When Hilenie was a little girl she would sit on her Pappy's lap while he read to her. Pappy would start with what sounded like "Once-a-pon-a-time." Pappy instilled a love for storytelling deep within her. Her plots sprang from what her ear heard as a child. This love carried into her adulthood and motivated her to write stories, songs, limericks, children's stories, and poems. She wrote her autobiography in 1949, as well.

Hilenie has a talent for telling colorful stories to anyone that will listen. Thus, The Hilenie and Friends Series is written and told from the perspective of a child. Hilenie always begins and ends her stories in a pickle.

She has two sisters; unsympathetic Hinenely and the supportive Hilena. Little Hilenie loves the land of make-believe where animals can talk. Her woodland characters are often in need of help which requires a rescue of some kind. The bears, bunnies, cats, cows, llamas, sheep, goats, Bigfoot, and many others live in the GIFFORD PINCHOT NATIONAL FOREST, near Vancouver, Washington, USA.

As life goes on Arlene M Mekel's (AKA) children become her inspiration. All of her stories are based on or written for Rich, Laura, Bit, Linda, and her two adopted kids; Mandy and Lisa. Each story has a story of its own; but that, of course, is another story. Her books are specially meant for every caring parent that places a value on wholesome books and fun entertainment. The Hilenie Series Books also resonate with those who respect the admonitions to train them from infancy to love reading. Yet, these Stories not only appeal to the young, but they also appeal to the young at heart. There are currently seven books planned for the Hilenie and Friends Audiobook Series. First written format release for Hilenie's Time-a-Pon-a Onc-a (pronounced once-a) released February 2021.