Greetings everyone!

I was the first born child, raised in small town Iowa. To have someone to play with I created an imaginary playmate, Pickens. But Picken was short lived when my sister was born two years later. 
 
As a teen, I did alot of babysitting. To entertain children, I made books which I wrote and illustrated. A family friend, read my books to her second grade class. They were goofy stories about a talking Liberty Bell and a peanut stealing elephant. My intererst in children's books began.



I majored in illustration in college. For one project I wrote and illustrated “Super Oreo,” a brown covered, round book. After graduating from the University of Kansas, I worked as a graphic designer. I created brochures and logos for many years. But I always wanted to write and illustrate for children. In 2001 I decided to fulfill that dream by taking children's writing classes.

In 2003 my first non-fiction article was 
published in "Nature Friends" children's magazine. Then my first children's illustrations were published in Wee Ones magazine in July 2004. 

I use unusual “fun facts” in my non-fiction articles, hoping kids think it’s interesting too. Several of my non-fiction articles are published in "Appleseeds," "Boy's Quest,"
"Cobblestone," "Cousteau Kids," "Discovery Trails," "FACES, "Family Fun,"
"Highlights," "Hopscotch," "Nature Friends," "Odyssey" and "Wee Ones" children's magazines.  

I've written three non-fiction children's books. "Cash Crop to Cash Cow-The History of Tobacco and Smoking in America" published by Mason Crest. And "Easy Origami" and "Not-Quite-So-Easy Origami" by Capstone Press. Four more books are due out in 2010 about extreme jobs by Heinemann Library. And eight predator vs. prey books are due out in early 2011 by Raintree.

I live in Iowa with my husband and two children. I work as a graphic designer for a local newspaper. In my spare time I enjoy traveling, gardening, walking, baking, and doing arts & crafts. 

I'm a member of the SCBWI and serve as the NW Iowa SCBWI chairman. 

To contact me, email: MMeinking@hotmail.com





“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” - Pablo Picasso