My World

About Me

Susan Amerikaner

Camarillo, CA

Welcome! I’m Susan Amerikaner, and I am lucky enough to get up every day and do what I love to most: exercise my imagination! Even better, I get paid to do it. I have extensive experience in every kind of children’s media, including those “that have yet to be invented…”

I have been a storyteller since I started talking. My friends and family will admit I am both a nonstop teller and talker. But I am also a good listener and observer. After all, the most wondrous stories come from everyday life, from all the little things that don’t seem to matter − until you look at them upside down or inside out or from the perspective of a three-year-old.

Currently I am busy writing books, especially for Disney, but I love television and have even won a WGA Award and Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children’s Script.

I hone my craft constantly; each job is a new challenge, and that is another fortunate aspect for me. Each book or project requires me to discover new characters, investigate new worlds, and get to know established characters or develop new ones. I take a very visual approach to writing. For example, when I work with licensed characters, I watch the shows for hours and days. I wallpaper my office with the characters’ pictures.

I must actually hear their voices in my head, and for me, there is simply no way to shortcut this part of the “prep” process. Because of my animation and comic book experience, I storyboard each book. I storyboard with stick figures, but more good fortune: I get to work with top artists. It is always a thrill to see an artist or actor bring your vision to life! All my work is collaborative in this way, even though I often never meet the artist or actor at the other end.

Browse through my site, and you will find out more about my work.
I am proud of it and always ready for more.

Susan Amerikaner

Media For Children susanamerikaner@roadrunner.com

About Me