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Lynn Gilliam
I'm one of the editors of Pockets. My husband and I are the parents of the two most wonderful kids in the world! Since I was a kid myself, I have loved to read and write. I think Pockets is a great place to work because I get to do both of those things, and I love the idea of helping kids grow in their relationship with God. I also like to draw a little, take walks, and hang out with my family and friends. My family also includes a gray-striped cat named Muffin.
Patty McIntyre
My name is Patricia Diane Francis Puckett
McIntyre. Don't worry; for short, I go by Patty. I like working
in the Pockets office. I like helping prepare a magazine for
all of you, our readers. I also like receiving your suggestions
for improvement. That helps us to make the magazine helpful
and enjoyable for you. I have a big dog named Dama. At one time we also had two kitties, six
fish, and a bunny. I've always wanted an iguana. Maybe someday!
My favorite thing to do is to play in the yard -- planting
and tending to flowers. I also like collecting wildflowers
from our wildflower garden. Sometimes I go to nurseries or
greenhouses just for fun and relaxation.
Chris Schechner
Hi. I'm the art director of Pockets.
Together, Mardie, the editors, and I decide what the magazine
looks like. We hire the people who draw the pictures, and
we put Pockets together. Sometimes I draw pictures for the
magazine, too. I've been interested in art ever since
I was a little boy. When I'm not working on Pockets I do other
kinds of art, like sculpting. I also like to draw cartoons
and write. I have two children who are both grown and live
in Maryland and three grandchildren. I enjoy working on Pockets
and have been designing it since 1983.
Mardie Slocum
Hi. I help design Pockets. That means
I put the words, headlines, and pictures into place. This
is called Graphic Design. I first got interested in design
when I was 12. I had a really cool art teacher who taught
me how to draw, paint, and design. From that point on, I knew
I wanted to do something artistic when I grew up. When I am
not working on Pockets, I spend a lot of time training for
marathons and other long-distance races. One thing that training
for all these races has taught me is that anyone can do anything
if he or she really wants to.
Mary Jane Pierce Norton
I write Pocketsful of Scripture each
issue. I'm the mother of Bradford Norton, who served
on the 1999-2000 Pockets Children's Advisory Board. I have
two older sons, Benjamin and Chris, who also were Pockets
readers. I enjoy writing Pocketsful of Scripture because I
enjoy learning about people in the Bible. I teach Sunday school
in my church and play in the handbell choir. I enjoy traveling
with my family, reading mysteries, and eating chocolate!
Pamela Holtz Beres
I decided I wanted to write stories
for children when I was 10. My favorite books were The Mouse
and the Motorcycle and the Ramona stories by Beverly Cleary.
I write the "Timber Lake Road" series for Pockets and many other
short stories for children. I also write articles for other
magazines. When I'm not busy writing, you might find me volunteering
at church or my children's school. I also spend a lot of time
watching my three children play sports or listening to them
play the piano, saxophone, or trombone. I have a husband named
Frank, who works for a toy company. We live in a tiny subdivision
called Walnut Grove, which of course reminds me of the "Little
House on the Prairie" books!
Diana R. Jenkins
From the time I learned to read and
write, I have loved both activities! I spent much of my childhood
with my nose in a book or a pencil in my hand. When I grew
up, I became a special-education teacher. Helping kids learn
was wonderful, but I never forgot my early love for words.
After 20-something years in the classroom, I stopped teaching
and began writing full-time. I especially enjoy writing for
kids. I live with my husband, a medical physicist, in Montgomery, Ohio, where I hope to write for many years to come!
Julia Taylor Ebel
My nature poems reflect wonder at the
beauty and mystery of God's creation. I love walking in the
woods, especially in the mountains. As I walk, I take time
to discover. On morning walks with my dog near my North Carolina
home, I watch leaves, flowers, birds, and bunnies. Then I
write poems. I jot down ideas soon so I don't forget them.
Then I shape and reshape the poem. I listen to the sound of
words together, the rhythms, the flow. I look at the shape
of the poem, too, as I try to capture an image. Aside from
my poems, I have two picture story books on the way. I hope
to have some picture book collections of poems published someday.
Carol Farley
Hey, Pockets readers, isn't it great
that we can get to know more about each other -- and ourselves -- by
reading stories? I've been reading and writing them since
kindergarten. I hope all of you do that, too. What's your
favorite kind? I like mysteries a lot because I read so many
when I was growing up. My first published book, Mystery of
the Fog Man, was an idea that came to me when I was 11 years
old. I went on to write seven more mystery books, but I've
written other kinds, too. My newest book, The King's Secret,
is about a legend I learned when I lived in Seoul, Korea,
many years ago. Most of my stories are in magazines, though.
It's fun to create characters who, like Pockets readers, want
to do the right thing. When all my work is done, I like to
relax with my cats, Hansel and Gretel, and read, read, read.
Peggy King Anderson
Ever since I was a little girl, I have
loved animals. When I was growing up, the only pets my family
had were goldfish (which usually died and got buried in the
backyard). When I grew up and had my own family, my five children
were allowed to have LOTS of pets, including gerbils, a rat,
a cat, and a dog who slept on top of his doghouse like Snoopy.
My son Michael also had a pet tarantula and two pet snakes,
one of which escaped and hid in my sewing machine! Now all
my kids are grown up. Since my husband, Ken, and I like to
travel, my only pets, once more, are fish! But I still love
animals, so I put them in all my stories. If you look at my
Pockets stories over the years, you will find dogs and cats,
ferrets and iguanas, and even a llama named Rama!
Bill Schlegl
Unscramble each word to learn about
me, Bill Schlegl: LBLI LCESLGH SI A ZEPULZ TIREWR. I am the
author of nine religious puzzle books. I have had hundreds
of religious puzzles published in more than 21 different magazines.
I am a retired teacher. I enjoy helping boys and girls, as
well as adults, learn about their Lord through my puzzles.
My wife, Eleanor, is also a published writer. We live in Quincy,
Illinois. Use the backward code (A=Z, B=Y, C=X, etc.) to learn
my favorite statement: PVVK Z HNROV LM BLFI UZXV ZMW GSV OLEV
LU QVHFH RM BLFI SVZIG.
Clare Mishica
I live in Upper Michigan on the Keweenaw
Peninsula. In the winter, we get lots of snow-more than 300
inches one winter! I've always liked telling stories. When
I was young, I invented stories about a cat named Charlie
for my little sister. Today, I enjoy writing fiction and nonfiction
pieces and also picture books and books for beginning readers.
I like creating puzzles and writing romance stories, too.
Writing lets a person explore so many different ideas and
places! I also work part-time as an English tutor and spend
time with my family. My husband, Gary, is a teacher, and we
have twin daughters, Stephanie and Amanda,
daughter, Christina, and son, Joel. We enjoy
camping. I also like to sew, read, and go for walks in the
country.
Renee Riede
I grew up with one brother, six sisters,
and one telephone. I often say that I started writing stories
while I was waiting to get on the phone to tell them to someone.
As a kid who grew up in Minnesota and never traveled much
farther than her grandpa's Iowa farm, I loved stories because
they took me to so many marvelous places. Today I am happy
to report that I have lived and worked everywhere from Keflavik
to Kathmandu! I am currently working as a freelance writer
and as an English teacher in a juvenile detention center.
My husband and I have three adult children who are off on
adventures of their own. However, they love to come and stay
at our home in Virginia where our nearest neighbors are beavers,
bats, birds, bugs, and lots and lots of frogs that love to
tell stories until all hours of the night!
Marsha Chudy
When my two sons were little, I read to them a lot. One day, I decided that I wanted to write for children and teens. I enjoy writing for Pockets because I can use the talents God has given me to share God's love with you. Besides doing puzzles and short stories, I'm working on a book of devotions and a mystery novel, both of which are for children. When I'm not writing, I like to read and spend time with my family and our dog, Snoopy, who doesn't know that she's a dog. She thinks she's one of us! Even though my sons are grown up now, I still like to read children's books.
Holly L. Niner
Hi there. You are just what an author needs- a reader. I live in a house full of readers (and two crazy cats). There are books everywhere in our house--on bookshelves, on tables, in boxes in the basement, even in the bathroom. I have two teenage children, and they have always been able to talk me or their dad into buying them a book. I love to read, but I didn't always write stories. In college I learned to be a speech therapist. I mostly work in hospitals or nursing homes. When my kids were small I loved the books I read to them, so I took a writing course, but it was many years before I had a story published. One of my first ones was in Pockets. I also have two picture books published: Mr. Worry: a story about OCD and I Can't Stop: a story about Tourette syndrome. I like to go to schools and talk to students about reading, being an author, and different disorders or disabilities. I like to write stories for Pockets because the themes make me think and I usually discover something about me. I also like to be surprised by the wonderful illustrations that add to my words. I hope when you read Pockets you discover new things about yourself, your family, and God.
Angela B. Haight
One day my fifth-grade teacher said,
"You should think about being a writer, Angela." Her words
inspired me and gave me confidence that someday I could become
a writer. During college I studied English literature. After
I got married, I was so busy raising six children that I wrote
only letters. But when my family got older, I took some writing
courses and discovered that I love to write for children.
I also work in the children's room of the public library,
doing story times and helping children find good books to
read. I live in Northern California with my husband and two
cats. Besides reading and writing, I enjoy gardening, swimming,
cooking, and visiting with my family. I always give my grandchildren
books for birthday and Christmas gifts. My biggest thrill
is when one of them reads something I've written and says,
"That was good, Grandma!"
Danielle Hammelef
I've always loved reading and writing. I dreamed of being a children's author. So when I quit my job as an environmental engineer to be a full-time mom, I told everyone I wanted to write children's stories. My dream came true! Now I create fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and puzzles, and I hope to live my dream for a very long time. I love to use my writing to praise God and help others see God's goodness in their lives. Every time I write, I learn something new about God and my relationship with God. Besides reading and writing, I love to volunteer at my daughters' school, play my flute, Jazzercise, run, garden, and take long summer evening walks with my husband Dave and daughters Sara, Emma, and Olivia.
Joyce Tsao
Hi, Pockets friends! If you could do
whatever you wanted to every day, what would you do? Even
thought I'm a grandma now, I know what I would do. I would
go hiking in the mountains, practice my yoga exercises, read
a good book, and, of course, write! Writing really should
be first on this list. It's fun to share my writing with the
readers of such quality children's magazines such as Pockets,
Cricket, Cicada, and Hopscotch. One of my poems won an award
from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
Wow! I really felt special! Besides being a writer, I've also
been a teacher. Now I work for a public library.
Richard Steen Williams
Growing up in the seaport city of Seattle,
Washington, I was fascinated by the big ocean-going ships
I saw every day. After graduating from high school I was offered
a job on board a tugboat in Alaska and, later, on tankers
and freighters sailing worldwide. I experienced wonderful
peace while crossing God's mighty oceans, even in the midst
of a typhoon or hurricane. Today I am retired from that job
and have lots of free time to create Bible-based puzzles for
Pockets readers like you.
Betty Davenport Tesh
I started making up stories in the third
grade to amuse my classmates during recess. At 11, confined
to bed for a year, I wrote many stories (mostly about pirates
and talking animals) but threw them all away when I started
writing "seriously" for my high-school paper. After I started
teaching, I stopped writing, but I continued to make up bedtime
stories for my daughters. (I found I could put them to sleep
by having the heroine "walk and walk and walk" in search of
a new adventure!) I did write a nonfiction book and some magazine
articles about education (dull!), but after I retired, I decided
to start writing stories again. I've had a lot of stories
published in Pockets, and I'm working on a juvenile novel.
Katrina Cassel
My name is Katrina Cassel, but most
people call me Kathy. I live in southern Georgia with six
kids, six cats, and a dog. My children are birth children,
adopted children, and foster children. Some are white, some
are black, and some are mixed. Some of our foster children
stay a long time, and others stay only for a few weeks. When
a child leaves us, we have fun trying to guess whether we'll
get a boy or a girl next and what age he or she will be. We
like to go to zoos, amusement parks, and beaches. My husband
was in the military, so we used to move a lot. We lived in
England twice; Okinawa, Japan; North Dakota; and South Dakota.
My favorite kind of writing is writing for preteens. I mostly
write articles but also write a few fiction pieces or create
activities and puzzles. I have written four books. I am working
on my next book, which is called The Christian Girl's Guide
to the Bible. I hope to do a lot more writing for Pockets
!
Jacqueline Horsfall
I love creating fun activities-word
games, puzzles, jokes, and brain-teasers-to tickle the funnybones
of young readers. My "serious" writing career began in Washington,
D.C., at the White House, answering the president's mail!
My stories, articles, and poems frequently appear in popular
children's magazines, and my prize-winning nature activity
book, Play Lightly on the Earth, was recently published in
German and Japanese. In addition to writing for kids, I'm
a college-level writing instructor and manuscript editor.
What's the sweetest music to my ears? Hearing kids giggle,
crack up, and belly-laugh!
Sandra Beswetherick
Hi! The name Beswetherick comes from
the Celtic word Bosvathack, which means "the dwelling in the
meadow." The small house that is my home actually has a large
meadow for a backyard. I go for walks there with my husband,
Bill, and our two cats, Ralph and Molly. Cats often find their
way into the children's stories I write, and, so, too, do
some of the small creatures that frequent our meadow. My Pockets
story "The Search for Tigger" told of two girls looking for
a lost cat. In "The Eerie Haunting Terrible Cry," a baby porcupine
causes problems for a group of boys camping overnight. My
stories have appeared in Pockets and in other children's magazines,
such as Highlights for Children, Aquila, and Cricket. I hope
that you enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them.
Joan Stevenson
I retired to Florida about ten years
ago and took up writing for children. I had a Bible puzzle
book published several years ago and have had about 65 pieces
(puzzles, poems, and short stories) published in various children's
magazines. I teach second-grade girls at our church club on
Wednesday nights and have been doing that with my sister for
the past six years. The girls are terrific, so smart and creative.
We love them. I am a "big sister" with Big Brothers/Big Sisters
of southwest Florida. I have a puppy Shih-tsu named J.J. and
a lop-eared bunny named Corky. When I moved here I was a widow
and married a man who has seven married children, 21 grandchildren,
and four great-grandchildren. Most of them live in Ohio. I
spend a lot of my time writing, playing tennis, and painting
furniture funky colors.
Shannon M. Huber
Hey, Pockets readers! Say, did you know
that a nightcrawler can lift 26 times its own weight? (If
people were that strong, a person could lift two and a half
tons!) Isn't our Creator amazing? I love learning about God's
work and sharing with others. So even though I've had lots
of jobs--from teaching math, science, and Spanish to bookkeeping
at a bank--writing for young people is still one of my very
favorite things. I also like to read, write songs, and cook,
especially if my niece Macie helps me. We both love chocolate!
I live with my family (my best friends) in the country. I'm
looking forward to someday living with all of God's family
in heaven, aren't you?
Terry Miller Shannon
I live on the gorgeous Oregon coast.
I enjoy gardening, cooking, reading, and walking the beach
with my husband, Craig. Deep down, I still feel like I'm 12
years old. That might explain why I especially love to write
for children and teens. I've always dreamed up stories, poems,
and recipes. I feel fortunate to be able to make a living
at writing these down! I've also enjoyed writing several educational
books for children. Recently, a major dream came true-my grown-up
son, Tim, and I sold a picture book, Tub Toys, we wrote together.
Binney Paik
Life can sure be puzzling sometimes!
But solving life's puzzles is great fun, especially when we
know our loving God is right there to help. I've always had
a special love for puzzles-both solving them and making them
for others, like Pockets' readers, to solve. My very earliest
memory is about a frightening puzzle I needed to solve. I
was a preschooler, and I had wandered into the woods behind
my Illinois home. Before long I knew I was hopelessly lost.
I solved that one just the way I had been taught: I knelt
in the leaves and prayed, asking God to show me the way home.
The next moment I heard a familiar bark, and my pet dog bounded
up beside me, yipping and howling until my parents found their
way to us. That same trust has seen me though all the puzzles
involved in 35 years of marriage and raising nine children.
And I know it's the perfect solution to all the puzzles yet
to come. |
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