Carol Grace has had a love affair with words all of her life.  She began writing poetry when  she was six years old.  Of course, those early poems were about Christmas bells, stars, princesses and everything rhymed.  When she was around ten years old, her aunt bought her and her sister a membership in a monthly book club, and one of the books they received was an anthology of the greatest loved American poems.  In this book, Carol found what would become the wellspring of her life, and although work and family intruded, she still found time to write the occasional poem. In the 1980's Carol entered college and while taking Creative Writing classes she began writing many of the poems which appear in "Reflections of a Life Well Spent."  People have said Carol's poetry touches something deep inside of every woman's soul, and that her poetry paints a picture.  Carol's wish is that her poetry will not only help you to remember your childhood, but will help you live every day to the fullest, wasting not a minute.  Although Carol's poems are often about the commonplace in life, she urgently wishes that you know and believe that you are not common, but that each of you has a special place in this world. Carol's early influences were Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, and Maya Angelou, and the contemporary poets whom she enjoys include Billy Collins, Charles Simic, Richard Hugo, and Arkansas poets Miller Williams and Harding Stedler.  Carol's philosophy about writing is if she writes ten poems, three will be good, three will be something she can build upon, three will never see the light of day, and one will undoubtedly be the best poem she has ever written.  In other words, the only way to write good poetry is read, read, read, and write, write, write.    

Carol's poetry has been read at several events in the central Arkansas area. Carol was recently asked to write a poem commemorating Mental Illness Awareness Week, which she read on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol along with First Lady Ginger Beebe who read the proclamation from the Governor declaring the first week in October, 2010, as Mental Illness Awareness Week. She has been published in the online magazines Snapdragon, Venus Rising and Menagerie and her poems have appeared in the Maumelle Monitor, a weekly newspaper and the small magazine "Poetic Justice," no longer in print.

Her first book, "Reflections of a Life Well Spent," was published by Tate Publishing, LLC in December of 2008. Carol's second book, "More than a Memory" is being published by AuthorHouse and should be released by the end of 2010.

Carol graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. She is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute, an Associate in Life and Health Claims, is an instrument rated pilot and is active in volunteer work. Ms. Grace is a certified Lay Speaker as well as a certified candidate for ministry in the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church.