Storm Literary Agency

Boutique literary agency representing quality literature from exceptional authors and illustrators

First, there was a  teacher who loved books almost as much as she loved little children. Then, there was an artist who loved pirates, almost as much as he loved cats. As it turns out, that artist could also write, and that teacher loved the pirate stories he wrote. And she shared those stories with the children she taught. The children loved the pirate stories; they also loved the cats. They wanted more stories with pirates and cats. They also wanted an adventure. And the stories gave them so many adventures. And that is that: Storm Literary Agency came about because it needed to. The children requested it. And so did the cats. 

Storm Literary Agency welcomes submissions from unique and talented authors and illustrators, those who are not afraid to embrace their capacity to teach, to entertain, to engage and to honor people, young and old, who hopefully, will be changed by the work represented here.

Margaret Mangan

 

Margaret Mangan is a PhD geoscientist who writes narrative-driven picture books and early hybrid graphics that use adventure and humor to spark curiosity about the workings of the natural world.

Margaret started writing for children during her many years as a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), where she conducted research on the causes and consequences of volcanic eruptions. She was the first woman to lead the eruption response team at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and later, was the founder and first director of the USGS California Volcano Observatory. 

Her USGS work included educational outreach to people living in the shadow of hazardous volcanoes and guest-teaching Earth science in K-5 classrooms and workshops. She provided expert advice for children’s programming and was a regular contributor to the Ask-A-Geologist homework help desk. Margaret has numerous publications in scientific journals and frequently lectured at universities, community colleges, national parks, professional societies, and science festivals.  

When Margaret left the USGS to write for children full-time, she was presented with the U.S. Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award for her contributions to the field of volcanology and for her dedication to science in service of society.  She also won the Eugene Shoemaker Award for science communication. 

Despite a rewarding research career, Margaret is quick to confess that as a youth, she found science tedious. This early disinterest prompts her to weave science into tales that engage and inspire.  She writes to empower young girls especially, creating stories that show it’s OK to speak out, step up, go bold…and defy convention.