I don’t think anyone who knows me well is surprised that I became an editor. I read voraciously as a kid. I wrote a ten-book series in my early childhood—a project that had me clipping photos out of magazines to use as illustrations and scrawling back-cover copy on construction-paper book jackets. (Yes, my parents were probably a little concerned!)

As an adult, it’s a joy to edit books that I know I would’ve loved as a kid. Lerner’s new Lightning Bolt Books brand offers just such a product. New Fall ’09 series under the Lightning Bolt brand include Animal Close-Ups, Famous Places, Meet the Animal Groups, Your Amazing Senses, and What’s the Weather Like? (cover pictured). As the development editor for these series, I greatly enjoyed working with our talented photo researchers, designers, and production editors to choose photos and shape the look of the books. I also loved pulling together back-cover copy with the help and expert knowledge of our marketing department. Working on the Lightning Bolt Books brand has been a childhood dream fulfilled!