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Carole Anne Carr

Carole Anne Carr

About

Worked as a teenager in a bank in Zimbabwe, then returning to England to become deputy head of a primary school. After early retirement, worked as an actress, then set up my own art and craft business, trained for three years to hold the Office of Reader in the Church of England, and then became a full time writer of children’s fiction. Living in Shropshire, I write historical fiction for older children, suitable for Key Stage 2 and 3. I have just completed my first fantasy, set in the Shropshire village of Tong that moves into Norse Mythology. At the moment, I am writing the sequel to Candle Dark, River Dark, set on the Severn. It is a story about a pit pony driver in Blists Hill in the late 18th century, an exciting adventure suitable for Key Stage 2 and available online and at the Museum Book Shop in the Victorian Village at Blists Hill. I have further books planned for the Wolf and the Task Bearer Series, and I am looking forward to writing more adventure stories about the places I visited when taking children on environmental study trips around Shropshire. Now writing my first romantic comedy for adults. School visits as visiting author and Speaker and Storyteller at various venues. 
Member of The Society of Authors, Society for Storytellers, and the National Society of Writers in Education.

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>

Story Behind The Book

Yes of environmental study visits to the World Heritage Site - Blists Hill Victorian Village, Ironbridge - the birthplace of industry, with school children.

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Reviews

<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="text-decoration:underline;">A Book Review by Sophie Corness - Book Reviewer for Shropshire Newspaper</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify;">Want to find a brilliant children’s book which will encourage them to read while offering historical accuracy? Check out this latest novel. In <em>‘Candle Dark’</em>, published and written by Shropshire-based author Carole Anne Carr, she has once again used her wealth of experience as a primary school teacher to create a world set against a backdrop of what life was really like for children working in coal mines in the Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire during the 18th century. This book highlights the hardships of life down the mines for youngsters as it follows the book’s hero, Joshua, on an exciting adventure. Carole has written a novel that will not only engage children but also encourage them to read for pleasure. This publication can be enjoyed by youngsters and adults alike, and offers a valuable teaching tool for those keen to learn more about life in Ironbridge at that time.  I really enjoyed this, it is superbly written and it proved to be very difficult to put it down! Although the characters and events are imaginary, Carole has portrayed the  working conditions and the life of the family living in the Gorge at a time of rapid industrial growth, and as well as being an exciting read, is a wonderful teaching tool for Key Stage 2. The author is at present writing a sequel to <em>Candle Dark</em>, entitled <em>River Dark</em>, which has the River Severn and the trows as an integral part of the story.<strong><br /></strong></p>