About the Author

Christene Helm grew up roaming the woods and meadows of North Yorkshire where she lived with her grandparents in a woodsman's cottage in the tiny village of Upleatham. Her grandfather, a woodsman on a large estate, taught her the love of nature, trees, flowers and all living things. Both her father and grandfather were master gardeners, growing prize-winning tomatoes and chrysanthemums and their vegetable garden sustained the whole family. Christene has always written fantasy stories about animals but this first book of the trilogy, 'The Monkeys Tale' is her debut novel. After retiring from a successful career in medicine, first as a nurse and then as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, she has been able devote her time to writing. She is a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and although she has made her home in California, her soul is still steeped in the life of the country lanes of Northern Europe.