Eileen Boggess

Eileen Boggess

Growing up in a household filled with her older brother and sister, a teen-age aunt, and a younger brother with special needs, Eileen soon discovered if she wanted any of her parents’ attention, she’d have to be creative to get it. So, she told funny stories to make them laugh.        

    Her interest in story-telling grew as she entered the wonderful world of reading and spent much of her childhood curled up with a good book in front of a heat register in her family’s living room in Davenport, IA. Sometimes, she’d become so engrossed in a book, she wouldn’t even notice the heat vent burning her arm! But Eileen never connected the joy of reading and telling stories with writing until her seventh grade English teacher signed her up to attend a writer’s workshop for talented writers. Just by having someone tell her she could write led to a burst of creativity during her junior high years. 

    Eileen’s love of writing continued and when she became a middle school language arts teacher, she often found herself writing side-by-side with her students. One day after listening to her students grumble when she assigned them the task of writing a realistic fiction book, she told them she would share in their pain and attempt to write one too. And that is when Mia Fullerton was born. Even after her students’ books were graded and returned to them, she couldn’t stop writing about Mia and her friends. Eileen combined many of her own embarrassing moments--she actually set her lab table on fire during her freshman year at her Catholic high school--with her students’ anecdotes into the fictional world of St. Hilary’s and she haven’t stopped writing since.

Eileen currently lives in Urbandale, IA with her husband, two children, and a rescued greyhound named Onyx.

Artist Statement

            “When I write, I try to find the humor in every situation. As a teenager, I think I did every embarrassing thing I possibly could; yet I still remember laughing an awful lot during those years. If my books make someone smile or even laugh out loud, I feel as if I have done my job. I mean, what could be better than making someone happy?”

Inspirations

            Growing up, Eileen was a prolific reader. She laughed reading Paula Danziger books, fell in love with Gilbert Blythe in the Anne of Green Gables series, and even tried spying on her neighbors like Harriet did in Harriet the Spy (sadly, her neighbors were not nearly as interesting as Harriet’s). So, her past and present reading experiences greatly influenced her writing and her wonderful readers inspire her to keep writing.

Group Involvement

            Eileen has been a member of Metro Arts for 3 years and has participated in the elementary after school program. She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and also is active in the Iowa chapter. Eileen is also a part of a writer’s group that meets every month. Her group consists of Sharelle Byars Moranville, Jan Blazanin, and Becky Janni who are all fabulously talented published authors.

Where to Find Her and Her Books

                        Mia the Meek (Bancroft Press, 2006), Mia the Melodramatic (Bancroft Press, 2008), and Mia the Magnificent (Bancroft Press, 2009) can be found in local bookstores such as Beaverdale Books, The Learning Post, and Barnes and Noble. They can also be ordered on-line at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or through her editor at bancroftpress.com

Upcoming Events

·      Quint County Reading Council in Storm Lake, IA, October 19, 6:00-8:00 P.M.

·      Iowa Author’s Fair at the Des Moines Public Library, October 21, 6:00-8:00 P.M.

·      SCBWI Conference in Des Moines, IA, October 23-25

·      Author Visit at Horizon Elementary in Johnston, IA, November 10

·      Western Hills Fine Arts Day in West Des Moines, IA, November 13

·      Book Signing at the Northpark Mall Barnes and Noble in Davenport, IA, December 13  

To contact Eileen go to:

            www.eileenboggess.com, eboggess@mac.com