Authors' Series

All Authors' Series are at 10 am in the Community Room at the Saratoga Library

May 1, 2013

Mary Celeste Tillson

The first thing her school audiences find out about M. C. Tillson is that the “M.C.” stands for Mary Celeste. “My dad is the only person who calls me that,” admits Tillson. “Everyone else calls me Celeste.”

But to the middle-grade readers of her Lighthouse, she is M.C. Tillson, author of four (almost five) Lighthouse Adventure books and creator of Sam and Becky (and Mom and Dad), the characters who star in her series of children’s mystery books.

In the summer of 1999, Ms. Tillson and her 4-year old son made their first visit to Copper Harbor on Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. Ms. Tillson promptly fell in love with the area, and, after a second visit in 2002, she knew she would write a book about that magic place. The result was her first children’s book, The Clue at Copper Harbor. When it turned out that there was more magic than would fit in one middle-grade chapter book, Ms. Tillson wrote two more books to finish the Michigan Lighthouse Adventure trilogy. Her latest book, The Mystery at Oak Island, stars Sam and Becky on a new series of lighthouse adventures—this time set on the coast of Ms. Tillson’s native North Carolina.

M.C. Tillson loves reading and writing children's books. Ask her what her favorite books were when she was growing up and she rattles off a list: “The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dangerous Island, the Anne of Green Gables books, and, of course, Nancy Drew mysteries. She soon stops and protests, “I can't pick. I haven’t even mentioned A Wrinkle in Time, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Taffy of Torpedo Junction, or any of the Dr. Seuss books that I read over and over.”

Ms. Tillson grew up and went to college in North Carolina. After graduating with a degree in Political Science (“I use it every day,” says Tillson), she moved to California, started her technical writing career, and got a Master’s Degree (also in Political Science). Today she’s the owner of A&M Writing and Publishing.

When Ms. Tillson is not playing with—er—I mean training Mercy, her new Brittany puppy, she might be substituting at the local elementary school or singing in the choir at Saratoga Presbyterian Church. She is a huge fan of the San Francisco Giants (World Series Champions for 2010 and 2012!). She likes traveling to fun places, working in her garden, playing cards, and reading. Her favorite color is green and her favorite food is anything Italian. She loves talking with kids—especially about their favorite books.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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