Melanie Eitelman was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey and grew up in Laurel, Maryland. Her great grandfather, Patrick Dunne sailed over on the boat from County Cork, Ireland into Ellis Island. Melanie has always wanted to visit the tiny, thatched cottages of Ireland and took Irish dancing as a child. She marched in the St. Patrick's Baltimore Parade as a young girl. She has two daughters, Maggie and Mary (pictured above at The Laurel, Library in Laurel, MD) who have Irish danced and two sons, Sean (pictured above in Allentown, Pennsylvania) and Gabriel ( pictured on the contact page). One day, the character Maureen danced her way into Melanie's thoughts along with the piper, piping "fiddle de-dum" as Maureen danced. Melanie was determined to create the world of Maureen and Olympia Publishers of London, United Kingdom, excitedly offered to publish the book, "Maureen's Irish Dance on the Stars." She looks to forward to writing other books such as, "COVID-19 Heroes,” for kids and “My Mother Sews the Masks Today.” She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, is a member of the Rehoboth Beach Writer's Guild in Delaware, and is becoming a member of the National League of American Pen Women in Washington D.C. She has previously lived and worked in Windsor, England and was delighted to be working alongside the British again, with Olympia Publishers which is headquartered in London, England and has just opened a branch in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is thankful for the Editor, Production and Graphic Team and Illustrator, all of which are making "Maureen's Irish Dance on the Stars," available to be placed in the hands of children and parents who love to instill literacy in their kids! She has subscribed to the Center for Book & National Book Festival through the Library of Congress www.loc.gov and enjoys visiting the National Museum for Women in the Arts www.nmwa.org in Washington D.C. She lives in Maryland and is a Washington Capitals fan, New York Mets fan, Washington Nationals fan, and loves collecting seashells by the beach. She is signed up to receive newsletters from The Children's Book Council,www.cbcbooks.org and Every Child a Reader. She is an Honor Roll Recognition for 2019 at The National Museum of Women in the Arts, in Washington D.C. She is currently accepting school visit invitations and is becoming a literacy advocate.
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Pictured below NYC Society of Museum Illustrators, SCBWI field trip 2018
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The child pictured above is the daughter of Patrick Dunne. Patrick Dunne sailed over on the boat from County Cork, Ireland. Her name is Catherine Dunne of NYC. We think her Mother, Margaret Buckley, Patrick’s Wife is standing next to Catherine Dunne. Circa 1952-1957.
The Ellis Island Certificate of Naturalization located at the top of the page is Patrick Dunne's. |
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