Stephanie Cameron is author of Ella Mae the Courageous Cheerleader, a picture book about a hedgehog that faces bullies with God’s help. Published in 2012, this is first in a planned series of picture books about a hedgehog family that faces life with courage, confidence and faith.

As a former victim of bullying, Stephanie travels to schools, libraries, churches and community events offering encouragement and healing through her picture book. Her mission is to share the hope of faith to victims of bullying and ultimately save lives from depression and suicide. She has been a guest speaker at Community Bible Church, Salem Sayers Baptist Academy, Highland Park Elementary and Wilderness Oak Elementary in San Antonio and surrounding area.

Stephanie is concerned about the lack of availability of Christian literature in the public schools and public libraries. She believes that children who want to follow Jesus have a right to read about and discuss their faith openly. To this end, she works hard to promote Ella Mae the Courageous Cheerleader and other titles to librarians. As a member of the Texas Library Association, she fosters open dialog about the need for access to Jesus Christ faith themes in public libraries and classrooms.

In addition to being an author, Stephanie is the wife of Tom Cameron and the mother of 2 beautiful daughters. She has many pets, which include two hedgehogs that travel with her on speaking engagements. Stephanie earned an MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2007 and has worked professionally in the marketing and public relations field for more than 15 years.

Ella Mae is a hedgehog. Yes, a cute little hedgehog. Why a hedgehog you ask? Well, for one, God loves hedgehogs. They are very special creatures with many unique qualities. They are smart, fast, and have an amazing sense of focus. They know what to do to defend themselves and can out-whit a fox every time, even though by visual comparison you would never think it possible.

When I was studying for my MBA, one book in my curriculum was “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. In this book, the hedgehog concept is introduced and used to illustrate the difference between average companies and great companies. By seeing only what is essential, most important, and sticking to that- their survival is ensured. How brilliant! Staying in an area of focus of what you do best makes you great. After I read that book I always wanted to be hedgehog-like in my approach to life and career.

When it was time to depict a character for Ella Mae, my illustrator, Liz Holt, actually recommended that she be a hedgehog. This is something I never would have come up with on my own. (I was of course thinking she should be human and look just like me.) I knew when I read the proposal that God had made the connection from my inner most desires to Liz without us ever speaking to one another. I was floored, stunned and amazed. Only He could have made that connection. I knew it was a divine proposal and agreed at once that Ella Mae SHOULD be a hedgehog. You will see in the story, she holds true to her kind in how she approaches life’s challenges.