Who Is Michaelina Deneka?

Michaelina Deneka: The Official Author Bio Version

Pssssst!
Kids (and kids at heart) might want to click to skip to the fun version!

Michaelina Deneka is an early childhood educator and an author of middle grade fantasy. As a “shy, sensitive” child, Michaelina preferred the written word to the overwhelming world; as an unabashedly unique author, she shares stories that center children’s experiences with neurodiversity, mental health, and disability — believing that what’s even better than escaping into a book is finding yourself in one.

When not teaching students or typing stories, Michaelina indulges her unquenchable thirst for inquiry by solving crossword puzzles, shouting at Jeopardy!, and hopping down Wikipedia rabbit holes. She earned her B.A. in Philosophy from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and achieved a 4.0 GPA while completing her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education at UMass Boston. She serves as Senior Editor for Henchman Press — Dragon Award-nominated independent publisher of sci-fi and fantasy — and has previously worked in web programming, promotions, party princessing, and more — collecting knowledge in her enduring quest to embody the nickname her students bestowed upon her: the Human Encyclopedia.

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…what do you think?

I tried to make it all formal and official-sounding, but I think a little bit of fun might have slipped in accidentally.

Oh, well. You win some, you lose some, right?

Anyway, now that we’ve gotten that taken care of, we’re free to move on to:

Michaelina Deneka:
The Fun Version!

Hi! I’m Michaelina Deneka:

Lover of Learning, Queen of Quirky,
and Wordsmith of Wonderlands.

I write stories for everyone, but especially for kids who could use a little more magic in their world!

I’ve been writing since I could barely hold a crayon. Long before I knew my ABC’s.

And once I did know my letters? Whew. You couldn’t keep me away from words if you tried!

You see, I was born… quirky.

Fear and Loathing (Change) in the Classroom:

The Baby Michaelina Story

Maybe it’s because I’m a teacher’s kid, but I’ve been hungry for knowledge since I was old enough to lift a book to my toothless mouth. I was a kid who never grew out of her “Why?” phase. But I was also the kind of kid they called “shy” and “sensitive” back in the 90s.

The kind who couldn’t talk at school, and sat in silent terror when my classmates behaved like kids and sometimes broke rules.

The kind who could understand books way above grade level, but couldn’t understand other kids if you paid her a million bucks.

If you’re thinking “that sounds scary”…

You’re Right!

My world was a kinda scary place! And I spent a lot of time hiding behind my mom’s legs so people wouldn’t talk to me.

But I also knew I how to build my own worlds:

With the Magic
of
Words!

I had a vivid imagination, so I loved to escape into literature; reading by flashlight after bedtime was the one rule I was willing to break! And it wasn’t long before I tried my hand at penning pages of my own: poetry, stories, journals, and more. Even if it took me a while to find my voice at school, I always had a powerful voice when I was writing!

But again, this was the 90s. So I depended on libraries (and desperate begging at bookstores) to feed my unquenchable thirst for words, and sharing my own writing was nigh impossible; I got one piece published in a children’s poetry anthology (and stapled a lot of 8.5″x11″ paper into books!) but anything more seemed like it would take a miracle.

Then, one magical Christmas morning, my miracle arrived:

The Internet.

When my family got internet access, a whole new way of wielding words opened up to me! I had opportunities to share the ideas that were always bubbling in my head.

Through online roleplays, I built imaginary worlds with thousands of writers from all over the world… and explored social interactions in a way that felt safe for me. In forums and blogs, I workshopped with other poets, and wrote short stories and fanfictions. (I also got great feedback from fans!)

The Wild West that was the late 90s internet is where I finally found the freedom to be me.

And I flourished.

Which Brings Us to Middle School… and Beyond!

By middle school, I’d found the strength to stand onstage to compete in spelling and vocab bees at the state level… and to survive the middle school cafeteria! I had finally figured out how to find my voice in class, and I used it.

A lot.

I made some mistakes with that voice — trying to copy the way I heard other kids talk and accidentally hurting someone’s feelings or getting in trouble. But mistakes are how we learn… and middle school is prime time for learning!

Along with my voice, I’d also found the courage to forge new friendships, and new ways of being myself. I fell in love with pigs and went whole hog with it: filling my room with pig paraphernalia, wearing my hair in pigtails, and carrying a tiny stuffed pig in my purse at school (who was probably more popular than I was!)

And by high school, I’d learned how to be wholly and unabashedly myself.

I used my words the way I wanted, and I used them well. I was honored with a poetry award from the state college, earning the opportunity to read alongside distinguished adult poets. When I recognized an unfair change to school policy, I met with the principal and wrote letters to the board until I persuaded them to reverse the change. And after making up the word “melonballing” at lunch, I won $5 off a friend who didn’t think I’d get away with sneaking it into my oral report in AP History the next period.

Kids across the school knew me for my way with words, whether it was from reading my work in the school’s literary magazine, hearing me speak at open mic nights, or just from having to deal with me ruining the curve in English classes.

When I graduated, I’d stacked up a pile a mile high of acceptance letters from prestigious colleges (and a rejection to my dream school. It happens.) I had National Merit Scholarships and Presidential Scholarships and sacrificing parents ready to help pay for it.

And all of a sudden, I was…

Michaelina Deneka: Certified Legal Adult^tm

I know what you’re thinking.

You think I’m about to go to college and major in creative writing and fulfill my lifelong dreams of being a writer, right?

You’re close!

I did go to college. (And I did pretend to minor in creative writing, which is a story for another time.)

Writing was something I knew would always be there for me, but I didn’t want to make my art the way I paid the bills.

So what did I do, then?

I had a lot of curiosities, and my career followed all of them! I’ve worked as a lighting designer in the theatre, a web programmer, an indie publishing editor, a children’s entertainer, and more! And with each new step of my career, I explored some new and amazing facet of the world, absorbing all the knowledge it had to show me. I soaked up experience like a fact-sucking sponge.

Of course, I was always in the classroom, too, sharing my love of learning with hundreds of students over the years.

I shared stories, too, when kids asked me to sit with them at snack time… and quickly morphed into a one-teacher storytelling stage show who had to enforce a very strict “One Story Per Snack Time” rule and stay up late planning new material to keep up with demand!

People told me all the time I needed to write a book: students, coworkers, roommates regaled with funny work stories…

And I wanted to do it. I wanted to write books for kids who were like me. A little quirky.

It was always something I would do “someday.”

Enter 2020.

After the surprise learning opportunity that was virtual teaching, and an unforgettable year designing curriculum for a creative school meeting kids unique needs during the pandemic, I was finally in a place where I could take a bit of a pause.

A place where I could try to sit down and (gasp!) write my first book.

I wrote it in less than a month.

If you’re a word nerd like me, you may have heard of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. It’s a challenge where you try to write a 50,000 word book over the course of November… and it’s something I’d wanted to do since I was a kid. So November 2021, I wrote my first middle grade fantasy, The Color Guard!

Then came the hard part:

Editing.

After many months and many rounds of editing, I’m finally ready to share this first book with the world! I’m on the lookout for agents who believe in my dream, and am currently querying. (or am I querrently currenting?)

When not writing, I’m either watching Jeopardy! with my family, doing the New York Times crossword puzzle on my phone, playing Dungeons & Dragons with my friends, or pampering my cat, Butters.

(in)Frequently Asked Questions