream when the hazy seeds of this story were planted. It grew from there.

What are your future plans as a writer?

I have a two-book series of a girl who travels the Santa Fe Trail in the 1850s that I've just finished. My next project will be based on my Korean stepmother, who lived under Japanese occupation during World War II.

Books by this author