LEONARD GRAY

PHOTO: Magazine publisher Sarah Eutsler, 12, displays a recent edition of her personally written magazine, “Dazzle,” a hit among her friends at school. (Staff Photo by Leonard Gray) LULING – The entrepreneural spirit is alive and well in Sarah Eutsler, who is editor and publisher of her own magazine for teen-age girls, “Dazzle.” What makes Sarah unique is her age. The young media mogul is 12 years old. “I got started because I’ve always wanted to do that,” she said in an interview, taking time away from preparation of Issue 7. The magazine includes many of her own bylined articles on subjects ranging from stuff to do on a summer’s day to fashion tips. “I read a lot of teen magazines,” Sarah added, and said she gets ideas from them, as well as from her readership, friends at school. “Sometimes, I’m prompted by articles in other magazines and sometimes I write about things I’d like to read about.” Development of her magazine, which is produced at home thanks to her computers and printer, came as no surprise to her parents, Connie and Danny Eustler of Luling. The couple have their own business, Notables screenprinting, in the Lone Star area of Luling. The family moved to St. Charles Parish a year and a half ago, and the Eustlers said having their own business helped inspire Sarah to literally seek her own fortune. “We knew something was different when she asked for a copy machine for Christ-mas when she was 5,” her mother recalled. “She really puts a lot of thought into it.” Not surprisingly, Sarah has been an honors student for the past three years. She didn’t even tell her friends about her planned magazine until the first issue was already printed and she circulated them among her friends. Quickly, word of mouth got out and interest grew. Now, she even sells subscriptions for the quarterly. The summer 2001 issue of “Dazzle” includes a book review, a reader survey, ways for teen-agers to earn money, features such as “Your Ultimate Summer and How to Spend It” and an article on Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. A special edition is also planned for March 2002, tentatively called, “Women Who Rock,” a carefully researched review of women in history to come out during Women’s History Month. Sarah uses her home personal computer, printer and a laptop she saved money for to ease her own magazine production. Though she has no editorial staff, some assistance has come from her older sister, Kathryn Opel. To relax from the grind of magazine writing and production, Sarah can usually be found reading, everything from “American Girl” to “Cosmo Girl” magazines, forever searching for more inspiration. “Dazzle” is hoped to continue as long as she can maintain interest among her readership and perhaps even after she completes her plan-ned journalism degree at Louisiana State University. Sarah also plans to relocate to New York to pursue a professional magazine career, either her own or with an established publication. So, look to your newsstand in about 10 years for the hot, new nationally circulated teen-age magazine, “Dazzle.” It just may be there, thanks to the hard work, creativity and commitment of a Luling girl.