Elayne Crain is, foremost, a writer of childish things.
Elayne earned her bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University, where on two separate occasions, she spotted Fred Rogers and lost her mind. Thankfully, she eventually recovered and went on to earn her MBA in marketing.
Now she’s a hardworking SCBWI, 12×12, Storyteller Academy, and Inked Voices member who writes humor and heart picture books, poetry, and middle grade. She recently attended both RUCCL and Big Sur, and she will attend Sophie Blackall’s Milkwood for picture book writing in September. Despite being written in rhyme, her manuscript Bearly Asleep won first place for picture books at SCBWI San Diego Mayfest 2022.
Elayne is easily found (“Thanks, unusual name!”) on all the usual social media suspects.
She’s always been a big fan of letting curiosity lead to all kinds of random adventures. Some examples include:
- starting her own artisan food business, selling products around the country (inc. Crate & Barrel).
- appearing on national TV (PBS’s Ask This Old House).
- spending summers with the old-timey magazine Newsweek, as well as the Foreign Commercial Service in Belgium.
- traveling extensively and lived all over the U.S. (even three years in Australia).
- learning entrepreneurial skills from Martha Stewart and her MSLO crew.
- marrying a submarine officer and raising delightfully redheaded children.
- volunteering like a mother.
She’s a huge fan of libraries, comedy, kids, and anything homemade, vintage or French.
