We are very fortunate to have JENNIFER GLADEN with us to share some information about My Light Catholic Children's Magazine. Welcome, Jennifer! Please start by sharing with us a little about yourself. Thank you for inviting me here to discuss My Light with you. I am a children’s author with three picture books titled A Star in the Night, Angel Donor, and Teresa’s Shadow. I have another book under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing. I have three children and a full time teaching job in addition to my writing career. Visit my website to learn more. For those who might not be familiar with My Light, please tell us a bit about it and what makes it special. My Light Magazine is a free Catholic online magazine designed to help children grow in their faith. The goal is to excite them about their faith early on so that they carry it with them throughout their lives and are ready for challenges as they grow up. My Light has recently been revamped. What changes have been incorporated into the new format? Oh boy, where do I start? My Light has a new address at www.mylightmag.com. We decided to tie in science with our non-fiction section and created the God’s Amazing World segment. We have added new members to our editorial team and meet often so that we are constantly growing, changing and bouncing ideas off each other. We have a children’s submission section, but the guidelines must be followed closely to ensure the best outcome. The biggest change is our format. We are not publishing whole issues monthly or bi monthly. Rather, we are adding new content regularly. This is great for people who may have missed earlier articles or stories. What’s your favorite part of being editor of this ezine? What’s the most challenging? My favorite part of being editor of My Light is that I am using my talents to serve God. I love to write and love my God. What better way to spend my time? The most challenging part, ironically, is time. With three children (two of whom have special medical needs), a full time job, and an additional writing career, time is short. It is tough to continue working when you need a little down time, but it is all worth it. What do you look for in a submission? Are there particular things that get you excited? I look for real pieces. Even in fiction. The reader has to believe this would happen in real life. I love strong believable endings. Do you have pet peeves? Anything that turns you off to a submission? What makes me stop reading a submission is three-fold: 1) Frequent grammar/spelling errors. 2) A sappy or unrealistic story – (no one in a good story has a light bulb moment that solves the problem. The solution must come naturally and realistically) 3) Pressure from the author about the manuscript. Usually, if we are taking longer than expected, it is because we are undecided. Too much pressure may make us push for a “No”. Do you accept submissions only from Catholics? No, submissions from non-Catholic Christians are welcome as long as the pieces are not inconsistent with Catholic beliefs. Any tips for writers or illustrators who want to be published in My Light? Suggestions that will increase their chances of acceptance? We love articles on saints, anything that ties in to a Catholic School or CCD/PREP curriculum. (Check your local diocese on what they are teaching kids at certain ages.) We want to publish anything we can to support our Catholic teachers. They are our partners in passing on the faith. Also if we like a piece but suggest edits, do the edits and run it by your critique group. Get feedback before you resubmit! If we can, we may help you edit, but due to time constraints and deadlines, this is not always possible. Check the current content. Be sure we haven’t published something similar recently. Follow the Submission Guidelines! Avoid sappy stories. Make it interesting. Be creative! I know you’ve just made a lot of changes to My Light, but do you have still other ideas or dreams for the ezine for the future? We still wish to be a paying market in the future. We are working on advertizing support to accomplish this goal. Also, you never know what we will come up with when we put our heads together. Some of our best new content resulted from our creative meetings, so keep your eyes open, follow our blog and submit to My Light. Thank you so much, Jennifer, for taking the time to share with our readers this helpful information, and for creating this inspiring publication for children. For you writers and illustrators who are now wanting to submit something to My Light, the guidelines are here. Writing for Children's Magazines, November 2013