For Kids...
Hi! I am a lucky grown-up. I'm lucky because I LOVE my job. My job is to write. I write children's books, magazine stories, poems, advice for young writers, and stories that schools use to teach you to read. What could be better than that?
That means I'm an author. You'll see my name on the books on this Web site. Sometimes you'll see Donna Marie Merritt. Sometimes you'll see Donna Marie Pitino; that's a name I used for my first books. Some of my books even have pen names. A pen name (or pseudonym) is a made-up name authors might use for their books. So, you'll see names like Brianna Cain on some of my books; Brianna is my daughter and Cain is my great-grandparents' name. I've also used Christine Casteel; Christine is my daughter and Casteel is my grandparents' name. Marie Mulcahy is there, too; Marie is my middle name and Mulcahy is my maiden name (the name I had before I got married). It's fun to use different names!
Now you know that I have two daughters, Brianna and Christine. I also have a stepson, Walker, and a husband, Stew. AND we have a dog, Peaches (she's a Yorkshire terrier), and a cat, Little. (Little was little when she was a kitten. Now she's a fat cat!)
I hope you like reading my books!
For Adults...
As I told your children, I absolutely love what I do. When I can help a child to enjoy reading and love learning, I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to do in this life.
I taught school for 14 years, from pre-K, K, and grade 1 to middle school Language Arts to GED classes for adults. I was a columnist for Teaching K-8 Magazine, penning both the "Life in the Middle" column for educators and the "Parent Connection" column for families.
In addition to the fifteen books on this site, you'll see my stories and poetry in children's magazines such as Potluck Magazine, Discovery Trails, Wee Ones Online Magazine, and Highlights High Five. I've also written for reading programs such as Total Reader and the National Reading Styles Institute.
For teens and adults, I've published in magazines that include Teaching K-8, Metro Parent, Partnership for Learning, Signs of the Times, NEA Today, Liguorian, Children's Writer, The Word Among Us, Catholic Transcript, SCBWI Bulletin, The Catholic Yearbook, Carolyn's Voice, The Catholic Leader, and the Wonder Years Development Guide. You can also find my work in Laughing and Learning, an anthology from Grace Abraham Publishing.
