A woman with short brown hair and red lipstick, wearing a red polka dot dress, black high heels, and silver jewelry, sitting on a dark blue chair with ornate wooden details in a room with light-colored hardwood floor and plain white wall.

About Meg

Meg Cappel is a storyteller, wife, and mother of three. She believes stories are one of the most meaningful ways families pass down values, preserve traditions, and create lasting connections across generations.

After fifteen years in advertising, Meg stepped away from her career to focus on raising her family. In the margins of motherhood, her lifelong love of writing found renewed purpose.

Many of the most important lessons Meg learned as a child came not through lectures, but through laughter, cheeky one-liners, and everyday moments with her grandparents. Today, those memories continue to shape the stories she tells.

A lively night scene of a carnival or fair with illuminated rides, including a Ferris wheel, and various colorful attractions, crowds of people, and a sunset sky in the background.

Hometown Roots

Meg is originally from Murphysboro, Illinois, a small town in Southern Illinois, about as far south as you can go before reaching Kentucky. Murphysboro is known for its award-winning barbecue, its unmistakable small-town charm, and the Murphysboro Apple Festival™, a beloved hometown tradition that has been celebrated for 75 years.

The Origin of Her First Book

It was during the anticipatory lead-up to the Murphysboro Apple Festival™—and one unforgettable bedtime chat with her daughter—that the idea for her first children’s book was born. A simple question about the Apple Festival planted the seed for a story Meg had carried in her heart for years. Set to launch in September 2026, the story celebrates the magic of small-town rituals, family togetherness and the values that connect generations.

Smiling elderly woman wearing glasses and a white jacket sitting next to an elderly man in a tan and orange jacket with a checkered hat, outdoors under a large tree, with other people in the background.
A woman in a strapless red dress waving and smiling from a convertible car during a parade, with a crowd and American flags in the background.
Sunset over a small town with commercial buildings, cars parked, and a water tower in the distance.

Beyond the Page

And telling her story inspired Meg to tell theirs. She created and independently produced Tell Me About YOUR Apple Festival, an interview series capturing the memories, traditions, and personal stories of the people who have shaped the festival across generations.

A family of five walking on a dirt path in a park during autumn. The woman is holding a baby and holding hands with a young boy, while the man holds hands with a girl. They are surrounded by trees with some leaves fallen.
A happy family of six stands outdoors in a wooded area during autumn, smiling at the camera. The family includes an adult man, an adult woman, and four children. The man is holding a baby, and the children are standing in front of the adults, wearing casual clothes.

Life Today

Now living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Meg treasures visits to Murphysboro to see family and share the Apple Festival traditions of her childhood with her three children—an experience that inspired her debut picture book.

For the festival’s milestone 75th year, Meg has volunteered remotely on projects supporting the celebration, finding a new way to contribute to a tradition that has shaped her life.

Closer to home, Meg volunteers through her church, her children’s school, and the Barrington Junior Women’s Club. When she isn’t writing or working on a creative project, she enjoys baking and weightlifting.

The Why

Meg’s work is rooted in faith, community, place, and tradition. She believes stories are one of the most meaningful ways we pass down values, preserve memories, and connect generations.

At the heart of her work is a desire to celebrate tradition and purpose. Knowing where we come from—and the places that shape us—can give us the confidence to decide where we’re going.

Meg also believes our own stories are worth telling. She hopes to encourage people to ask questions, share memories, and document the stories of the people and places that have shaped them, so those stories can be carried forward.

Above all, Meg approaches her work as an expression of her Christian faith and a way to use the gifts she has been given in service to Jesus.