Karen and Melanie Series, Book 2: The Haunting Past by Kathleen Paul (and Kathleen Paul's Writing Adventure Club)

Introduction

A girls writing club wrote this book. In the summer of 1998, they came twice a week to author Kathleen Paul's living room. They were the first writing club although this is the second story in the Melanie and Karen series. The first story was written the following summer by younger girls while some of these girls went on to write the sequel to this book. For six weeks, they talked and giggled and wrote. Mrs. Paul took their scenes, descriptions, dialogue, ideas, and added to them, and shaped them, and sometimes "scrunched" them together.

This novel about two girls was written especially for girls to read. Four girls and Kathleen Paul wrote this novel. Here's a little bit about them:

Celeste Stoddard, 13. Celeste will be in eighth grade and this is the second year she will be home-schooled. Previously she attended a Christian School. She plays the piano, flute, violin and sings. When she grows up she wants to be a mother and a musician.

These are some of her favorite things:

food - spiced cookies

color - periwinkle

sport - soccer, volleyball

book - Little Men

movie - My Fair Lady, Sound of Music

hobby - sewing

subject in school - music

Note from Mrs. P: Celeste is prolific. She writes more than anyone else in the group. Her ideas are good and she often thinks of how people are feeling during a particular passage. She also pays attention to detail.

Rebecca Nelson, 13. Rebecca will be in eighth grade this year and has always been home-schooled. She would like to be a writer when she grows up.

These are some of her favorite things:

food - chocolate

color - yellow

sport - baseball

book - Ann of Green Gables

movie - Star Wars Trilogy

hobby - reading

subject in school - art

Note from Mrs. P: Rebecca's strong points are dialogue and description. Rebecca is quiet like Elizabeth, but on paper she has a lot to say.

Amy Stoddard, 11. Amy will be in 6^th grade and this will be her third year to be home-schooled. Previously she was in a Christian School. She likes to baby-sit. When she grows up she wants to be a mother, nurse, teacher, and an actress.

These are some of her favorite things:

food - Dad's pizza

color - blue

sport - basketball, volleyball

book - Cherry Ames - old series of nurse books

movie - Hook

hobby - reading, cooking, crafts

subject in school - lunch

Note from Mrs. P: Amy is a good editor. She examines each phrase to make sure we are using the correct words to convey our thoughts.

Elizabeth Klopfenstein, 10. Elizabeth is the youngest of the group. She will be in fifth grade this year and like Rebecca has always been home-schooled. When she grows-up she wants to be a mother!

These are some of her favorite things:

food - cherries

color - pink

sport - baseball

book - Black Beauty

movie - Peter Pan

hobby - dogs

subject in school - science

Note from Mrs. P: Elizabeth is quiet but has great ideas. She thinks of things to happen to the characters which move the story along in an interesting way.

Mrs. Paul

Mrs. Paul is a mom, a teacher, a writer. She has two children in their early twenties. She has two dogs, one big and one little, who cause all sorts of excitement in their home. She also has an 83 year old mother who lives with them and causes almost no excitement at all. Yes, she has lots of yard work to do. And no, she couldn't talk the writing club girls into doing any of it.