When I was a teenager, I had one of those diaries with a little lock.  I kept it under my bed and I would pull it out and just start writing.  -Maggie Van Galen

Do you love to write?  Meet Maggie Van Galen. Inspired by her father’s incredible ability to tell a story, this award-winning children’s book author and wordsmith has been writing since she could hold a pen.  Maggie grew up in a tiny town in Northern Michigan where “everyone knew your business before you even did it.”  She went to Michigan State wanting nothing more than to be a number and majored in Journalism until someone told her she would never make any money at it, so she pivoted to advertising with an aim to be a copywriter and ended up in corporate sales.   It was when Maggie became a mom that her father’s story of Keeno & Ernest resurfaced in her memory as she re-told it to her sons.   Teachers who heard the story urged her to put pen to paper and the series came to life, as The Adventures of Keeno & Ernest won the coveted Mom’s Choice Award.  Her latest series is a collaboration with a doctor of pediatric occupational therapy called King’s Day Outwhich empowers children as they navigate life’s adventures.  When she is not writing, Maggie shares her talents by offering her services as a ghostwriter, editor, proofreader, and content creator for social media, marketing, and websites.  www.maggievangalen.com. Says Maggie:  “Words are my gig. When I sign my books, I write:  always follow your dreams.  Sometimes, dreams are not right in front of you and that’s because life takes you in different directions.” #writer#author  #childrensbooks