Merrie Destefano Email & Phone Number

Urban Fantasy Novelist at Harper Voyager. Debut novel, Afterlife, released in 2010. Second novel, Feast, released on June 28, 2011.

Southern California

Editor of Victorian Homes magazine, Vintage Gardens magazine, American Farmhouse Style magazine and Zombies magazine.

Freelance Co-Author and Editor: How To Draw Zombies, How To Draw Vampires (co-written with artist, Mike Butkis); How to Draw and Paint Magical, Mythological and Monstrous Creatures, (co-written by artist, Bob Berry); How To Draw Grimm's Dark Tales, Fables & Folklore (co-written with artist, Rachel Marks.)

• Develop yearly editorial calendar, assign magazine articles to writers, maintain deadlines and budgets, and work closely with advertising and circulation departments. • Write, produce and edit feature stories for three nationally distributed home decor magazines with combined circulations of 250,000. • Contributing editor for Romantic Homes, Cottages & Bungalows, Lodges and Lofts magazines. • Duties also include hiring photographers, styling photo shoots, selecting images for magazine and working with art director on redesign of magazine.

Developed and created launch publication, Cottages & Bungalows magazine. Researched target market and competing publications to create niche magazine for owners of small historic homes. Worked closely with art director to design magazine. This start-up publication successfully exceeded its pro forma expectations, and is now a bi-monthly magazine.

• Wrote and produced feature stories for two nationally distributed home decor magazines (Romantic Homes and Victorian Homes) with circulations of 120,000 and 75,000. • Duties also included researching articles, interviewing homeowners and styling photos. • Edited manuscripts by contributing and staff editors. • Proofed bluelines. • Scouted homes, stores and events for potential story leads. • Liaison between Y-Visionary and book publishers, as well as outside public relations, marketing and advertising personnel.

• Supervised publishing department.• Developed 37 new products, which increased sales revenue over $400,000.• Increased conference revenue approximately $14,000. • Promotional strategies increased the yearly sales of Halloween: Trick or Treat (a 20-year-old video) from $3,000 to $22,000.• New product development includes the book, The Man God Uses, by Pastor Chuck Smith. • Supervised translation and publication of projects into foreign languages. • Responsible for purchasing print, maintaining budgets, writing proposals, presenting new products to upper management and copywriting of product packaging.

• Responsible for print quotes and buying. • Supervised 2 student workers. • Designed bi-weekly newspaper. • Created illustrations for award-winning alumni magazine.• Generated concept, design and illustrations for promotional materials for a variety of Performing Arts and Alumni Departments, as well as Major Giving Department fund raising events.

• Scheduled film print media including budget, quotes and print buying. • Responsible for arranging photo shoots and securing models; hiring photographers and illustrators. • Designed layouts for Brio, Breakaway and Clubhouse magazines.

Developed promotional materials for five magazines (Crafts, Profitable Craft Merchandising, Shooting Times, Sew News, and Rotor & Wing, International) with circulations of 60,000 to 380,000.