Gwendolyn van hout knechtel
“There was mystery, romance, sex, sci-fi fantasy, history, food, social issues, crime, detective work and more. I want to read the FishWrap Bugle, attend the many festivals, go to a play, have lunch or dinner at the Sea & Sky, visit the many shops, and every morning of my stay go to Sea Sprite Bakery for a cuppa along with a delicious sweet. Life does not get better than this. .”
—KH, Amazon Reviewer
Gwendolyn van hout knechtel
NEW HALEM TALES
keeping wonder in her life
Gwendolyn Van Hout Knechtel is a contributing author to New Halem Tales, 13 Stories from 5 NW Authors (Two Newfs Publishing 2012) and Lembas for the Soul (Catherine Kohman anthology, 2012). She has considered herself a writer since grade school and as a 1960’s youth, wrote a fan fiction piece inspired by the original Star Trek series.
Gwen has many works-in-progress: Hope Chest Dreams Vignette (non-fiction), Fenny the Frog (a children’s series), Dorm 1973 and It Happened One New Year’s Eve (both fiction). She has great hope, that one day soon, the muse will allow these works completed so they can be published!
Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Gwen lived with her family on Java till political unrest moved them to the Netherlands. They soon immigrated to the United States, first to Oregon then to Washington. A graduate of Fairhaven College and Western Washington University, Gwen is a retired middle school teacher who loves good reads, travel and the creative process. With her husband, a recently retired geologist, they celebrate their golden years with their adult children, friends and family-of-the-heart, near Washington State’s Salish Sea.
Music, dance, nature and beach walks keep wonder in her life and she is thankful for her amazing 5 NW Authors writers group and supportive loved ones. Gwen often plays fetch with her tee-shirt chomping cat, Mica, and admits to seeing each of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy ten times in theaters.
gwen’s books
lembas for the soul
How The Lord of the Rings Enriches Everyday Life
Ringers from all over the world have shared their Lord of the Rings experiences with editor Catherine Kohman. Deeply felt tales of newly forged friendship, courage and inspiration, joy and loss fill the pages. Whether these Ringers’ personal stories make you laugh or move you to tears, you will likely recognize something of your own Lord of the Rings journey within these pages.
published by catherine kohman
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New Halem tales
13 Stories from 5 NW Authors
Nestled around a bay at the base of a mountain on the Oregon Coast, New Halem is a strangely exciting place created by a group of writers living in the Pacific Northwest. Each tale, set in this quirky community, gives a peek into the lives and secrets of its townspeople.
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Reviews
‘New Halem doesn’t exist. Too bad because right from the beginning I wanted to move there! Snapshots from the life of interesting characters that earn a spot in this book. It is the product of the work of five different people, and as such is a very interesting experiment. The stories do not have beginning or end, they let you wonder what is next, what will happen just like life. You never know and yet you want more.’
maria of arcadia
It was a fun read with many characters from different authors slowly converging to a fast finish. Love the bits of fantasy and interesting characters. Especially liked the local Northwest feel.’
susan fitzpatrick
Inspirational stories! It sure was a short fun and entertaining read. Lots if vignettes of how different fan became exposé to Lord of the Rings and how it changed their life, mostly by connecting with fellow ” Ringers” . Most stories tell of expanding social lives via web groups and fan experiences. Quite a few people met their future spouse via Lord of the Rings. Many people began to write fan fiction and expand their creativity. This led to story writing and art work.
The Lord of the Rings was loaded with spiritual lesson, unfortunately the book did not center on them. There were several stories where people learned about friendship, courage and other values. But it goes deeper and the bill did not catch it.
s cranow, amazon reviewer