The Life and Writing of Caroline B. Cooney

The Life and Writing of Caroline Cooney (1947- Present) However famous and beloved an author she is, Caroline Cooney is an ordinary person that one could expect to see walking down the street. An avid lover of music, she plays the organ and is a member of two choirs (Faith 4). When she goes to visit schools, she enjoys it when students treat her as an equal and have discussions with her about her latest books and what they would like to see in the future (Faith 7).For an author who finds her readers’ opinions important, these visits are essential. Caroline Cooney is one of those authors, and though they are a chance to learn, she also views them as great fun. Surprisingly, she never finished college (Email 10), though she attended Indiana University, Massachusetts General Hospital of Nursing, and the University of Connecticut (Popular 69), she has never taken a writing course. Cooney does not consider these obstacles, however, and calls herself “self-taught” (Email 10). Many genres have been written by Caroline Cooney’s versatile hand (Faith 1). About half of them contain romantic elements, and the others are realistic fiction, suspense novels (Bio 5), horror, adventure, and thrillers (Popular 70). Since she does not restrict herself to one genre, she had at one point wished that she had written under several pseudonyms so as not to confuse her readers. Now, she is comfortable with her decision to use her real name (Faith 2). Obviously, from the proportion of romance to other genres, Caroline Cooney considers romance to be very important. She believes this, and also thinks that young girls cannot stop reading books of that type. Actually, she believes that women her age cannot get enough of it either (Bio 6)! This shows that Cooney is truly a writer who incorporates into her writing not only what she is fond of, but the likes and dislikes of her readers as well (Faith 7). Among her favorite fan letters is one written by a twelve-year-old girl who hated toread;