Oceanside author writes new children’s novel

Weaving a story that brings excitement and adventure to children’s lives through the pages of a book is exactly what Oceanside resident Karen Bonnet has accomplished with her new fiction novel, “Whale Island and the Mysterious Bones.” The story begins with the main characters, Katey and Will Longley, a brother and sister who journey to a remote island thousands of miles across the globe. After a storm capsizes their uncle’s boat near Cape Cod, the children have the misfortune to meet Captain Sharkley, a shady individual who uses them in his quest to find mystical whalebones on an island from which no one has returned alive.

Inspired by a life-long love of reading and writing, Bonnet developed her ideas, plot and characters from past experiences, places, friends and family that influenced her as a youngster through the present years.

“What I loved best about writing the story were those moments when I was sitting down at my computer writing it,” said Bonnet. “I loved coming up with new ideas for the plot and developing the characters so that they had their own voices and personalities.”

Bonnet grew up in Queens and settled into Oceanside with her family in 1982. She and her husband, Lou, raised three accomplished children; she also has a 2-year-old granddaughter named Katelyn. As an adult, Bonnet worked in administrative positions until she began her career as an editor/reporter in the early 1990s. She wrote numerous articles for community newspapers and several magazines. As a published author, her articles and photographs appeared in well-known regional news publications, trade papers, and magazines. Later, she became involved in public relations, working for schools and a nationally-recognized nonprofit organization. She eventually turned to entrepreneurship and is the owner of KLB Services/The Nonprofit Solution, a company that offers expertise in nonprofit management, public relations, and marketing.

Bonnet will be at Chapter One Books in Oceanside on March 19 at 11 a.m. to talk about her book and sign copies.