Bio:

Stephanie received her degree in English (with a minor in Economics) from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Toronto. She worked for a number of years in Marketing and Advertising for corporate Canada and is currently a self-employed business writer / marketing consultant and owner of a mail-order children's book company (www.NeverendingStories.com). She was also the children's book reviewer and a columnist for Today's Parent Magazine for 12 years.

In 2001, Stephanie won both the Mr. Christie Award and the Ruth Schwartz Award for her first picture book, The Chicken Cat (illustrated by Sean Cassidy), which was also a finalist for The Blue Spruce Award and The CNIB Tiny Torgi Print-Braille Award. Her second picture book, Leon’s Song (illustrated by Dianna Bonder), was a finalist for the 2005/06 Blue Spruce Award and the 2005/06 Chocolate Lily Award.

Stephanie has also written several scripts for the pre-school television program Roll Play (produced by Sinking Ship Productions in conjunction with The Famous People Players).
In a starred review of The Chicken Cat, The Quill & Quire described Stephanie as “. . . a fine storyteller, combining a matter-of-fact narrative style – life's imperfections are fixed with a clear-eyed gaze - with elegant flourishes in turns of phrase and twists of plot.” Of Leon’s Song The Quill & Quire noted her use of “. . . vibrant descriptions and poetic phrases to create a sense of majesty and drama.”

Hoogie in the Middle, a pre-school picture book from Pajama Press (April 2013) and illustrated by Dean Griffiths, celebrates the trials and tribulations of the middle child.

Stephanie does school presentations for grades K-4 during which she discusses with students where the ideas for her stories came from and how they became books, using this discussion as a launching point to help them understand their own creativity and how they might foster it.


Writer
PAL
Member since 2006
Region: Canada: East

Contact Information

Website:  http://www.StephanieMcLellan.com

Published In Children's Market: Yes
Available for Speaking Engagements? Yes