ABOUT

When one of my twin sons took a test in first grade, we found out this: Lewis. Can’t. Read.

So along with a fellow parent and coworker—Paul McCusker—I dove into the world of historical fiction for kids. I wanted to create some stories that had action and adventure but were easy to read. And one last thing—they needed lasting value. So we put in Christian history and some good role models.

What’s been good for my son has turned into a series that’s been read and loved by hundreds of thousands of kids in North America.

And Lewis? Well, he became a chemical engineer. He still likes numbers better than letters. But . . . he can read!

Here’s a list of editing highlights from my professional journey:

Focus on the Family Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr magazines (1987–1996)
Focus on the Family books (2005–2015)
Focus on the Family magazine (2017–2020)
Books department at David C. Cook (2023-2024)
Brio magazine fiction (2021-2024)

And here’re some of the things that are coming up in 2026 and 2027

Waterbrook (Penguin/Random House) will release three easy-to-read FUNNY books about Jesus’ parables. These are for kids just learning to read, and for kids who just like to laugh. My coauthor is Lori Z. Scott.
Moody will release a devotional book that’s exciting for older kids. My coauthor on this book is Brock D. Eastman.

Media Bio

Marianne Hering is a children’s author and longtime editor best known as the co-creator (with Paul McCusker) of The Imagination Station, a popular Focus on the Family / Adventures in Odyssey series of easy-to-read historical fiction and time-travel adventures for ages 7–10. The series has sold well over one million copies (reports cite more than two million) and follows cousins Patrick and Beth as they explore Christian history and key events through John Avery Whittaker’s Imagination Station.

Hering began writing for children in 1987 while on staff at Focus on the Family, where she helped launch the magazines Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. and later served as editor of Clubhouse. She has held multiple editorial roles at Focus, including work on its books (roughly 2005–2015), senior associate editor of Focus on the Family magazine, and fiction acquisitions work for Brio magazine. She has also served as a developmental editor in the books department at David C. Cook (including Esther Press) and has written more than forty children’s books overall, along with articles and parenting content.

A Biola University graduate, she lives in Colorado and draws on both her editorial experience and her interest in making history and faith accessible to young readers.