Here you will find information about the many people who have helped make SFC Magazine what it is. All SFC team members donated their time and talents over the last few years.
Some of the people have moved on to other things during the two/three year hiatus while others plan on returning and are currently writing for children and/or working for SFC Publishing, LLC and it's many other divisions.
VS Grenier, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of SFC, was voted one of the Top Ten Editors in the Preditors and Editors Reader Poll 2007 & 2008. She started writing for children’s magazines a year after the birth of her daughter when she quit working to stay home and raise a family. She loves writing books, articles, and short stories for children and teens, finding that it keeps her young. Grenier even dresses up for Halloween and still believes in Santa Claus. Grenier is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature and is a member of SCBWI and Musing Our Children. A California girl at heart, VS Grenier currently lives in Utah with her husband, their two kids, and the family’s big fat cat, Speed Bump.
Her works include: Babysitting SugarPaw, the Best of Stories for Children Magazine Volume 1 anthology, and over 30 short stories, articles, and crafts for children along with newsletter articles for writers. She also won second place for her article, “Yes, Virginia, There IS a Santa Claus” in the Preditors and Editors Reader Poll 2007 for Best Nonfiction of 2007 and won 7th place for her article, “Dinosaurs Tracks in My Backyard” in the Preditors and Editors Reader Poll 2008 for Best Nonfiction of 2008.
Websites:
Children and Teen Author http://vsgrenier.com
Stories for Children Magazine http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org
Stories for Children Publishing http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com
VS Grenier My Space page http://www.myspace.com/vsgrenier
Claudette Hegel, Managing Editor of SFC, grew up on a farm near McClusky, ND, but now lives in Bloomington, MN, with her cat, Cal-de-catt ("Callie" for short) and many books including all of the nearly 700 Newbery and Caldecott Award books. Claudette is the author of more than 200 publications, including six books: biographies of Randolph Caldecott and John Newbery, plus four books for teachers and librarians to use in a classroom. Before she became a full-time freelance writer and consultant/critiquer/editor, Claudette worked as a writing teacher, library aide, and bookkeeper. She's an avid volunteer who has served as regional advisor for Minnesota SCBWI, an assistant in school and public libraries, and many other mostly book-related positions.
Gayle Jacobson-Huset, Fiction/Poetry Editor of SFC, lives in Minnesota with her husband and imaginary flock of penguins at “Unfrozen Pond”. She has two adult daughters and two grandchildren. Gayle is a member of MN SCBWI and has been published in Spirit-Led Writer, Relate Magazine, Stories for Children Magazine, Stories for Children Newsletter, The Blue Review, Once Upon A Time Magazine, SCBWI Bulletin, MN SCBWI Cygnet, several regional SCBWI newsletters and websites, KidMagWriters.com, and The Institute for Children’s Literature website. She placed seventh in the 2007 Preditors and Editors Readers Poll for her story, "Pepper-Jack Ray and Waldo's Scary Halloween" in the Short Story Mainstream Category, and has ten items published in the first editon of the Best of Stories for Children Magazine Anthology.
Wendy Dickson, Nonfiction Editor of SFC, lives in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada with her husband and one needy cat named Merlin. She has loved writing since she could hold a pen in her hand and now spends her time writing stories and articles for children. Wendy has two new grandchildren and just knows that they will be a constant source of inspiration in the years to come. Wendy has been published in Once Upon A Time Magazine and Stories for Children Magazine. She is a member of the Western Canada chapter of SCBWI and a graduate of The Institute of Children’s Literature. Wendy recently placed sixth in the 2008 Preditors & Editors Readers Poll for her story “Snow Angels” in the Short Story, All Other Genres Category.
Marie Letourneau, Art Director of SFC, is a New York-based published author & illustrator. Her latest book, The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Freres, which she wrote and illustrated, recently won ForeWord Magazine's Bronze Medal for Book of the Year (announced at the 2007 BEA in NYC.) Marie graduated with a BFA from Hofstra University, where she also studied writing and drama. Marie is married to Marc, a high school calculus teacher, and has two teenage children and three dogs. Marie is also a winner of the 2007 SFC's Granny Awards for her illustrations for the story, "Let the Music Out". Visit her website for more information: http://www.marieletourneau.com
Sandie Lee, Assistant Fiction/Blog Editor of SFC, lives in Ontario Canada with her husband and three furrry, feline children. She's a member of the SCBWI and a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. Sandie fell in love with Stories for Children in the fall of 2007 and has been contributing ever since.
Donna M. McDine, Marketing Manager of SFC, is a native of Rockland County, NY…about 20 minutes outside of NYC. She lives with her husband Tom and two daughters. Donna has been a cashier, a personal assistant, a web designer, and now she knows where she belongs – a children’s writer. Donna is an award winning children’s author, placing 12th in the 77th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition in the category Children’s/Young Adult Fiction. She recently signed her 1st book contract with Guardian Angel Publishing for her manuscript entitled, The Golden Pathway. Her additional publishing credits include 15 print and ezine publications and is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature and is a member of SCBWI and Musing Our Children. To learn more about Donna’s writing career visit: www.donnamcdine.com or www.donna-mcdine.blogspot.com or www.thegoldenpathway.blogspot.com.
Diane Ferguson, Editing Intern of SFC, is an English major and editing minor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Currently, she spends most of her time researching and writing an endless stream of papers that nearly always end up being about Jane Austen. She has won multiple writing awards, including the San José Public Library’s Teen Peace Poetry Contest for the poem “Seeds of Peace.” While interning at Stories for Children Magazine, she plans to continue her education and pursue a Master’s degree in literature. In her spare time, she enjoys chowing down on mint chocolate chip ice cream, watching British comedies, baking cookies, and marrying off her roommates (two down, two to go!).
Debbie Smart, Book Reviewer of SFC, lives in Chickasha, Oklahoma with her husband. She has one daughter and one granddaughter. Debbie works part-time as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant in the schools helping disabled children. She is also a massage therapist and enjoys helping others. Debbie is active in her church and is a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) worker for abused and neglected children. She has been published in Highlights for Children, Spirit-Led Writer, Once Upon A Time Magazine, SCBWI-OK Newsletter, Byline Magazine, TodayinOT.com and has also written numerous articles for the web. She previously wrote the Kidz Korner Column for the Oklahoma Occupational Therapy Association newsletter. Debbie is currently working on several picture books and a Christian devotional book. Debbie relaxes by playing with her granddaughter, praying, walking, reading, journaling, writing for children, and swimming in her pool.
Wayne S. Walker, Book Reviewer of SFC, is a native of Hillsboro, Highland County, in southern Ohio. After graduating from Hillsboro High School, he continued his education at Florida College in Temple Terrace, FL, the University of Akron, and Wright State University. Married to his wonderful wife Karen for over 25 years, he is the father of two sons, Mark and Jeremy, who are both homeschooled. Also, he has worked as a minister for almost 35 years in Ohio, Missouri, and now Salem, IL. Wayne's interests include classical music, hymnology, and children's literature. He has developed a homeschool curriculum for studying the great composers; has authored a book entitled Songs of Zion with studies of several hymns; and has been a regular book reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and Home School Buzz. In addition to his home, work, and hobbies, he has been involved with several civic and homeschooling organizations, and edits an e-mail newsletter Biblical Homeschooling.
