Carolyn Meyer (born 8 June 1935) is an author of novels for children and young adults.
The typical genre for her work is historical fiction, one of her more popular projects being the Young Royals series, each novel of which tells the story of a different female royal person. For example, one of Carolyn Meyer's recently published works is Duchessina, which is the story of the life of Catherine de' Medici.
Meyer's latest work published is The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette, published April 2010. The status of another book previously expected in 2010, Cleopatra's Spell, is now unclear.
Her previous published work was The True Adventures of Charley Darwin, focusing on the life of Charles Darwin, quite a leap from her usual subjects, for she has gone from royalty, to European artists, and now to scientists. The True Adventures of Charley Darwin is unusual in that it breaks from Meyer's formula of always having a female narrator, as Charley narrates his own story. The hardcover version of this book was published on 26 January 2009. Before Darwin came In Mozart's Shadow, a historical novel about Mozart and narrated by his older sister, Maria Anna Mozart, nicknamed Nannerl, released in 2008.
Meyer is currently working on a novel about Mary, Queen of Scots.
Born as an only child in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, Carolyn Meyer began her first "novel," Humpy the Caterpillar and Gladys the Snail: A True Life Romance at age eight. However, she came to finish only three complete chapters.
Mother to three grown sons, she now resides in the middle of Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband.