Featured Members & Articles
Mara Purnhagen — Award Winning YA Author
Mara Purnhagen is the author of the young adult novels Tagged (March 2010), Past Midnight (September 2010), and One Hundred Candles (February 2011), all published by Harlequin Teen, and one novella, Raising the Dead (January 2011). Her next novel, Beyond the Grave, comes out in August 2011.
Past Midnight has been nominated for Young Adult Library Association’s (YALSA) 2011 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, the 2010 Cybil Award for best Fantasy/Science Fiction novel for young adults and the 2010 YABC Readers Choice Award. She was featured in the March/April 2010 issue of Writer’s Digest.
Ms. Purnhagen has lived in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina. She now lives outside of Cleveland with her husband, two cats, three children and too many LEGO sets to count.
For more information, see http://www.marapurnhagen.com.
Judy Irvin Kuns - Award Winning YA Author
Judy Irvin Kuns has loved writing since she was a child. "I remember my fourth grade teacher giving us the assignment to write a story or a poem using all 20 of our weekly spelling words and how I loved the challenge of that," she said. "Also, I have always been an avid reader. I grew up poor and in the country with no books around and no means of getting to a library, but we did have a bookmobile that stopped right in front of our house. I so looked forward to bookmobile day and would choose the thickest books I could find because I knew I had to make them last for three whole weeks. "Her interest in writing for children grew as she made frequent visits to the Sandusky Library with her four children. "Those visits reminded me of how important books were to me as a child," she says. "Added to my love of reading and solitary, observant nature, writing for children seemed the perfect fit."
Kuns earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her first middle grade novel, While You Were Out (Dutton Children’s Books: 2004), was chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection and winner of the 2005 Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers. She has since written two more MG novels, Orange around the Edges and The Family of Things (a finalist in Hunger Mountain's 2010 Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing), and is currently working on a YA novel titled Spin Cycle and a picture book.
Kuns has also been published in Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, Children's Digest, and Once Upon a Time magazines and twice awarded Honorable Mention in the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition. She is available for speaking engagements and children’s book manuscript consultations. See http://www.cbmadvisors.com/index.shtml for more information.
Cinda Williams Chima - New York Times Bestselling Author
Cinda grew up with talking animals and kick-butt Barbies. She began writing romance novels in junior high school. Her Heir Chronicles young adult contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir (2006), The Wizard Heir (2007), and The Dragon Heir (2008), all from Hyperion, with two more books forthcoming.Chima’s best-selling YA high fantasy Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King (2009), followed by The Exiled Queen (September, 2010) shown above, with cover art by Larry Rostant.
with The Gray Wolf Throne scheduled for fall, 2011.
Chima’s books have received starred reviews in Kirkus and VOYA, among others. They have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors’ Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists.
Chima was a recipient of the 2008 Lit Award for Fiction from the Cleveland Lit and was named a Cleveland Magazine Interesting Person 2009. She has been active in the SCBWI for more than five years. She lives in Ohio with her family, and is always working on her next novel.
Chima often addresses writing questions and concerns on her website and blogs. Visit her at www.cindachima.com or her blog at http://cindachima.blogspot.com/
Donna Bizjak
Works as a graphic designer for a large company by day. Nights and weekends are mainly devoted to illustration work. She is currently working on illustrations for a third grade workbook, illustrating the fourth book in the "Gator" series (about a happy horse and his meadow friends) and always drawing caricatures for weddings, birthdays, retirement, etc. She writes, " I met my agent at the first conference I attended in 2006 and the publisher through the SCBWI marketplace. SCBWI membership has been all good!"Sophie Cayless
Have written and illustrated one picture book, Beaver Tales (Eastern National, 2001) for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and have three more in process of submission. I focus on nature illustration and created many illustrations for
national and local parks. My latest news is production of a puzzle, mug and water bottle from a Hawaiian mural I painted in 2000. View my work at Breaksville Studio.Read Sophie's article The Craft of Scratchboard.
Deborah Jackson
Former Illustrator Coordinator for Northern Ohio SCBWI, Deborah has been involved in the arts for over 25 years. After Post Graduate studies in Illustration and Graphic Design at Kent State's award winning VCD Dept., she assisted in the development of curriculum for Le Chaperon Preschools in Cleveland. She served as illustrator for Makeovers Children, created by Destina Moga for her Makovers Life series. She was a board member for Northern Ohio SCBWI for three years. Her work in the field of Adult Spirituality has been published by the American Tarot Association and US Games. Her work on the Magdalene Tarot, created by Gnostic minister Casey DuHamel, has been signed for publishing by Tarot Media Company and will be available in late spring. Though Deborah is comfortable and active in many different two and three dimensional art forms, she chooses computer as her medium of choice for published illustrating. Her work can be viewed at her Cyber-Gallery.Tiffany Ann Laufer
Is a filmmaker and children's book author. She works in Cleveland and Los Angeles. She started her own publishing company called Bellaboo Books. She is presently working on a picture book and a chapter book/middle grade reader.
She also works in the film industry and does posters for films. View posters she has done on her website Laufer Film.Michele Housholder Funk
Lives in Conesville, Ohio with her husband Dan and her bassett hound Max. She is writing and illustrating her first book. She just finished the illustrations, and now needs to type the text and have everything photographed. She finds this an exciting adventure and will be self-publishing through Author House.Karen Maizel
Started out as an on-site fashion illustrator at each of the three major Cleveland department stores for 10 years. Began freelancing while raising a family, first doing greeting cards, then children's magazine illustrations. Also did a learn-to-read series from Zondervan (currently six in print, including Jake's Brave Night). Two picture books from Magination Press were done with our own Annette Sheldon (Big Sister Now, 2006 and Big Brother Now, 2009). With a few other small books with a local publisher, the count is up to 21. A wordless picture book, Night Moves, is being considered by Tricycle Press. Karen works traditionally, favoring watercolor. She is experimenting with collage, and over the years has moved from a highly realistic style to a lighter, more graphic look. Check out her work at www.karenmaizel.com.Jodi Warner
Focuses on picture books and is pre-published and hopeful. She has created logos, greeting cards and t-shirt designs, and is currently working on a story inspired by the conference.
Her contact information is: 6074 Pebblebrook Lane - North Olmsted, OH 44070/ 440-777-3267/ geodi@wowway.comLaurel Winters
Can be reached at 188 North Highland Ave. Suite 301 - Akron, Ohio 44303-1504 and you may see her work at WintersStudio.com
Anne Beekman — Educator/Illustrator
Anne is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at The University of Findlay. She teaches Children's Book Illustration courses and works closely with the Mazza Museum, The International Museum of Children's Picture Book Art. Holding an MFA in Graphic Design and Illustration with high honors from Marywood University, Anne completed her BFA at the Cleveland Institute of Art and holds certificates in Teaching in Higher Education. For twenty years she worked as a professional Illustrator, Art Director, Graphic Designer and Web Developer in publishing and advertising, winning multiple national awards for her work.
Anne writes about illustration, design and education on her blog, At The Art of It. Deadlines and Closet Space is a recent article.
Visit her website at beekmanstudios.com
M. LaVora Perry - Writer
M. LaVora Perry has shown her devotion and support for the Northern Ohio SCBWI. In 2008, she volunteered as an Executive Board Member filling the role of Assistant Marketing Coordinator. In 2009, she stepped into the Executive Board Member role of Marketing Coordinator and continues in this position today. She has brought forth dynamic and innovative marketing strategies, which added in record-breaking conference attendance for our 2008, and 2009 Annual September Conferences. M. Lavora received the V.O.Y. Award at the annual recognition brunch, where fellow board members described her as "Tireless!", "Amazing!" and a "Dynamo!" Congratulations M. LaVora, and continued success as the NOHSCBWI Marketing Coordinator!
Her Taneesha Never Disparaging, (Cover Illustration by Floyd Cooper) a middle grade story, was published by Wisdom Publications in 2008. Her young adult follow-up is in the works. She's also writing a teen girls health book with a Cleveland Clinic physician. LaVora lives in Northern Ohio with her husband and three children.
View LaVora's Perry's Website.
Kathiann M. Kowalski
Kathiann M Kowalski has written eleven books for young people, plus over 150 articles, stories, and activities, mostly nonfiction. She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, Northern Ohio Chapter and is available as a speaker on subjects as diverse as science, space, politics, nature and writing. Read Kathy's article Write Here in Ohio.
Nicole Hanusek
Nicole Hanusek, formerly of Maple Heights, Ohio, is an aspiring writer and illustrator. Her major at the Cleveland Institute of Art was Illustration and her life long dream has been to write and / or illustrate children's books. As she continues to work on the career of her dreams, she supports herself with various freelance illustration and web design jobs while working full time at a web development company. She previously served as the SCBWINO webmaster and wrote The Web is Here, and It’s Not Going Away...
Joan Marie Arbogast
Joan Marie Arbogast has shown her support and belief in the Northern Ohio SCBWI for many years as an Executive Board Member. Her endless energy and soft-spoken personality has been a driving force behind the Northern Ohio SCBWI’s success in putting on professional conferences. And her knowledge on the publishing industry’s ins and outs brings forth the ability for stellar line-ups and hands-on workshops.Her nonfiction book titled, BUILDINGS IN DISGUISE; Architecture That Looks Like Animals, Food and Other Things, published by Boyds Mills Press.
Check out her article The Inside Scoop on First-Time Book Signings.
©2010. Northern Ohio Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators.
All images are property of the original artist/creator and may not be reproduced without written permission of the owner.