Jesse Florea
Jesse Florea has worked at Focus on the Family for 30 years. For most of that time, he’s been the editor of Clubhouse (for kids 8-12) and Clubhouse Jr. (for kids 3-7) magazines. He also cohosts the award-winning “Official Adventures in Odyssey” and “Official Average Boy” podcasts. Jesse often speaks at Christian writers conferences around the country. Additionally, he has written or edited more than forty books, including the Defend Your Faith apologetics Bible for kids, The Case for Heaven Young Readers Edition, The Case for Grace for Kids and The One-Year Devos for Sports Fans. He’s published more than 4,000 devotionals and sold more than 1 million books. Jesse lives with his wife, Stephanie, in Colorado Springs and enjoys hanging out with his married children and two grandkids.
Clubhouse Jr. and Clubhouse Magazines
Focus on the Family Clubhouse Jr. magazine helps children between the ages of 3 and 7 develop a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. In each of its 12 monthly issues, readers encounter creatively told Bible stories, character-building fiction, nature articles from a Christian worldview, clever poetry, interactive activities, developmental puzzles, specifically themed reader contributions, and funny jokes and cartoons.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
• Bible stories for 3- to 7-year-olds (400 words or less). Stories should be “storybook” form, broken into four 75-to-100-word pieces, with a 50-word sidebar that explains the theme and encourages kids to live out their faith. Stories shouldn’t be what kids have heard in Sunday school. Instead they are told from a different perspective (i.e. foxes telling story of Nehemiah building wall, children reacting to Deborah’s victory over Canaanites).
• Rebus stories for same age group with solid takeaway (150 words).
• Fun, interactive poetry. Rhyme or free verse with takeaway (200 words or less).
• Fiction—900 words or less—generally fits theme of specific month. Could be historic, animal, modern-day, sci-fi, choose-your-own-adventure.
Website: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/clubhouse-jr-magazine/
WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR: Stories where parents or grandparents solve all the problems. Let the children think, wrestle and overcome their own conflicts. Puzzles.
Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine exists to guide children between the ages of 8 and 12 into a thriving relationship with Jesus Christ. As Focus on the Family’s longest-running children’s ministry, Clubhouse publishes fiction, quizzes, devotional, personality and other stories that entertain and equip children to stand strong in their faith.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
• Biblical archeology or apologetics stories for 8- to 12-year olds (1,000 words or less) for Truth Pursuer section of magazine. Stories must be insightful, fun writing. Needs to take a heady subject and make it kid-like and engaging.
• Personality stories of kids 13 or younger with faith angle (900 words or less). Again, ordinary kids doing something extraordinary.
• Crafts or recipes geared toward holidays or specific times of year.
• Quizzes (400 or 800 words). Could be multiple choice, True or False, arrow quiz. Use humor to engage and make your point.
Website: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/clubhouse-magazine/
WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR: Modern-day fiction set in the suburbs. We have a long-standing stable of fiction writers, but if you have a story that will blow us out of the water, we want to see it.
Email story ideas (just a sentence or two) to:
For Clubhouse Jr.: Rachel Pfeiffer, senior assoc. editor: [email protected]
For Clubhouse: Grace Kelley, assist. editor: [email protected]
