My name is Elsie (LC) Van Savage and I am 72 years old. I was born on Staten Island, New York, and I’ve lived in Brunswick, Maine since 1974 with my husband Stephen. We've been very happily married for 51 years, have three sons, and six grandchildren.

I’ve had a weekly column called "LC's Take" in the Times Record here in Brunswick, Maine for 18 years. It can be seen in the Times Record archives and on the Internet on "Pencilstubs," www.pencilstubs.com and the blogger version www.pencilstubs.net .

I've had articles and short stories published in magazines, small press magazines, anthologies and books. I write rhymed and rhythmed poetry, and have included these in a book called "LC's Take - Poetry- I." I occasionally do readings around Maine from my poetry book, columns and books.

I also have a local TV show on Maine Public Broadcasting Network called incredibleMAINE where my crew and I travel all over the state to film interesting shows about our state, her people and the things they do and we happily know we will never run out of show ideas. These shows appear every Saturday morning at 10:30 AM on MPBN. I also had a weekly radio show for 3 years called "Senior Moment" broadcast from Bowdoin College.

A collaborative writer, I wrote a book with Marilyn Monroe's first husband (Jim Dougherty) entitled, "To Norma Jeane with Love, Jimmie," featured on E!, TV Guide, The Larry King Show and Bill Green's Maine. It is being translated into Japanese and Chinese for sales in those countries and is being published in England. A feature documentary called "Marilyn's Man" based on the book, made its New England debut in November, 2004, and is now being distributed around the world. Three other collaborative books are completed, called "Dancing for Poppy," about a woman who overcame an abusive father and went on to survive a long and dangerous life, and "Jan of Cleveland," a time-travel book about the 1300s and the intense horrors and humors of that era. My books "Frances" and "Queenie's Ascent" are being readied for submission. I have completed the biography of Virginia Mayo, a movie star famous from the l930s through the '70s entitled, "The Best Years of My Life," and I’ve written the biography of John Agar, also a famous star from the 40s and on, entitled "On the Good Ship Hollywood."

My how-to book called "How to Paint People's Life Stories" is being brought up to date, (written before computers were in people’s homes!)

My semi-autobiographical novel is called "Queenie's Ascent," a story of a wealthy young girl in the 1950s who is abruptly ripped from her affluent life—debutante parties, servants, country clubs, horses, trips abroad, and most importantly, private schools,-- and is dumped into a very tough and “low class” public school filled with not any PLO – People Like Ourselves. She is frightened and has a most difficult time adjusting and coping. Her classmates name her “Queenie” because they think she behaves in a rather superior and “foreign” way and they quickly disabuse her of her exalted airs. A shocking and brutal scandal rocks her family while Queenie is at the public school, involving her father and several teachers from her old private school. Queenie is taught and finally learns, much against her will, how to survive this new life and how to be at peace amongst people for whom she had, until then, nothing but contempt.