“She longed for the simple days of youth, before the heaviness of family responsibility came barreling down and suffocated her, before the crisp golden Dutch air was invaded with cold, severe metal airplanes cutting the blue sky, the frigid spread of perfectly aligned enemy birds, in unison, without hesitation or regard, swooping low, roaring engines cackling evil laughter, resounding throughout the bodies of the sufferers.”
The start of World War II changed Diny’s life. She faced the real fear and possibility that her family would never return, and that life as she knew it before the Occupation would be gone forever.
A native of Southern California, Caroline Mertens moved to Colorado as a teen. She received her B.A. in English and Secondary Education from Colorado Christian University in Denver. Her grandmother's immigration tales of adventure, love, pain, and redemption provided ample amounts of hope, grace, and literary inspiration for her debut, In Those Other Lands.
After a season of work in the Netherlands, England, and France, Caroline returned to Colorado. Over the years, she has worked as a magazine editor, a professional writer, and an assistant to a Young Life director. However, Caroline's most fulfilling career is teaching high school English and Creative Writing. She strives to encourage teenagers to read what they love, and inspires her students to engage in purposeful creative writing. Caroline is passionate about traveling, cooking Indonesian food, and exploring Colorado with her family.
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