Arlene Rains Graber grew up in Kansas, first on a dairy farm, northwest of Towanda, and then in Wichita. Her first writing effort was in the second grade, when, written on an Indian Chief tablet, she penned a six-page book titled Over the Blue Moon. The story involves a young girl who travels to the moon, finding it to be blue, instead of white.

 

In 1984, after raising three daughters, she began a freelance writing career, writing for various publications that include The Wichita Eagle, Territorial Magazine, Kansas! magazine, Kansas Traveler, Transport Topics, The Wichita Business Journal, Small Farmers Journal, Country Register, and East Wichita News. In addition, her devotionals have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Lookout and Mature Living.

 

In 2010, Arlene published her first book, Devoted to Traveling, a book of devotionals. She followed it up in 2011 with the publication of two novels as ebooks: A Plane Tree in Provence and Angel on My Shoulder.

 

When not writing, Arlene travels with her poker group. Many of her experiences appear in articles and essays. In addition, she has won numerous awards for memoirs and non-fiction articles, including Writer of the Year and Article of the Year from East Wichita News. She earned her college degree at the University of Memphis, is an avid scrapbooker, and is the proud grandmother of two boys. Arlene recently retired after more than two decades in the travel industry.

 

Currently, she is writing a sequel to A Plane Tree in Provence.

quotable “My books are water; those of the great geniuses are wine—everybody drinks water.” — Mark Twain

travel gallery
Arlene spent September of 2008 in France. She stayed in a cottage surrounded by the Klur Vineyard in Katzenthal village, in the Alsace region.(Click on the image to enlarge.)	Arlene’s rented cottage, Cote Jardin, in Katzenthal, France. (Click on the image to enlarge.)