carol_with_flowers

Carol

Bodensteiner

author

Welcome! Whether you're a first-time visitor or long-time friend, I'm glad you found your way here. I'm a writer who's inspired by the people, places, culture, and history of the Midwest.

My Books

One of the best things about writing is the opportunity to share experiences with readers. The stories in my memoir and my historical novel encourage readers to recall their own growing up years and the lives of their ancestors, whether they 'grew up country' or not. Because of the stories readers share with me, I've developed a deep appreciation for the value of preserving everyday stories - the fabric of our lives and culture.

Stitched Through Time: The Story of Libbie Jensen’s Quilts

Stitched Through Time shares the journey of the author's family’s heirloom quilts through five generations, a journey that spans hopes and dreams lost, reconciliation and redemption.

Simple Truth

Angela Darrah gets the job of her dreams only to find her client may be exploiting immigrant employees. With each new revelation, she finds herself questioning not only the client but also herself. Ultimately, she must answer: What is she willing to risk to help someone else?

Go Away Home

Set in World War One-era Iowa, GO AWAY HOME is a captivating coming-of-age novel that explores the enduring themes of family, friendship, and love, as well as death and grief.

Growing Up Country

Growing Up Country, Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl

GROWING UP COUNTRY delivers a treat as delicious as oatmeal cookies hot out of the oven—a memoir of a happy childhood growing up on a family farm in the middle of the country in the middle of the 20th Century.

On the Blog

Journey to publication began with NANOWRIMO

By Carol / 18 November 2014 /

Writers worldwide recently passed the half-way mark of National Novel Writing Month. By today, a writer who is on the NANOWRIMO track will have logged at least 30,000 words on their work in progress. Each year when NANOWRIMO rolls around, I itch to join in. There’s something about the sweet smell of a challenge and…

Read More

'You got game, white girl' – Home Sweet Hardwood

By Carol / 11 November 2014 /

Mo’ne Davis pitches like a girl. A thirteen-year-old girl who throws a 70 mph fastball. The star of The Little League World Series may not even realize sports wasn’t always an option for girls like her. Preston High School didn’t offer girls basketball in the 1960s. Or baseball. Or softball. The rumored reason was that…

Read More