Books by Christine Keleny

As a child in 1980s, Chicago Willie stole to help feed his brothers, sister, and himself. In grade school his teacher told him to have his parents help him with his homework, but his mother, the only parent around, didn't know how. As a young man Willie started smoking pot, which easily turned into harder drugs. This eventually led Willie to a life under someone's front porch, two prison sentences, numerous trips to jail, and various recovery programs. Living in the House of Drugs is the story of Willie Lee Triplett, a recovering addict and alcoholic. It tells of Willie's life in the suburbs of one of Chicago's poorer neighborhoods, his chance trip to Wisconsin, and his struggle for sobriety. It's a no-holds-barred account of Willie's life on the street, in prison, and the roller coaster ride of recovery that many addicts know well. The story is unique in its telling, following not only Willie's interesting life story but also the author's interactions with Willie as she learns of his sometimes sordid past, seeing beyond the story and into the man.

The Award-winning Intrigue in Istanbul: An Agnes Kelly Mystery Adventure is set in 1961, a time of the cold war and space race. But that isn't on Agnes' radar. Her dad has died and during a trip with her grandmother to Istanbul, she accidentally finds out it was under suspicious circumstances, but that's just the beginning!Agnes Kelly is the 1960s American version of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce. Agnes has a propensity for books and words, and she entertains middle grade readers and adults alike."She is a Scout Finch from the Upper Midwest, a little older, but with the same qualities of curiosity, courage, and boldness of heart."

I turn to see where Grandma and Reggie are and run right into a brick wall. Well, it's not exactly a brick wall but it feels like it. It's a really big man in a dark suit and tie, who kind of reminds me of Officer Miller, the CIA officer that saved us from Georg and Inger when we were in Norway."Oh! I'm sorry." I step to my right to move around the man, but he does something really strange; he steps back in front of me as if to block my way.I look up at the big man with broad shoulders, and then it dawns on me: Officer Miller has sent a man to find us and make us finally go home!Has Grandma Agee gone off the deep end with her new plan? Is there any chance Grandma and Agnes can meet with Russian's supreme leader, Nikita Khrushchev? Is CIA Officer Miller or Mr. Borge of EI4 (the Norwegian Intelligence Service) going to catch up to them and force them to go home?Book III in the Agnes Kelly Mystery Adventure Series is full of even more surprises, takes you on another exciting ride (this time through the heart of Russia), and Reveals All! − including some things you would never expect!

The laughs, thrills, and hijinks continue for young and old alike in Book II of the Agnes Kelly Mystery Adventure Series, the much-anticipated follow-up to the Award-Winning Intrigue in Istanbul. But there is more! Grandma and Agnes get in over their heads and end up putting their very lives at risk.I enjoy books that make you think and are clever, so this one is perfect... Can’t wait for your next book.   Roxana Grunewald

Rose had wanted to do her bit for the war effort, help the boys who were risking their lives fighting the Germans and the Japanese, and maybe see a little of the world along the way. But there was no way she could have predicted the horrors she would encounter and the difficult choices she would have to make.Rose Krantz has made it through nursing school and much to everyone's dismay, most notably her boyfriend, Malcolm, she joins the Army Nurse Corps. Her first assignment is at Camp Crowder, Missouri. There she meets three nurses who see her through three years in a tent evacuation hospital, four foreign countries, and more human misery than they could have imagined. What they encounter shakes even Rose's resolve to see it through. These women, and a corpsman by the name of Alfred, form bonds that will last a lifetime.When the war in Europe is finally over, Malcolm surprises Rose with a romantic trip to Salzburg, Austria, where Rose finally realizes what is truly important in her life only days before she was to lose it.A Burnished Rose entertains, inspires, and reminds us what life was like for women of that era, and for the nurses who, right along with the men, made significant sacrifices for their country.Discussion Questions Included

Today women have a glass ceiling. In the 1930s that ceiling was made of wood, so following your dream only took you so far-especially if you went against societal norms and what your friends and family told you you should or should not do. This is the story told in A Burnished Rose, the much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning Rosebloom.Rose Krantz, a soon-to-be eighteen-year-old, has just come home to the family farm in southwest Wisconsin after running away from home two years earlier to follow her dream. She's home because her mother has been ill, but Rose is not looking to stay. Despite the objections of her family and a new man who comes into her life, Rose makes it back to her second home, New Orleans, and her boyfriend, Malcolm.Then, early one morning on December 7, 1941, bombs explode on the small, distant island of Hawaii. This incident pushes Rose, who is in Baton Rouge training to be a nurse, into a global conflict that ironically will come to be known as "The Good War."A Burnished Rose entertains, inspires, and reminds us what life was like for women of that era, and for the nurses who, right along with the men, made significant sacrifices for their country.Book Discussion Questions Included.A percentage of the profits of each book sold will be donated to help in the education of disadvantaged children, because Christine believes that knowledge is a powerful tool.