We're so glad to have RAECHEL HENDERSON with us to tell us some about Spellbound. This was a print magazine from 1999 to 2003 and relaunched as a digital publication in 2012, after having a successful Kickstarter campaign. Welcome, Raechel! Please begin by sharing with us how and why you started Spellbound. Can you also tell us about the relaunch? It's been so many years since the start of Spellbound it's hard to remember specifics. I do remember coming into a lot of paper and a hand-me-down laser printer. I also remember wanting to create something unique: a fantasy magazine for kids, something I had never seen but would have loved as a kid. Marcie, our poetry editor, came up with the title: Spellbound. It just sort of fell into place after that. The relaunch was a bit like that, too. I had restarted Eggplant Literary Productions, and was focusing on e-books. But I kept reading reports about the increase in children's e-book sales. I took it as a sign that maybe it was time to bring Spellbound back digitally. I asked Marcie if she was up to editing the poetry again. It's a good thing she said yes. I don't think I would have relaunched Spellbound if she had said no. For those who might not be familiar with Spellbound, please tell us a bit about it and what makes it special. At its heart, Spellbound is an excuse to make the sort of magazine I would have liked to read when I was twelve years old. The focus is on fantasy and each issue is themed, centering on a particular magical creature or concept. I think what sets Spellbound apart from other magazines is our focus on balance: each issue has not only fiction, but poetry and art and recommended reading lists. I think that allows us to explore themes in really interesting ways. And it allows us to engage readers on various levels: visually and poetically as well as through prose. What do you love most about your editor job? What do you find challenging about it? I love all the ways writers tackle each theme. There's always surprises in how people will write about dwarfs or dragons or changelings. And one of our goals is to actively seek content with diverse and inclusive characters and settings. That means I've been exposed to stories and characters and creatures I've never encountered before. So far, the most challenging part has been when I've had to pass on great stories because I've run out of budget for an issue. It's great to get so many wonderful stories that I can get a balanced table of contents, but it's hard to choose sometimes. Please tell us what you particularly look for in a submission, the sorts of things that get you excited. I love active language, and dialog that sounds natural. I want to see the kids in the story face their problems and overcome them, rather than have those problems solved for the characters. What things turn you off to a submission? Any pet peeves? Twee-ness turns me off instantly. Kids can tell when they're being condescended to, and I want to avoid that with the fiction I publish. I see a lot of wish fulfillment and encounter stories which don't hold any interest for me. And I've been seeing a lot of stories with disabled characters who are healed by magic, which runs counter to what we're trying to do when we ask for those types of characters. Any tips for writers or illustrators who might want to break into Spellbound? Suggestions that will increase their chances of acceptance? For fiction, I really want to see even more diversity in submissions. Put in details that make it clear from the beginning that characters are PoC, or minorities, or disabled. Give your characters names that identify them as belonging to a certain race or culture. Take advantage of the short story format to give readers a glimpse into a place they might not otherwise see. I noticed in your Kickstarter video you said you’d used some puzzles in your original Spellbound issues. Are you still receptive to puzzle submissions? Recipes? Activities? That's a topic that hasn't actually come up yet. I think it could be a possibility in the future. I spent the last year getting familiar and comfortable with publishing Spellbound again in ePub format. It was a learning experience. Puzzles might prove challenging. Recipes could definitely be possible. Depending on what they involved, activities might work: things like printouts might be difficult. But it's something I might consider for future issues. Do you have additional plans or dreams for Spellbound’s future? My big goal right now is to get Spellbound in the digital collections at libraries and schools. Now that we have several issues out, I've been researching and contacting companies to see what I can do in that area. And, of course, there's the fairy tale issue we'll be putting out in August. That will be a special edition of Spellbound and will be published in both print and hard cover. If that does well, it might pave the way for more print and e-book projects. Any other information about Spellbound you’d like to share with us? Subscriptions are only $24 for four issues and they make a great gift for the middle grade readers in your life. Thank you so much, Raechel, for taking the time to share with our readers this helpful information, and for creating this fun, engaging publication for kids. For you writers who are now excited about submitting something to Spellbound, please check out the webpage and the submission guidelines. Writing for Children's Magazines, March 2014