The profiles below demonstrate the breadth of interest and experience among the Regional Advisors, and the strengths they bring to the SCBWI outreach worldwide. Not all regional advisors have information listed below. For the name of the advisor in your area, visit the Chapters & Advisors listing. Thanks to Oregon Regional Advisor Robin Koontz and Taiwan Regional Advisor Kathleen Ahrens for keeping the information current!
| ADVISOR | BIOGRAPHY |
 Kathleen Ahrens TAIWAN member since 1998 RA since 2001 Int'l RA Asst. since 2004 |
Kathleen has publishing
credits in Skipping Stones, Wee Ones, and Highlights,
and she has also co-translated several picture books from Chinese
to English. In 2005, her teen novel manuscript Sisters-in-Half
was nominated for the SCBWI Sue Alexander Award, and this same novel
also received the SCBWI 2005 Work-in-Progress Runner-Up Grant for
a Contemporary Young Adult Novel. She joined SCBWI in 1998 and become
the regional advisor for Taiwan in 2001, when she attended her first
SCBWI conference in Los Angeles. In her role as regional advisor,
she plans events to help writers and illustrators develop and hone
their craft. In 2004, she became the International Regional Advisor
Assistant Coordinator as well as the editor for the International
News Column of the SCBWI Bulletin. SCBWI has opened many doors for her as a writer, and she hopes that her leadership role in this supportive organization will help other writers and illustrators achieve their professional goals as well. www.kathleenahrens.com |
 Aliki Ammerman GREECE member since 2001 RA since 2002 |
As
a children’s librarian, Aliki connected countless children to
the world of books. She now writes her own stories. She has translated
nine children’s books, published in Athens by Turtle Publications
(now out of print). Aliki loves reading, gardening, history, archeology,
and genealogy. She and her husband Chip enjoy the warm and friendly
SCBWI meetings they hold at their house every month. www.alikiammerman.gr |
| Janet Arden NEW ENGLAND - NORTHERN member since 2000 RA since 2005 |
Janet Arden spent the
first 21 years of her life in New Jersey with a loving family and
wonderful friends, who have inspired and will continue to inspire
interesting characters in her books. She earned a BA in English Literature
from Rutgers College. Then she moved to New England and eventually
settled in southern New Hampshire within walking distance of mysterious
ancient ruins. After a management position at a global healthcare
company where she was given a "down-sizing" nudge, Janet decided it
was time to focus on her writing and spend more time with her children.
She enjoys volunteering at her children's schools, and for 4 years
she wrote a column about school news for her local newspaper. Janet
joined SCBWI in 2000, and became involved with the New England conference
committee in 2003. |
 Rogério Andrade Barbosa BRAZIL member since 1997 RA since 2000 |
Rogério Andrade Barbosa has
written around 50 books, some of which have been published in Argentina,
Mexico, Germany and USA. For two years he worked in Africa as a United
Nations Volunteer teacher. He has participated in the Book Fairs of
Frankfurt, Guadalajara, Lima, Mexico City, Bologna, and Cuba as guest
author and storyteller. He has also participated in the Congress of
IBBY ( International Board on Books for Young People) in Colômbia,
Switzerland, and South Africa. And in 2006 will be present in the
IBBY's Congress in China. He has also travelled extensively over 40
countries on every continent and has been awarded a number of prizes
for his top quality books. The most important were: IBBY Honor list
in 2002 and the Best Brazilian Book for Childrens in 2005 ( Brazilian
Literary Academy). Rogério lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
and was the AEI-LIJ (Brazilian Children's Book Writer and Illustrators
Association) President for four years. www.docedeletra.com.br |
 Tracy Barrett MIDSOUTH (TN/KY) member since 1994 RA since 1999 |
Tracy Barrett is the
author of fiction and nonfiction for young readers, including the
award-winning YA biographical novel, Anna of Byzantium (Delacorte,
1999). Her most recent publications are The 100-Year-Old Secret
(Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2008) and The Ancient
Chinese World (Oxford University Press, 2005). Some past publications
include: Growing Up in Colonial America (The Millbrook Press,
1995); Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky
in the series "Celebrate the States" (Benchmark Books, Marshall
Cavendish, 1997-1999); The Trail of Tears: An American Tragedy
(Perfection Learning Corporation, 2000); Cold in Summer (Henry
Holt BFYR, 2003); and The Ancient Greek World (Oxford University
Press, 2004), and On Etruscan Time (Henry Holt BFYR, 2005).
Tracy holds a B.A. from Brown University , and an M.A. and Ph.D. from
the University of California at Berkeley. She has been married since
1983 and has two grown children. She lives in Nashville, TN, and teaches
at Vanderbilt University. www.tracybarrett.com |
 Sheridan Becker BELGIUM member since 2001 RA since 2001 |
Sheridan Becker is the author of
two highly noted travel books in the Savvy in the City series:
New York and San Francisco (St. Martin's Press). This globetrotting
gal has previously lived and worked in New York, San Francisco, Hong
Kong, Brazil, and Moscow. Currently residing in Brussels, Belgium
she divides her time between being a full-time professional mom and
searching for suitable inspiration for her next travel book. Sheridan
holds a B.A. in Literature and Art History from New York University. |
 J.L. Bell NEW ENGLAND - Central member since 1992 RA from 2000-2006 ARA since 2006 |
John is the author
of Soap Science (Kids Can Press), a collection of very clean
science experiments, as well as articles in AppleSeeds magazine
and elsewhere. His short stories have appeared in such publications
as the Highlights anthology The Identical Dolls and Oz-Story,
and he won a Work-in-Progress Grant from the SCBWI in 2000 for a historical
novel. John has worked as a book editor for over fifteen years, first
in the trade division of Addison-Wesley and now as a freelancer. He's
thus learned more than hopeful authors should know about the slush
pile, publishing contracts, copyright issues, book production, and
marketing plans, and he tries to keep up with industry gossip. Living
outside Boston, John enjoys historical research, sits on the board
of the Friends of the Longfellow House, and has led teacher workshops
at the Old South Meeting-House and the Paul Revere House. He's unusually
fond of Chinese dumplings, the Oz books, and sideburns. |
 Pam Beres WISCONSIN member since 1993 RA since 2005 |
Pamela Beres decided at the age of ten that her
favorite author, Beverly Cleary, had the best job in the world and
that one day she, too, would have that job. After spending ten years
in a more practical profession (legal secretary), she walked away
and decided to pursue her dream. Her first story appeared in Pockets
in 1990 and publication in other magazines, including Children's
Digest, Jack & Jill, On the Line and My Friend soon followed.
In 2000, she was asked by Pockets editors to create a series
and that series, "Timber Lake Road" appeared monthly from 2001-2004.
Now an instructor for The Institute of Children's Literature, she
thrives on the insight gained by teaching others their craft. Her
writing for adults includes feature articles for Lutheran Parents
as well as articles for Children's Writer, Children's Writer Guide,
and Magazine Markets for Children's Writers. With her original
goal still in mind, she now focuses on writing novels for middle-grade
readers. |
 Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld FLORIDA member since 2000 RA since 2003 |
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld has worked
in radio, television, and newspapers. She is a past president of the
Greater Miami Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and
is currently a freelance writer. She is the author of The Great
Duck Rescue, The Great Peacock Rescue, Lissette's Journey to Guantanamo,
It's Just One of Those Days, and Rumors. The stories are
still unpublished but they are well-liked by Calusa Elementary students
where Linda often reads. Linda is married to Jerry Bernfeld and has
two boys, Brian, 12, and Kevin, 16. |
 Natascha Biebow BRITISH ISLES member since 1998 RA since 1999 |
Natascha Biebow is
the author of Elephants Never Forget (W. H. Freeman and ABC),
and editor of numerous picture books and early readers. She was born
in Johannesburg and grew up in Rio de Janeiro, where she attended
the American School. She has lived in London since 1993, where she
moved after completing her B.A. in Developmental Psychology from Smith
College, MA. She currently works full-time commissioning picture books
for a major British publisher, where her favourite job is crafting
books with new writers and illustrators. She writes in moments captured
on walks, train journeys, and holidays. The rest of her free time
she spends learning how to play the guitar, traveling to exciting
new places, and building the SCBWI British Isles chapter. |
 Paddy Bouma SOUTH AFRICA member since 2002 RA since 2002 |
Paddy Bouma was born in South Africa and graduated
in Fine Art from the University of Cape Town. She studied Lithography
at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, as a Bursary Student of the French
Government. She teaches Lithography and supervises the graduate program
in Illustration at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.
Her work, both an illustrator and printmaker, has been exhibited on
numerous occasions. Her illustrations for Louis Baum's Are We Nearly
There (Bodley Head, London; US title One More Time) were
shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1986. She also wrote and
illustrated the Bertie series for the Bodley Head. More recently
she has illustrated Carol Carrick's Valentine and Upside
down cake for Clarion Books in New York. Currently she has been
involved with writing alternative comics which have been published
in Bitterkomix, a South African satirical publication. Her
work was included in the anthology Best of Bitterkomix 2 in
2002. |
 Donna H. Bowman SOUTHERN BREEZE member since 1997 RA since 2006 |
Donna has canoed through alligator-infested swamps, tracked 800-pound bear in the Poconos, and even ventured through a few kids rooms (gasp!) in search of unusual stories. Big Cats, Donna’s first book, will be released in June of 2008 by Dalmatian Press. Big Cats is part of a nonfiction series of vault books for ages 10 and up. Highlights Magazine for Children purchased her poem "Up or Down" and her nonfiction picture book manuscript, Tiny Flippers/First Steps, won 2nd place in the Southern Breeze ‘07 writing contest. Donna and her husband, Fire
Chief Danny Bowman, live near the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia
where deer families visit them daily. Their five children and six
grandchildren graciously provide unexpected anecdotes for Donna’s
stories. Various tales include space travel, science, nature, exocentric
children and even flying frogs! Where will her adventures lead next?
Grab a flashlight and follow along! |
| Ellen Braaf MID-ATLANTIC member since 1986 RA since 2001 |
Ellen has published juvenile
and adult fiction, nonfiction, and humor in publications as diverse
as the Washington Post, the Times Newspapers, Woman's Day,
and Soap Opera Digest. She holds a B.S. in Bacteriology, an
M.S. in Biology, and is a columnist and feature writer for ASK
(Arts and Sciences for Kids), published by the Cricket Group and Smithsonian
Magazine. A former book reviewer for Children's Literature,
Ellen's reviews appear in print and on the Barnes & Noble and Borders
websites. She teaches for the Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD, and
serves on their Board of Directors. Ellen is also co-chair of Northern
Virginia Writers, a special committee of the Writer's Center that
sponsors programs for writers the first Friday of the month February
through November at the Leesburg Town Hall in Leesburg, VA. |
 Charlotte Anne Braden SCOTLAND member since 2006 RA since 2006 |
Charlotte
Anne Braden is a book lover and believes that just like with cats,
the more the merrier. Great delight is taken in dandelions, glass
beads, picture books, and, of course, fat cats. She is a member of
SCBWI, Smart Writers Pro, PB Critiques and several on-line writing
groups. Her publishing credits include articles in Holiday Crafts
4 Kids and Fandangle Magazine. She has lived in the US, Germany, Switzerland
and Scotland, where she currently lives with her husband, bookworm
daughter and four cats. |
Patricia Morris Buckley CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGO member since 1993 ARA since 2007 |
|
|
ITALY |
Dario Cesare Campanile has been involved with stories and storytelling ever since early youth. After completing his studies in the classics, he embarked on a critical survey of the entire narrative process, with the aim of developing a fresh and innovative approach to writing. Dario has written many stories for children as well as for other
levels and in recent years has dedicated full time to the editorial
development of the best among his subjects, old and new, with his
wife Claudia Paveri Minetti, an illustrator who is also a member
of SCBWI. |
Nancy Castaldo EASTERN NEW YORK member since 1995 ARA since 2007 |
Nancy Castaldo joins Barbara Wells as the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Eastern New York Region. She is the author of several award winning nonfiction books for children, including, River Wild, Oceans, and Winter Day Play, as well as the picture book, Pizza for the Queen. Nancy also co-chairs the Capital Region SCBWI Shoptalk and is a board member of the Historical Novel Society 2007 Conference. She is the 2007 recipient of the New York State Outdoor Education Association's Art and Literature Award. Nancy enjoys working with Barbara to bring a variety of programs to Eastern New York for both published and non-published authors and illustrators. |
 Christopher Cheng AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND member since 1999 RA since 2004 |
Christopher Cheng is the highly acclaimed
author of children's picture books, information books, short stories,
and novels. He's a dynamo and a delight. His achievements include:
15 published titles; stories for CD-ROMs; elementary teacher; the
Zoo Education officer (teacher) at Taronga Zoo in Sydney for 8 years;
Children's Book Specialist for an Australia-wide retail book chain;
Education and Web Consultant for CD-ROM programs at Purdue University
(USA); and conference speaker and facilitator. His most popular titles
include: One Child (picture book), the Eyespy Book of
Party Animals (non-fiction), and his latest title New Gold
Mountain, the Diary of Shu Cheong (novel). Chris has been the
co-Regional Advisor of the Australia region for two years. www.chrischeng.com |
 Leora Cika ALBANIA member since 2005 RA since 2006 |
Leora has publishing credits in the Albanian literature
magazine Mer Licht where she has published several of her
adult short stories. This year she is planning to publish her first
middle grade novel "Nirupa and the Book of Shadows." She
is a translator/interpreter by profession and she is the translator
of a prestigious publication about the Albania cultural heritage and
history, Icons of Berat (2005). |
 Rosemarie Johnson Clarke CARIBBEAN - NORTH member since 2003 RA since 2005 |
Rosemarie is a former Features Editor for the Nassau
(Bahamas) Tribune. In her newspaper days, she co-founded
a magazine for high school students which won Pan American Health
Organization & Planned |
 Michele Corriel BIG SKY (Montana) member since 1996 RA since 2000 |
Michele Corriel is
an award-winning journalist and humor columnist as well as a freelance
writer. Every year, for the last eleven years, she has garnered First
Place by the Montana Newspaper Association for her columns and/or
feature and in-depth writing. Last year she was recognized by the
National Newspaper Association for her articles. As a freelance writer,
she has had articles published in the Big Sky Journal, Montana
Magazine, the High Country Independent Press, Bicycle Magazine,
At Home, Fencelines, and others. A middle-grade short story "The
Party," was published in the literary magazine Manzanita Quarterly.
The University of Mississippi Press (2001) included a piece she wrote
with Williams Burroughs in their series "Literary Conversations."
Her poetry has been published in the Lower East Side Anthology,
the Grey Rock Review, Cover Arts New York, and she has
had some poetry in a book with others from the Fusion Arts Movement
in NYC that is in the Whitney Museum's Permanent Book Collection,
and the Museum of Modern Art. She was awarded the national Children's
Empowerment Award for a series on playground bullies. |
 Sue Cowing HAWAII member since 1997 Co-RA since 2003 |
Sue Cowing's first love was poetry, but she has been writing mostly children's fiction for the last fifteen years. Her stories and poems have appeared in Spider and Cricket, and her story “John-Boy’s Christmas Zoo” won the Honolulu Advertiser’s Christmas Fiction Contest in 2006. An anthology she edited for young adults and adults, Fire in the Sea: An Anthology of Poetry and Art (University of Hawaii Press, 1996), received the Ka Palapala Po'okela Award for Excellence in Literature from the Hawaii Book Publishers Association, as did her book of original poems My Dog Has Flies: Poems for Hawaii’s Kids (BeachHouse Publishing, 2005). Sue holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. When not writing or RA-ing, she sketches and practices taiko drumming. |
 Sally Cutting SPAIN member since 2003 RA since 2007 |
Sally Cutting is an English
illustrator working from Spain, specializing in realistic watercolours,
but with a preference for children's books. She has published over
2000 illustrations worldwide.Her recent publications include illustrations
and die cut design for "El Parque" for the collection "Jugar
a Saber" published by the Club Internacional del Libro in 2006,
illustrations for "la oruga verde" published by ING Edicions,
2007, and illustrations for "Anne of Green Gables" for Penguin
Active Reading, level 2, Pearson Education Ltd, 2007. |
 Jean Daigneau OHIO - NORTHERN member since 2001 RA since 2005 |
Jean Daigneau has been published in the Record Courier
Newspaper, Clubhouse and My Friend magazines, and the Giant
Book of Kindergarten Activities, and has sold educational testing
material to CTB/McGraw Hill. Although she writes primarily picture
books, she is currently focusing on middle grade with two completed
novels and a third underway. Jean and her husband, Buzz, have been
married for 34 years and have three great children -- Tracy, Ben,
and Nick -- and five even greater grandsons -- Ty, Aaron, Eli, Simon,
and Christian. Jean works at St. Patrick School as a library aide,
tuition bookkeeper, and latchkey coordinator and supervisor. When
she is not writing, she and her husband enjoy cruising in their '51
Chevy (the car he drove on their first blind date) or relaxing at
their cottage on the Mahoning River. But whatever she's doing, she
almost always has a cross-stitch project in hand. |
|
ROMANIA |
Alina Darian is an author of children and adult stories and plays,
among which The Prince in the Glass Palace and The Dragon
Who Loved Tea. She has established The Sun and The Moon Publishing House and does storytelling workshops with children through
the performing arts association Alizee. She has worked for the past
ten years in journalism, advertising and publishing, and also runs
a consultancy company, PLAYFAIR, that works mainly on projects designed
to challenge the current parenting and education mentality in Romania. |
 Erzsi Deàk member since 1994 Int'l RA Chair since 2001 SCBWI Board of Advisors Photo by Sonya Sones |
Erzsi Deàk
is an American writer who shares her name with a famed Hungarian werewolf.
Erzsi-the-writer lives in Paris, France, with her family (and no pets).
She and Kristin Litchman created Period Pieces (HarperCollins),
a collection of stories for girls. Her story in Period Pieces is called,
"Hurry Up and Wait." Erzsi has written for The Children's
Writer's & Illustrator's Market and other publications. She
launched the French chapter of the SCBWI in 1996 and remains on the
Board of Advisors for France. Currently the International Coordinator
for the SCBWI, Erzsi sits on the Board of Advisors for the organization
and developed the SCBWI/Bologna Day-Before Conference with International
illustrator Coordinator Bridget Strevens-Marzo at the Bologna International
Children's Book Fair. She enjoys working with the international regional
advisors around the world. Erzsi Deàk received the SCBWI Member
of the Year award in 1999. www.erzsideak.com |
 Mio Debnam HONG KONG member since 2001 RA since 2006 |
Mio first discovered the thrill of
seeing her name in print when, aged 5, a story she had written appeared
in her school magazine. Since then, both her spelling and prose have
improved, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for her handwriting!
Although she remained interested in a writing career all the way through
university, where she sweated over articles in the college newspaper
office, on graduation she become distracted and spent a decade working
in the financial markets of London and Hong Kong. Luckily, she rediscovered
her love of writing in 1998, and has been a writer and editor since,
having articles and stories for both adults and children published,
as well as a middle grade fantasy novel and some educational readers.
Presently she is Editor-at-Large of two daily children's newspapers,
and regularly helps with creative writing classes in schools. She
lives in Hong Kong with her husband and two children. |
|
FRANCE |
Tioka
Tokedira recently joined SCBWI as a way to find kindred spirits. She
is putting the finishing touches on her first fiction project, a middle-grade
adventure story set in France. Her greatest hope is that her love
of words and world cultures will stir the imagination of young readers.
In the US, Tioka worked for PBS and the Discovery Channel on news and documentary programs and lived in just about every city on the east coast. Then a Frenchman knocked her off her feet, literally. Now Tioka, and her very charming husband, call a tiny, 6 th floor apartment in the middle of Paris home. She divides her non-writing time between leading communication seminars, editing scientific articles, traveling and sailing. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Boston University and a M.A. in Anthropology from Columbia. |
 Sara Easterly WASHINGTON - WESTERN member since 2002 ARA, 2005-2007 Co-RA since 2007 |
Sara Easterly is an author of children’s literature and an author publicist. Her first children’s book, Lights, Camera, Fashion! (becker&mayer!/Chronicle Books, 2007), illustrated by Jaime Temairik, won an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award and a 2007 Parents' Choice Silver Honor. Sara has published several magazine articles and is currently hard at work on two middle-grade novels. She holds a bachelor degree in Journalism from Colorado State University, as well as a Writing Certificate from the University of Washington, UW Extension. As principal and
creative director of Sara Easterly & Friends, Sara helps authors
and businesses create dynamic and effective communications programs.
Her clients include 2007 Newbery Honor Medalist Kirby Larson, Bonny
Becker, David Patneaude, Gloria Kempton, Joni Sensel, and the Class
of 2k7. She also handles publicity for Wizards of the Coast, working
with New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, along with
Melanie and Steve Rasnic Tem. |
| Patricia
H. Easton PENNSYLVANIA - WESTERN member since 1988 RA since 1991 |
Pat
Easton has been the Regional Advisor for Western Pennsylvania since
the region began in 1991.She is the author of seven books, five of
them for children. Her latest book, Davey's Blue-Eyed Frog,
won the Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award given by the Oregon
Educational Media Association. She is a two-time winner of grants
in literature from Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. With her husband
Richard, she teaches children's literature at Washington & Jefferson
College in Washington, PA, and mentors two weekly SCBWI critique groups.
She and Richard are the parents of three grown children. |
 Chris Eboch NEW MEXICO member since 1998 RA since 2003 |
Chris Eboch wrote The Well of Sacrifice (Clarion Books), a middle grade historical adventure set in ninth-century Guatemala. Kirkus Reviews says, "The novel shines not only for a faithful recreation of an unfamiliar, ancient world, but also for the introduction of a brave, likable and determined heroine." Chris's 2008 books include biographies of Olympic runner Jesse Owens and chocolate king Milton Hershey, focused on their inspiring childhoods, as part of Simon & Schuster's Childhood of Famous Americans series. Chris
has also written three nonfiction books for Junior High students,
Turkey and Yemen, for the Lucent Books' Modern
Nations of the World series, and Life Among the Maya,
plus Science Measurements and Science Tools for elementary
readers. She teaches for the Institute of Children's Literature
and has led dozens of workshops for children and adults. Besides
writing and reading, she loves rock climbing, swing dancing, critter
watching, cooking, and eating. |
 Darlina Eichman OKLAHOMA member since 2003 ARA since 2006 |
Darlina
Eichman spent most of her career teaching children, and managing NASA
funded graduate programs for K-12 teachers, showing them how to incorporate
space into their curricula. As senior editor on a project for Estes,
Industries, she led a team that designed and produced Ignite the Imagination,
a teacher resource guide and video tape, which provided instruction
to incorporate model rocketry into the middle school classroom. Darlina
shifted to the corporate environment in the late 1990's to develop
web-based learning materials. After moving to Oklahoma, she worked
for a company that developed online training materials for the Federal
Aviation Administration. Today she takes pleasure in writing fiction
about characters that have futuristic adventures. Blooming Tree Press
will publish her first short story in June 2006. Darlina shares her
life with husband Gregg and bouncy Bichon, Bailey. She frequently
travels to Colorado to visit grandchildren, Alec and Alyah. |
 Amy Emm WESTERN/CENTRAL UPSTATE NY member since 2005 RA since 2007 |
Amy was born and currently
resides in one of the snowiest US cities, Syracuse, NY. She has a
BS in Biology and MBA from LeMoyne College. She made good on her science
degree by spending ten years as a quality control chemical technician.
Even though she still loves analytical chemistry, she decided to change
paths and pursue writing. Today Amy lives the life every nine-year-old
envies, pedaling her bike around the neighborhood, reading constantly,
and writing Ð all in between baking cookies and playing in the
dirt behind her house. She lives with her infinitely patient and ever-indulgent
high school sweetheart turned husband, Chris. Western/Central Upstate
NY Member since 2005 RA since 2007. |
 Sheila Faichney SCOTLAND member since 2006 RA since 2006 |
Sheila
Faicheny trained as a painter and illustrator Edinburgh College of
Art and Newcastle Upon Tyne in the 1970s, and is qualified in marketing.
She has worked in illustration, journalism, social work, arts administration, careers advice, and marketing. Working through an agent, she illustrated childrens' fiction, educational literature, and newspaper articles from the mid 80s until 2001, also making and selling 3D papier mache work (including mermaid mirrors and Punch & Judy tableaux) from her gallery in the Orkney Islands. Now based on mainland Scotland, with one grown-up son at University, she collects Victorian toys, and is enjoying having more time for making pictures and stories. |
 Teresa Fannin CAROLINAS member since 1994 Co-RA since 2008 |
Teresa Fannin was raised in Southern California, has lived in New Jersey, New York, Northern California and Massachusetts and now calls Western North Carolina home. A former corporate Human Resource executive with an undergrad degree in History/English and an MBA from Pepperdine University, her specialties included training, organizational development and group dynamics. In addition to SCBWI she is a member of Sisters in Crime and the SinC writer's group Guppies. After a downsizing event at a big New England bank she decided to focus on raising two daughters and trying to write something other than corporate memos. She writes mysteries and science fiction because that's what she likes to read. Those daughters are grown and Teresa and her husband consider themselves unsupervised, except for four rescued dogs that seem to be in charge of the household but do not have to be sent to college. |
|
Lizann
Flatt began writing by hand, copying her own neighborhood newsletter
on carbon paper. Fortunately the neighbours were nice and didn't squash
her early dreams. She went on to win a story contest in Owl magazine
and "A Tale of Two Hags" was published when she was 13. After earning an Honours BA in English Language and Literature, Lizann worked in the editorial department for Chickadee magazine, eventurally becoming Editor. A busy mother of three, she hasn't stopped writing. Her most recent titles include The Nature Treasury: A First Look at the Natural World (Maple Tree Press) and Let's Go!: The Story of Getting from There to Here, (Maple Tree Press, Fall 2007). Her writing has also appeared in Babybug, Highlights, Chicken Soup titles, and educational textbooks. She is an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature. |
| Greg
R. Fishbone NEW ENGLAND member since 2001 ARA since 2002 |
Greg
R. Fishbone is the author of The Penguins of Doom (Blooming
Tree Press, 2007). Greg joined the SCBWI in 2001 and has served as
Webmaster and Assistant Regional Coordinator for the three New England
regions since. He also serves as Class President for the Class of
2k7 group of 2007 debut middle-grade and young adult authors. Greg
has published articles for the Children's Writers and Illustrators
Market including an article on writing humor (2002), a tribute
to Paula Danziger (2006), and a feature on collaborative marketing
(upcoming in 2008). |
 Sue Ford KANSAS member since 1993 RA since 2005 |
Sue Ford has told herself stories since
she was a child. Writing for children under her maiden name, Susan
Uhlig, Sue has two books out: Lindsey Hits the Club, a novel
for children 7 to 10, and Things Little Kids Need to Know,
a picture book. In addition, she has sold over 100 magazine pieces
for children and adults, including Highlights, Cricket, Brio,
and Child Life. Formerly from Washington state, where she was
RA for 3 years, Sue now lives in the Kansas City metro area. She and
her husband, Don, have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and two adorable
grandsons. Besides doing author visits in schools, Sue loves to speak
to adults about writing. The wisest thing she did in her writing career
was getting involved in a critique group with other children's writers.
www.susanuhlig.com |
 Janet S. Fox TEXAS - BRAZOS VALLEY member since 1999 RA since 2003 |
Janet
S. Fox is a writer, teacher, and Regional Advisor of the Brazos Valley
affiliate of the SCBWI. Janet's first publications were in the field
of marine geology, in which she has a master's degree; her published
poetry and short fiction for adults appeared in the 1980s. She became
a children's author in the mid-90s. Her son's learning differences
led her to develop ideas described in her book for Free Spirit Publishing,
Get Organized Without Losing It. Janet teaches middle and high
school English language skills and literature. Her other published
work for children includes fiction (Spider Magazine) and science
nonfiction (Highlights for Children). Current projects include
an historical middle grade novel set in 1904. Janet lives with her
husband, their 14-year-old son, and two dogs in College Station, TX. |
|
Deby Fredericks has been part of SCBWI since 2002, when the Washington/North Idaho Region began sponsoring meetings in Spokane, WA. She started volunteering with the local network in 2004, and became membership coordinator when the Inland Empire Region formed late that year. Fredericks has sold poetry and short stories for children to Boys' Life, Ladybug Magazine, Spider Magazine, Wee Ones, and others. She has a short story in the Summer Shorts anthology from Blooming Tree Press. Her fantasy-mystery novel, The Magister's Mask, is currently available from Dragon Moon Press. It was a finalist for the 2005 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPIE) in its category. A second fantasy novel, Too Many Princes was released in May of 2007. After writing from home and wrangling children for several years, she now works as a school crossing guard and wrangles children in a whole new way. |
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At a young age Alma Fullerton developed the drive to write – anything. After taking writing courses in college she published several short stories and articles in various magazines and books for writers. Her first novel In the Garage was published by RedDeer Press in 2006. Her second Walking on Glass was published by HarperCollins in 2007. Poet, author, freelance writer and public speaker Alma holds writing workshops for teens and adults both online and in person. She also posts writing articles and interviews with authors, editors and agents on her website and online journals. |
 Susanne Gervay AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND member since 1999 RA since 2006 |
Susanne Gervay is an award winning
Australian author who writes books filled with humor and warmth, while
tackling tough issues from bullying, blending families, burns, male
youth culture. Her much loved I Am Jack is becoming a classic
book on school bullying reaching adults and children, while Butterflies
is recognized as a defining book on youth disability. The Cave
confronts youth male culture today. Susanne's books are endorsed by
organizations including the Children's Hospital Sydney, the Cancer
Council, Life Education Australia, the National Coalition Against
Bullying. Her new book, set against the background of youth music,
is a unique combination of text and music. That's Why I Wrote
This Song is a collaboration with her daughter Tory, who wrote
the rock songs for the book. Susanne is widely published in literary journals. She is actively involved in the writing community as a mentor, speaker, facilitator. She leads the Sydney Children's Writers & Illustrators Network at the Hughenden, Sydney's literary and arts hotel. www.sgervay.com |
 Judy Goldman MEXICO member since 1997 RA since 2001 |
Judy is a bilingual writer and has
always lived in Mexico City. She has 17 books published in Spanish,
among them Los huesos sagrados, an Aztec legend published
by Ediciones SM which was also chosen by the Ministry of Education
in 2005 for its nationwide reading program, and ¿Te cuento?,
a book with four stories, by Editorial Norma. "Mouse Dream"
was published in 1994 in the The UNICEF Illustrated Christmas
Book, produced by Ravensburger Buchverlag and UNICEF. In 1999,
A Scream in the Dark and Other Spooky Tales from Colonial Mexico
received a Letter of Merit from the SCBWI for the Non-Fiction Grant.
She has worked with Victory Productions on two titles (Sarape
y Paliacate and El telar) for Scott Foresman's Lectura
program and, in 2001, collaborated, writing in Spanish, in the Aprenda
3 project of Harcourt Educational Measurement. She has written articles
about children's books for two literary supplements of Mexico, and
Críticas (distributed by PW, SLJ, and LJ) published
an article of hers in the February 2002 issue. She lives with her
husband and has two grown sons, Daniel and Ilan. They also share their
home with Lucas, a very talkative Spanish-speaking parrot, and Becca,
a golden retriever who sometimes lets her write. |
 Stephanie Greene CAROLINAS member since 1993 RA since 2006 |
Stephanie Greene considers
herself an SCBWI "success story" because she sold her first book after
attending her first SCBWI conference and listening to Betsy Byars
speak. She's been on the Steering Committee for the Carolinas chapter
ever since, and has watched her chapter expand. She's the author of
a series of chapter books about a little boy named Owen Foote, as
well as several other chapter books, Early Readers, and middle grade
novels. She is presently earning her MFA in Writing for Children and
Young Adults at Vermont College. |
 Carrell Muller Gueringer LOUISIANA member since 1984 RA since 1990 |
Librarian, storyteller, teacher and writer,
Carrel Muller Gueringer has published in magazines for adults and
children. She has co-authored and illustrated three educational activity
books. She has taught Writing Children's Literature at the University
of New Orleans for ten years. She has been active in the local and
national Catholic Library Association, serving on the Regina Medal
Award Committee for six years. She has received the 2000 SCBWI Magazine
Merit Honor Award in fiction for her story "Thornbush" in
Cricket. She has been speaker at many conferences and has done
school presentations. Carrel loves doing storytelling with creative
dramatics. She does yoga often and bakes bread sometimes. She is learning
to paint with watercolors. And, she is the proud mother of one son,
who is a Rhodes Scholar. |
Jo Hackl CAROLINAS member since 2003 Co-RA since 2007 |
Jo
is a corporate lawyer by day and a children's writer by night. Jo
is a founding member of the Upstate Children's Writer's Group and
a regular columnist on writing topics for the Pen & Palette, published
by SCBWI-Carolinas. A graduate of Yale Law School, Jo has been named
a Liberty Fellow and is working to develop a creative writing mentoring
program for at-risk middle schoolers as part of that program. |
 Lucy Hampson NEW MEXICO member since 1986 ARA since 2007 |
After
30+ years in education, Lucy Hampson is delighted to be writing full
time. She has been an early childhood teacher, a reading teacher,
an instructional coach, and an educational consultant working with
Native American Head Start teachers throughout New Mexico. Her favorite
job was Writing Resource Teacher. Working daily in elementary classrooms
she developed Writers' Workshops with dual-language Spanish/English
first through fifth graders. Lucy brings to the ARA job her lifelong
study of children's literature and her passion for writing. Her first
published piece was a poem written in third grade, followed by the
production of her play in sixth grade. That being the extent of her
publishing prowess, Lucy has been an associate member of SCBWI since
1987. She has written two novels, picture books, and several easy-to-reads.
When not reading or writing, Lucy cooks, swims, walks along the Rio
Grande, or travels anywhere she is invited. |
 Claudia Harrington CALIFORNIA - LOS ANGELES member since 1993 Co-RA since 2000 |
Claudia began her writing career in kindergarten
with a poem called Scab On Her Head. Despite that auspicious
beginning, she somehow kept writing. Her latest poem, Coming Unscrewed,
can be found in Philomel's anthology I Invited A Dragon To Dinner
& Other Poems To Make You Laugh Out Loud (a CBC Best Pick). Claudia
writes by night, sells homes on L.A.'s west side by day...and night!
Before that, she could be seen in commercials, movies and television
(still can, if you watch enough late-night reruns). She lives with
a very understanding husband, three wonderfully wacky children, and
a standard poodle who eats underwear. |
 Lynn E. Hazen SAN FRANCISCO - SOUTH member since 1991 ARA since 2006 |
Lynn E. Hazen's first novel for middle grade readers, Mermaid Mary Margaret, was hailed "a winner" by Kirkus Reviews in 2004. She followed her success with a picture book, Buzz Bumble to the Rescue in 2005. Her young chapter books, Cinder Rabbit, and Seymour's Snail Trail, are forthcoming in 2008 and 2009, and her young adult novel, Shifty, will be published in 2008. Lynn earned an M.F.A in Writing For Children and Young Adults at Vermont College. Lynn enjoys visiting schools and libraries. She also enjoys speaking to adults at conferences and special events for preschool and elementary teachers, educators, librarians, and aspiring writers. Please see Lynn's websites and blog: www.LynnHazen.com
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 Connie Heckert IOWA member since 1989 RA since 2000 |
Connie is the author
of 14 authored, co-authored and contributed books for children and
adults. Her children's books include Dribbles (Clarion Books)
and Miss Rochelle and the Lost Bell. The Swedish Connections
featured two Swedish exchange students, and was her M.A. essay
at the University of Iowa. To Keera With Love (Sheed and
Ward), one of two co-authored nonfiction projects, has been reprinted
four times. She has written more than 450 newspaper features and magazine
articles, including "The Ballad of the Prairie Blacksmith" in Cricket
and "8 Reasons I LOVE my writer's group" in The Writer.
A poem, "Rainy Day Walk," is forthcoming in Highlights. Connie
teaches writing for Augustana College and for the Institute of Children's
Literature and particularly enjoys teaching adult ed classes, "Current
Preschool Books" and "Writing Children's Books." She has taught at
the University of Iowa's Summer Writing Festival and serves on the
Board of Directors of the Moline Schools/David R. Collins Children's
Literature Festival. An RA since 2000, she is passionate about the
SCBWI and looks forward to more rainy day walks. |
 Genny Heikka CALIFORNIA - NORTH/CENTRAL member since 2003 ARA since 2004 |
Genny Heikka has been the Assistant Regional Advisor in Northern California since 2004. It wasn't until after Genny earned her MBA, worked at a global computer company for five years, then decided to stay home to raise children that she got back in touch with her passion for writing and for children's literature. Genny
has had poetry published in magazines. Three of her manuscripts
have received the following recognition: 1st Place, Children's Literature
Category, California Focus on Writers Contest (picture book, Feathers
and Fur, Sticky-Stuck, Greasy-Grimy); Honorary Mention, California
Focus on Writers Contest (Heart Harvest); and Honorary
Mention, Smartwriters.com WIN contest (middle grade novel, Give
and Take). In addition, she edits the "Good News" section
in the Northern California SCBWI newsletter, The Acorn. Genny enjoys
reading, writing, dancing, baking, being outdoors, and spending
time with her husband and two young children. |
 Christine L. Henderson MINNESOTA member since 2005 RA since 2007 |
Christine L. Henderson began writing in earnest when she became a stay-at-home mom. Winning an honorable mention in a Writer’s Digest competition spurred her on to write more. She gets plenty of story ideas from her three children and their friends, although finding quiet moments during the day to jot th |
