HOT OFF THE PRESS!

WRITE ON, MERCY! THE SECRET LIFE OF MERCY OTIS WARREN written by me with luscious illustrations by Alexandra Wallner. Click the link at the left to see a few of the reviews like:

"MOVE OVER, Thomas Paine! Revolutionary War writer and activist finds FAME!
FIRST BIOGRAPHY FOR YOUNG READERS PUBLISHED!....Woelfle’s lively and informative style keeps the narrative flowing. Wallner’s gouache paintings are colorful and spirited, with a good mix of full-page scenes and close-ups of prominent figures....It is usually Abigail Adams who gets the nod whenever women of colonial and revolutionary-era America are mentioned, so this title certainly fills a niche. A solid addition to the canon." - KIRKUS REVIEWS

I’m Gretchen Woelfle (that’s Wolf-lee) and I'm a children's author. I've written picture books, short stories, essays, novels, biographies, and environmental books.

I write about things I want to know more about – and things I already know and love.
Sometimes those are memories…
sometimes it’s what I see around me…
sometimes I write about events that happened long ago…
and sometimes I make it all up!

Writing is a solitary business. Most days I work at home with my calico cat, Jelly, lying beside me, her chin on my keyboard. Other days I go to schools to talk to the children I write for. It tickles my fancy to be a celebrity for a day!

I love to travel around the world looking for stories. I've lived high in the Himalayas and on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. I've also found stories in Holland, England, Bolivia, and right in my own backyard.

Let me hear from you. Email is best: gretchenwoelfle@gmail.com.

Ten Quick Facts About Me

1. I have two cats: LV (Little Voice,) and Chelsea FC.
2. Chelsea looks just like Katje, the Windmill Cat.
3. I once lived in a little grass hut on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I'm writing a novel about it now.
4. I've got a miniature farm at my home in Los Angeles, California, with seven fruit trees, three kinds of berries, lots of vegetables, and a tree drooping with dozens of avocados.
5. My front garden dazzles with golden California poppies every spring.
6. My son and daughter don't think much of my singing voice, but I love singing in a choir anyway.
7. I like to go boogieboarding in the Pacific Ocean.
8. My favorite sport is soccer (English football) and my favorite team is Chelsea Football Club.
9. If I come to visit your school, you can help me act out my books with props, costumes, and songs. I promise to sing quietly.
10. My advice to young writers and artists - Do it! And have fun doing it.

Watch this trailer to hear about some of Kit's adventures in Will Shakespeare's Theatre.