C

arol Bendix Allen, as a 
University of Michigan 
graduating senior in 
the 1970s, found her first dream 
job writing marketing materi-
als for Vogue magazine. Before 
marrying and raising two sons, 
she focused on fashion.
Allen, now a grandmother of 
four and a real estate marketing 
consultant in New York state 
and Massachusetts, wants to 
help young women find their 
dream jobs but with a different 
and more timely focus — 
opportunities in science, tech-
nology, engineering and math 
(STEM).
Using her writing-marketing 
skill set, Allen is writing a three-
book science fiction series for 
teens with the goal of giving 
readers a can-do attitude about 
addressing environmental prob-
lems. Three recurring charac-
ters, in a time warp, get whisked 
away to another planet and 
together use their brain power 
to help establish solutions.
“I’m working on the third 
book, and I hope it will be out 
in the spring,
” said Allen, liv-
ing in upstate New York with 
husband Michael Allen. “The 
first two books — One If: A 
Virago Fantasy and If Then: A 
Virago Fantasy — are available 
on Amazon and have won best-
seller awards.
”
Motivation for the series came 
from family and professional 
experiences — a granddaughter 
losing enthusiasm for STEM 
fields and business outreach 
associates introduced through 
the Feinstein Institutes for 
Medical Research at Northwell 
Health in Manhasset, N.Y.
“I was shocked that profes-
sional women I was meeting, 
researchers and doctors, strug-
gled with the same things I did 
— the imbalance that happens 
with gender,
” said Allen, whose 
Northwell connections led to 

her service on the Advisory 
Board for Advancing Women in 
Science and Medicine (AWSM). 
“I wanted to reach teens in a 
way that would get them excited 
about sciences, and I thought 
a fun way to do that would be 
through fantasy novels. It is 
clear that STEM is going to be 
the future bedrock of jobs and 
careers. At this point, women 
make up half of the college-ed-
ucated workforce, but only 28 
percent of women are in STEM.
“We have to engage young 
women, get them excited about 
the opportunities and make 
them aware they are capable 
of contributing to making the 
world a better place. That was 
the key to the direction I chose 
for the books.
” 
Allen, who enjoys the out-
doors and holds environmental 
concerns, is a disciplined morn-
ing writer. Her first book was 
recognized as a Kindle Daily 
Nation Young Adult Book of 
the Week in 2020. The second 
book won a gold medal in the 

Global Book Awards for Teen & 
Young Adult Fantasy in 2021. 
The first book sets the stage 
for the problems of climate 
change and puts the three 
characters in a new world 
where they can stay as Earth 
time freezes until their return. 
The second book develops the 
characters as they solve prob-
lems amid political drama and 
romantic attention. 
“I put ‘Virago Fantasy’ into 
title extensions because virago 
has to do with women having 
strength and spirit equal to 
men,
” she said.
Allen, who grew up in the 
metro area, saluted her home-
town by including a Detroiter 
as a main character. With long-
time family membership ties to 
Temple Israel, recently attended 
digitally, the author is recog-
nizing religious attachment 
through a Jewish character in 
the third book.
“If I can engage one person to 
follow a path to STEM to help 
make the world a better place 

— whether in climate, virology, 
infrastructure engineering or 
anything else — I’ve reached a 
goal,
” said Allen, whose books 
are being marketed through 
Metropolitan Publishing.
Allen, who has served as an 
adviser for STEM programming 
encouraged by local Girl Scout 
groups, has been disappointed 
that the pandemic interfered 
with projected speaking engage-
ments. She offers to travel for 
programs that will promote 
STEM and her books, which 
are being sold with promises 
for partial proceeds donated to 
STEM initiatives. 
“I love my characters and 
developed them to be inspira-
tional and diverse in ethnicity,
” 
said Allen. 
“Each has a different person-
ality and struggles. Although 
they get off to a rocky start, they 
learn to collaborate. They lean 
on each other to show people 
can come together and solve 
problems no matter what back-
ground each brings.
” 

ARTS&LIFE
BOOKS

Native Detroit author creates fantasy series to spur 
young women into science and technology careers.
Sci-Fi with a Purpose

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

42 | SEPTEMBER 23 • 2021 
 
 
 
 

Carol 
Allen

CAROL ALLEN

