Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) was an American author and poet. She was born in Rahway, New Jersey. After finishing school she worked as a librarian for the Rahway Library Association. Her first book, At the Sign of the Sphinx (1896), was a collection of charades. Her next publications were The Jingle Book and The Story of Betty (1899), followed by a book of verse entitled Idle Idyls (1900). After 1900, Wells wrote numerous novels and collections of poetry. She wrote a total of more than 170 books. During the first ten years of her career, she concentrated on poetry, humour, and children's books. According to her autobiography, The Rest of My Life (1937), around 1910 she heard one of Anna Katherine Green's mystery novels being read aloud and was immediately captivated by the unravelling of the puzzle. From that point onward, she devoted herself to the mystery genre. Among her most famous works are: Patty at Home (1904), Marjorie's Busy Days (1906), The Gold Bag (1911), Marjorie's Maytime (1911), Marjorie at Seacote (1912), Patty Blossom (1917), Vicky Van (1918) and Patty and Azalea (1919).