Constance Van Hoven

The house Constance Van Hoven grew up in St. Paul, MN was filled with six brothers, one sister, and a long line of pets. Fortunately, the house also had a backyard with one perfect elm tree for Constance to escape to and read books—except in winter when she had to seek reading refuge in the much warmer, but slightly unsettling attic storage room. Also reposing in that dim space under the eaves was a large padded box with a locked lift-up top. Her mother told her the box held blankets but Constance was certain that it was in fact a coffin, which made complete sense given the fact that her grandfather had been a mortician. Thus, with one eye always trained on the suspicious box, Constance read books and conjured stories in her mind.

Constance eventually left the tree and the attic to attend the University of Minnesota where she earned a degree in English. She also attended Vermont College where she earned a Master’s degree in writing for children and young adults. Her active imagination has served her well working as a buyer and copywriter for a chain of toy stores, and now as a writer of stories for children. The Twelve Days of Christmas in Minnesota (Sterling, 2009) is her first book.

Constance and her husband, Greg, live part-time in St. Paul, MN, and part-time in Bozeman, MT. They have a full-time wonderful Lab named Jo, three swell kids, and two exceptional granddaughters.

And the “blanket box” in the attic? It was last seen leaving a garage sale in the back of a pickup truck that belched blue smoke. Constance still wonders about the box as she works on her next project—a middle grade ghost story.

The Twelve Days of Christmas in Minnesota
written by Connie Van Hoven
Sterling, 2009
ISBN 978-1-4027-6395-3

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas in Minnesota! Ready to greet you are 5 golden hotdishes, 4 lumberjacks, 3 red stones, 2 hockey sticks...and much more from the Gopher State. Jack is so excited about the visit of his twin cousins, Sarah and Hannah, that he gives them one of these VERY unusual gifts on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Hannah writes lively letters home to tell her mom and dad all about their trip. Lucky readers are in for a wild Christmas countdown!