Jen Calonita
Hi Goodreads!
I'm Jen Calonita, a MG and YA author who loves what I do because it lets me connect with all of you (and no, I wasn't intending for that to rhyme!).
I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it was fourth grade when I put my "three wishes" for a genie down on paper. They were:
#1. Buy all the Cabbage Patch Kids in the world and give them away for free (because apparently that was how I rolled).
#2. I wanted a mansion, limo, lake house, pool and speed boat (still sounds quite nice).
#3. I wanted to be an author for young readers, which I am!
I love writing novels for teens (and for savvy grown ups who know that YA rocks at any age). My first series was "Secrets of My Hollywood Life" and it followed a teen star named Kaitlin B
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Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worke -
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I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories across sidewalks and penciled tiny tales in notebook margins. I loved and still love watching words flower into sentences and sentences blossom into stories.
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He is also a New York Times bestselling author whose books include the first three novels in the "Land of Stories" series ("The Wishing Spell", "The Enchantress Returns" and "A Grimm Warning") as well as "Struck By Lightning: The Carson Philips Journal" which is a novelization based on the script he wrote for the film "Struck By Lighting" (Colfer also co-produced and starred in that movie). -
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After getting her BA in English at Wellesley College, Monica spent most of her professional life surrounded by books and the people who love them. She began her career working for literary agencies, moved to publicity and editorial at Simon & Schuster and Random House, and most recently was a children’s lead bookseller at Barnes & Noble. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, MN. -
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E. D. Baker was born in Buffalo, New York and spent most of the next eighteen years in the Town of Tonawanda with her older brother and her parents. She married her husband while in college, and had two children a few years after graduating from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. When her son was four, the family moved to the state of Maryland. With two young children at home, E.D. worked part time in -
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Leah Cypess
I wrote my first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, I wrote my first book, about a girl who gets shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies, very impressive).
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After selling my first story (Temple of Stone) while in high school, I gave in to my mother’s importuning to be practical and majored in biology at Brooklyn College. I then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years at a large law firm in New York City. I kept writing and submitting in my spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after my first short story acceptance, I sold my first novel to Greenwillow Books -
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Sheila M. Averbuch
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Cindy Lin
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Liesl Shurtliff
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Liesl was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the mountains for her playground. Before she became a writer, Liesl graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in music, dance, and theater. She now lives in Chicago with her husband and four children. Visit her online at www.lieslshurtliff.com and @lieslshurtliff everywhere. -
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When I'm not working, I live in Connecticut with a big mutt named Jack Dyson (because he has the ability to suck up anything in his way) and have a habit of watching hours of mindless television. I like to think of it as research! -
Betty Smith
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Betty Smith (AKA Sophina Elisabeth Wehner): Born- December 15, 1896; Died- January 17, 1972
Born in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These experiences served as the framework to her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).
After marrying George H. E. Smith, a fellow Brooklynite, she moved with him to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. At this time, she gave birth to two girls and waited until they were in school so she could complete her higher education. Although Smith had not finished high school, the university al -
Serena Valentino
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Her Disney Villain novel series would be best enjoyed if read in this order: Fairest of All: The Story of the Wicked Queen, The Beast Within: The Story of Belle’s Prince, Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch, Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy. Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch and The Odd Sisters: A Villains Book t -
Liz Braswell
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She lives in Brooklyn with a husband, two children, a cat, a part-time dog, three fish and five coffee trees she insists will start producing beans any day. You can email her at me@lizbra -
Lucinda Gifford
Lucinda is a busy author and illustrator who enjoys drawing wolves, chickens, princesses, moose, birds, tropical islands and fancy houses. She has illustrated over 30 books and and written about 7 of these so far.
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Michael P. Spradlin
Michael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children.
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Andrea "Casty" Castellan
Andrea Castellan (born 23 Avril 1967), better known by the pen name Casty, is an Italian comic book writer and artist, mostly recognised for his contribution to the character of Mickey Mouse.
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Casty debuted in 1995, working on the Italian humour comic series Cattivik and Lupo Alberto. Since 2003, he has been writing Mickey Mouse comics for the Italian weekly digest Topolino. Starting from 2006, he has also drawn most of his Disney stories.
Casty is regarded by many as the best Mickey Mouse cartoonist of his generation. His work mixes humour, adventure and suspense, along the lines of past Mickey masters Floyd Gottfredson and Romano Scarpa. His stories sometimes contain vintage sci-fi aesthetics and social themes, such as environmentalism. -
Alice Hemming
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Barbara O'Connor
Barbara O'Connor's awards include the Parents Choice Gold and Silver Award, American Library Association Notable Books, IRA Notable Books for a Global Society, School Library Journal Best Books, and Kirkus Best Books. Her books have been nominated for children's choice awards in 38 states and voted as a state favorite by children in South Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, and South Dakota.
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Barbara was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She draws on her Southern roots to write award-winning books for children in grades 3 to 6.
She currently lives in Asheville, NC. Her latest book is Wish, a middle grade novel published by FSG.
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Jody Feldman
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Her path to writing meandered through the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a short career in advertising. She wrote a lot about shoes. And then a lot more.
Jody’s first children’s novel, The Gollywhopper Games received the 2011 Georgia Children's Book Award and the 2011 Grand Canyon Readers Award, and found its place on many other state lists. It also received the Kids Wings Award for Excellence in Children’s L -
Marcia Argueta Mickelson
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Brooke Carter
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Lisa Maxwell
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Silène Edgar
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Pour la jeunesse, elle est l'auteur d'une trilogie d'anticipation post-apocalyptique, largement nourri de son expérience polynésienne, dont le premier volume, La Saveur des figues, paraît en 2010. L'aventure de Moana se poursuit avec Le Bateau vagabond, paru en octobre 2011 et À la source des nuages, paru en novembre 2013.
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Timothy David and his son Zander Blaze live in Orlando, Florida with their crazy dog (Sapphire) and Blaze's awesome Mom! Timothy David loves to watch funny movies and eat pizza rolls! Zander Blaze loves to play video games and feast on chicken nuggets! He gives his father inspiration every day (with crazy antics and a never-ending smile) for amazing stories. Together, as David Blaze, they share lots of laughs and have lots of fun.
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Aliza Layne
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Jamie Lee
Jamie Lee is a Los Angeles based stand-up comedian, TV writer and actress, and one of the core cast members on the hit MTV show GirlCode, as well as the host of 10 Things on TruTV. Jamie has appeared on Conan, Chelsea Lately, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Comedy Central's @Midnight, MTV's Ridiculousness, John Oliver's Stand Up Show and was a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing. She has also written for The Pete Holmes Show, E!, Lifetime, TLC and the new Judd Apatow show on HBO, Crashing. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a labradoodle named Dennis.
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Keala Kendall
Keala Kendall (pronounced: kay-ah-luh) is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of How Far I’ll Go and Nobody Gets Left Behind in Disney's A Twisted Tales series, and That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic. Hapa Native Hawaiian, she is a cofounder of Pacific Islanders in Publishing and a past organizer of the Books for Maui charity auction.
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Born in Honolulu, raised on Molokaʻi, she now lives as part of the Native Hawaiian diaspora in Los Angeles. To learn more about Keala, visit her at kealakendall.com or @kealakendall on Instagram and TikTok. -
Raymond Arroyo
Raymond Arroyo is an award winning journalist, a New York Times Bestselling author, and a producer. He is the news director and lead anchor of EWTN News; creator and host of the international news magazine The World Over Live seen in 200 million households each week. Arroyo lives in the Washington DC area with his wife and children.
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Liz Kessler
Liz Kessler is the author of three novels about Philippa Fisher as well as the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling Emily Windsnap series. She lives in Manchester, England.
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Sarah Jost
Sarah Jost was born and grew up in Switzerland, against the backdrop of Lake Geneva and the Alps. She moved to the UK in her mid-twenties and now lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband Luke and their adorable and fast-running dog Winnie. Sarah writes contemporary book club novels, with a touch of magic, looking at love stories in all shapes, mental health, female characters finding their confidence and quirky pets.
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P.J. Hoover
P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. P. J. is a member of THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek.
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Lindsey Roth Culli
Lindsey Roth Culli earned her MFA in creative writing in 2010. She writes books for teens and people who used to be teens. Though she currently calls Baltimore, Maryland home, a part of her heart will forever be hidden among the cornfields of Illinois where she grew up.
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She is Team Oxford Comma. -
Jenny Meyerhoff
"As a child in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Jenny Meyerhoff often read a book a night. In third grade, she readAre You There God? It’s Me, Margaret twenty-one times. Her first attempt at a children’s book, The Leprechaun Who Never Found a Pot of Gold, was written when she was in first grade. From that moment on, Jenny has dreamed of becoming a professional children’s book writer.
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Jenny studied creative writing at the University of Michigan, and received her master’s degree in education at Northwestern University. She then became a kindergarten teacher because, in addition to loving children’s books, Jenny enjoys sitting on the floor. (That’s also why she practices yoga.)
Jenny is now a full-time writer and a full-time mom, which means that she -
Polly Holyoke
Polly Holyoke is the author of adventurous fiction for kids. SKYRIDERS, her new series about brave young couriers on their talking flying horses, along with its sequel THE SKY KING, are available now from Viking Children's Books. SKYRIDERS was named one of Bank Street's Best Children's Books of 2024. Her books published by Disney/Hyperion include THE NEPTUNE CHALLENGE (2015) and THE NEPTUNE PROJECT (2013). They have been named to state reading lists in TX, MD, FL, HI and OH. THE NEPTUNE PROJECT won Florida's Sunshine State Young Reader's Award. The last book in the Neptune Trilogy, THE NEPTUNE PROMISE, is available on Amazon and BN.
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A former teacher, Polly loves doing school visits and conducting writing workshops.
She currently lives in Ste -
Tim Wynne-Jones
Tim Wynne-Jones (born 12 August 1948) is an English–Canadian author of children's literature, including picture books and novels for children and young adults, novels for adults, radio dramas, songs for the CBC/Jim Henson production Fraggle Rock, as well as a children's musical and an opera libretto.
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Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2001): The Boy in the Burning House
Edgar Award
◊ Best Young Adult (2002): The Boy in the Burning House -
Elise McMullen-Ciotti
Ashling Lindsay is the illustrator of several books for children, including The Night Box by Louise Greig, which was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal, and The Tide by Clare Helen Welsh, a Crystal Kite Award winner. She is also the illustrator of an Alan Turing biography for the best-selling series Little People, Big Dreams. Ashling Lindsay lives in Belfast, Ireland.
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Jon Voelkel
Jon and Pamela Voelkel (collectively known as "J&P") are the author-illustrators of the Jaguar Stones series; Pamela does most of the writing and Jon does most of the illustrating. The Voelkels met in London, where they both worked at the same advertising agency, and now live in Vermont.
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To research the Jaguar Stones, they and their three adventure-loving children have explored over forty Maya sites in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico; canoed down underground rivers; tracked howler monkeys in the jungle; and learned to make tortillas on an open fire. Jon's most frightening experience was being lost in a pitch-black labyrinth under a Maya pyramid. -
Emma Theriault
Emma Theriault was born and raised in Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, and thus has a penchant for Gothic Revival architecture and a constant craving for Beavertails. She has been everything from an enthusiastic bookseller (who once sold a book to Prime Minister Trudeau) to a purveyor of whitewater rafting adventures in the Interior of British Columbia. She uses both her incomplete history degree and insatiable sense of curiosity to help her write stories for readers of all ages, including her debut novel, Rebel Rose, which was a Canadian Children’s Book Centre starred selection for Best Books for Kids and Teens. When not writing about curses, true love, or the curse of true love, she can be found on adventures big and small with her par
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Will Taylor
Will Taylor (he/they) is an award-winning author, freelance marketing copywriter, and honeybee fan. He lives in the heart of Seattle surrounded by all the seagulls and not quite too many teacups, and when not writing can be found searching for the perfect bakery, talking to trees in parks, and completely losing his cool when he meets longhaired dachshunds. His books include The Language of Seabirds; The School for Wicked Witches series; Maggie & Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort; Maggie & Abby and the Shipwreck Treehouse; Slimed (as Liam Gray); and Catch That Dog!
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Adi Rule
Adi Rule earned her MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
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Samantha San Miguel
Samantha San Miguel grew up on the Treasure Coast of Florida. Living sandwiched between ocean and estuary gave her a wholehearted respect for wildlife, especially the kind that can eat you. She's spent countless hours scanning for sea monsters, but the only ones she's seen so far have been in her imagination. Samantha dreams of one day seeing with her own eyes the landscapes from her abuelito's stories of Cuba.
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Dan Haring
Dan Haring is from a tiny town in Utah and has been drawing and writing for most of his life. He earned his degree in animation from BYU and has worked on such films as The Incredible Hulk and Disney's Tangled. He lives in Utah with his wife and children.
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Nicki Pau Preto
Nicki Pau Preto is a fantasy author living just outside of Toronto—though her dislike of hockey, snow, and geese makes her the worst Canadian in the country. She studied art and art history in university and worked as a graphic designer before becoming a writer full-time.
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Heather Cumiskey
Originally from Long Island, Heather Cumiskey is the daughter of a television veteran and a fearless homemaker. With three older brothers, she often turned to the teen book section in her town library in search of the answers when it came to girl stuff, boys, and coping with parents.
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She received her Bachelor of Arts in English at State University of New York at Albany where she also studied dance and choreography. For more than two decades, she has worked as an advertising and marketing copywriter.
When she’s not writing, she lends her legs, lungs, and heart to help individuals with limited mobility train for and participate in mainstream running events. I LIKE YOU LIKE THIS and I LOVE YOU LIKE THAT is her first duology for young adults. -
Mari Mancusi
Mari Mancusi grew up where the north wind meets the sea (otherwise known as Massachusetts), but has since made her home in the great state of Texas, mostly due to her love of summer. (And tacos.) A former Emmy Award winning TV news producer, today she is the author of more than two-dozen books for kids, teens, and adults, mostly of the sci-fi/fantasy variety. In addition to writing, Mari loves traveling, video games, and cosplaying. She is also Mom to an eight year old Frozen superfan who, when recently asked by her teacher to describe her hero answered: “My Mom!” (Okay, fine, she said Kristin Bell.)
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You can find Mari online at www.marimancusi.com. She knows several Samanthas. -
Leslie Margolis
Leslie Margolis is author of numerous books for children, including the Maggie Brooklyn Mysteries and the Annabelle Unleashed series. Her novel, Boys Are Dogs, was turned into the Disney Channel movie Zapped, starring Zendaya. Leslie’s most recent books, If I Were You, We Are Party People and Ghosted, are published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Leslie lives in Los Angeles with her family. Her two kids have read some of her books, and think they are okay. For more information, please visit www.lesliemargolis.com.
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Farrah Rochon
A native of south Louisiana, Farrah Rochon officially began her writing career while waiting in between classes in the student lounge at Xavier University of Louisiana. After earning her Bachelors of Science degree and a Masters of Arts from Southeastern Louisiana University, Farrah decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a published novelist. She was named Shades of Romance Magazine's Best New Author of 2007. Her debut novel, Deliver Me, the first in her Holmes Brothers series, garnered rave reviews, earning Farrah several SORMAG Readers' Choice Awards.
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In September 2010, Farrah joined the Kimani Romance family with the launch of her new series that follows the life of the fictional New York Sabers football team.
When she is not wr -
John Perry
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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John Perry has coauthored books with John MacArthur, Richard Land, Mike Huckabee, among others and written historical books about Charles Colson, the Scopes Monkey Trials, and more. He is a two-time Gold Medallion Award finalist and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. -
Fiona Rosenbloom
Hi. I’m Fiona and I’ve written two books that should be displayed up and to your right. No, your other right. There you go. They’re books for Young Adults and I enjoyed writing them both and wonder if I’ll ever return to Stacy Adelaide Friedman, Lydia Katz, and Kelly Mooreland.
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Thomas Wheeler
Thomas "Tom" Wheeler is an American screenwriter and producer. He sold his first screenplay at age twenty-two, to Twentieth Century Fox. He has continued to work on major Hollywood features for the last several years. He served as the executive producer and show runner for the NBC superhero series The Cape.
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Wheeler began his television career writing and executive producing the ABC mini-series Empire in 2005. He then wrote two television pilots, The World According to Barnes and Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, neither of which were taken to series. His series The Cape, about a police officer framed for a crime he did not commit who takes on the guise of his son's favorite comic book hero in order to clear his name, premiered on NBC on Ja -
Allan Woodrow
Allan Woodrow is the author of more than thirty books for children, some written under secret names. His books include Unschooled, Class Dismissed, and The Pet War.
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Allan often presents to schools, libraries and conferences. He is currently writing his next 12 novels, which are in various states of assembly. -
Kamilla Benko
Kamilla Benko spent most of her childhood climbing into wardrobes, trying to step through mirrors, and plotting to run away to an art museum. Now, she visits other worlds as a children’s book editor. Originally from Indiana, she currently lives in New York with her bookshelves, teapot, and hiking boots.
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Arielle North Olson
Arielle North Olson is an author of children's books.
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Arielle is the daughter of noted author Sterling North, who wrote Rascal. She is also the niece of author, poet, and editor Jessica Nelson North. She is one of the copyright owners of Sterling North's body of work. She now has 3 children and 7 grandchildren, and is a resident of St. Louis, Missouri.
Arielle is from a multi-generation literary family. Arielle's great-grandparents, James Hervey Nelson and Sarah Orelup Nelson, were Wisconsin pioneers. In 1917, which would have been her great-grandfather James Hervey Nelson's 100th birthday, three of her great-uncles, including early Amazon missionary Justus Henry Nelson, wrote extended biographies about their parents and their pioneer farm li -
Shiro Amano
Shiro Amano (天野 シロ, born January 4, 1976) is a Japanese manga artist who has worked on several projects, including his adaptation on the popular Kingdom Hearts series.
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Ridley Pearson
Ridley Pearson is the author of more than fifty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Killer Weekend; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing their time between Missouri and Idaho.
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Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall. -
Wolf Burchard
Wolf Burchard is a British-German art historian and museum curator. He joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2019, where he is associate curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts.
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Dale Wasserman
Dale Wasserman was an American playwright.
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His protagonists are a bit like Wasserman himself: raffish rebels, fiercely independent fools—poets, madmen and misfits—societal outcasts who defy authority and "tilt at windmills," reluctant heroes (sometimes anti-heroes), who are called upon to make some extraordinary sacrifice in order to protect or preserve their personal freedom or that of others. -
Katie Williams
Katie Williams was born and raised in mid-Michigan. She earned her BA in English from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and her MFA in creative writing from the Michener Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Katie is the author of The Space Between Trees (2010, Chronicle Books), Absent (2013, Chronicle Books), and Tell the Machine Goodnight (2018, Riverhead Books).
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Shonna Slayton
SHONNA SLAYTON is the author of the Fairy-Tale Inheritance Series of young adult novels, beginning with Cinderella’s Dress.
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She edited curriculum for an education company before homeschooling her own children using literature-based whole book learning. She’s taught writing using fairy tales in school classrooms and workshops, as well as in public libraries as a writer in residence. Instead of seeing her in person, you can get the Lessons from Grimm Series which includes a writer’s guide and workbooks for writers to learn fiction techniques through fairy tales.
Join her email list and receive a free story as a welcome gift. Be the first to learn of new books and get behind-the-scenes info you can't read anywhere else. Sign up on her website S -
Sarah Mlynowski
Sarah was born in Montreal, Canada. After graduating with an honors degree in English literature from McGill University, she moved to Toronto to work for Harlequin Enterprises. While she never met Fabio, she used her romance publishing experiences to fuel her first novel Milkrun.
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Since then, Sarah has written four additional novels for adults: Fishbowl, As Seen on TV, Monkey Business, and Me vs. Me; the New York Times bestselling middle grade series Whatever After; the middle grade series Upside-Down Magic (with Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins); and the teen novels Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags, and Parties & Potions (all in the Magic in Manhattan series), as well as Gimme a Call, Ten Things We Did (And -
Lisa Greenwald
A long bio can be kind of boring, so instead I'm going to pretend
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that a famous journalist (maybe Barbara Walters) is interviewing me.
The only thing is, I'm making up the questions.
If you think of any other questions you'd like me to answer, send me an email and ask away!
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. I lived in Fairfield, Connecticut until the end of fifth grade and then I moved to Roslyn Heights, New York. That's on Long Island. But I don't have a bad Lawn Guyland accent, I promise.
Q. Do you have any siblings?
A. Yes, I have two younger brothers. I always wanted a sister, but it's kind of nice being the only daughter in the family, and my brothers and I are really close.
Q. What about the rest of your family? Are you close with them too?
A. -
Izzeldin Abuelaish
Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian medical doctor and founder of the Daughters for Life Foundation.
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Before his three daughters were killed by an Israeli tank shell during the Israeli incursion into Gaza,Dr. Abuelaish worked as a researcher at the Gertner Institute at the Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv and was the first Palestinian doctor to receive a staff position at an Israeli hospital.
Abueaish is an important figure in promoting Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. -
Evanna Lynch
Evanna Lynch is an actress, writer and animal rights activist. Her professional career began at the age of fourteen when she played the role of Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series. She lives in London, where she divides her time between her work and passions.
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As an activist, Lynch advocates for veganism and animal rights. She has been involved with several non-profit organisations like Animal Equality, and launched both a vegan-themed podcast and the cruelty-free cosmetics brand Kinder Beauty Box.
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and Glory of Growing Up - A Memoir is her first book. -
Robert Forbes
There is more than one person in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for Robert [3^] Forbes, criminology writer.
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Jenny Elder Moke
Jenny Elder Moke is the award-winning author of children's and adult literature. She enjoys fast-paced adventures with plenty of mysteries, surprising turns, and laughs along the way. CROSS YOUR HEART AND HOPE HE DIES, a mystery rom-com mash-up, available January 20, 2026.
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Livia Blackburne
New York Times bestselling author Livia Blackburne wrote her first novel while researching the neuroscience of reading at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, she’s switched to full-time writing, which also involves getting into people’s heads but without the help of a 3 Tesla MRI scanner.
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She is also the author of MIDNIGHT THIEF (an Indies Introduce New Voices selection), DAUGHTER OF DUSK, and ROSEMARKED (an Amazon best book of the month and YALSA Teens Top Ten Nominee).
Visit her online at www.liviablackburne.com -
Linsey Miller
Once upon a time, Linsey Miller studied biology in Arkansas. These days, she holds an MFA in fiction and is the author of Lambda-nominated What We Devour. Her other works include the Mask of Shadows duology, Belle Révolte, The Game, the first three books in the Disney Princes series, and the upcoming YA fantasy That Devil, Ambition (spring 2025 from HarperCollins). She can be found in Texas writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee.
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Alyssa Moon
Alyssa Moon grew up in the Pacific Northwest, which explains her undying enthusiasm for rainy weather. She does her best writing in tea shops, independent bookstores, and at home under her grapefruit tree. She lives in Southern California with her husband and her cat, Picklepop (the “real” Cornichonne). Delphine and the Silver Needle is her debut novel.
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Mike Vasich
Mike Vasich teaches English to gifted and talented students in suburban Michigan. He continues to write novels in his spare time so that he can avoid any real work around the house.
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He likes stories where bad guys win and good guys get stomped into the dust. His hobbies include taking naps, sowing disrespect for revered institutions, and making children cry (especially his own).
He can be reached at mrvasich@att.net and Facebook. -
Ben M. Baglio
Ben M. Baglio created the brief for two series of children's books - Dolphin Diaries and Animal Ark. Dolphin Diaries features a girl and her family from Florida, who travel around the world as marine biologists and study dolphins. Animal Ark features two children who work together to help animals and solve animal-related mysteries. The books were written by commissioned writers in the UK under Baglio's instruction using the pseudonym Lucy Daniels. Each ghostwriter is named with a 'Special Thanks' on the copyright page.
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Using his real name he also wrote the book series The Pet Finders Club, featuring a group of three children who search for peoples lost pets. -
Galaxy Craze
Galaxy Craze (born 1972 in London, England) is an actress and writer. She moved to the U.S. with her mother in 1980 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. She appeared in a few independent films in the late 1990s, and wrote a novel, By the Shore, published in 1999. She is a 1993 graduate of Barnard College.
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Craze told an interviewer that she "didn't say I wanted to be a writer, I just knew that's what I like to do." Another interviewer described her "beauty (as) a quiet, dreamy, and ethereal sort." -
G.M. Berrow
Gillian M. Berrow (G.M. Berrow) is a writer and television industry professional living in Brooklyn, New York. When she was little, she aspired to become either a princess or a magical pony. Things seem to be right on schedule.
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Giorgio Pezzin
Cartoonist.
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An engineering graduate, he started writing comics since high school. He began his career as a screenwriter when he met an older two-year-old illustrator, Giorgio Cavazzano, who needed someone who could help him emerge as an independent artist. Pezzin began collaborating with Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, for which the Pezzin-Cavazzano duo produced numerous stories published both on Almanacco Topolino and on other Disney magazines. But Pezzin didn't just write Disney stories. Assisted by Cavazzano for the drawings, Pezzin wrote the texts of the series (created by him) Walkie and Talkie, Oscar and Tango, Smalto and Jonnhy and Captain Rogers. Later the duo separated and Pezzin, always continuing to work for Mondadori, also wrote comic -
Lauren Blackwood
Lauren Blackwood is the NYT/Indie Bestselling author of Within These Wicked Walls and Wildblood.
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Jess Petosa
Jess Petosa resides in Indiana with her husband, three daughters, and two miniature long-haired dachshunds. Her imaginative day dreaming led her to a career in writing dystopian and science fiction Young Adult novels. Every now and then she dabbles in romance novels as well.
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You can find her on Facebook under Jess Petosa and Instagram [jesspetosa]. -
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher was an American actress, screenwriter and author, most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. Fisher was the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. She had one daughter, Billie Lourd (b. 1992).
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Her final film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, was released on December 15, 2017 and is dedicated to her. -
Paula Chase
I'm a creature borne of pop culture. It's created a volatile mix of hope and cynicism within me that I help myself understand by putting my young characters through the world's paces.
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I have a big heart for young readers. Young Adult and Middle Grade novels are my home.
And because no one lives in a vacuum, I co-founded The Brown Bookshelf to ensure that the spotlight on children's lit created by persons of color never dims. -
Leila Howland
Leila Howland grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. A graduate of Georgetown University, Leila spent five years acting in New York where she was a company member of the award-winning Flea Theater in Tribeca. She is the author of the YA novels Nantucket Blue, for which she was named a Publisher’s Weekly Flying Start author, Nantucket Red, and Hello, Sunshine, as well as the Silver Sisters middle grade series and the upcoming Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon. Leila now lives in Los Angeles.
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Donna Cooner
Donna Cooner was born and raised in Texas. She is a three time graduate of Texas A&M University. A former teacher and school administrator, she now teaches teachers and principals at Colorado State University where she is the director of the School of Teacher Education and Principal Preparation. She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her two labs and a cat named Stu. She’s a big fan of chocolate and laughing (not necessarily in that order).
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Donna is the author of two novels for young adults, SKINNY and CAN’T LOOK AWAY. She’s also the author of over twenty picture books and was a founding member of the Brazos Valley Society of Children’s Bookwriters and Illustrators. She has also written children’s television shows for PBS and textbooks fo -
Kate O'Hearn
Kate O'Hearn was born in Toronto Canada, but raised in the heart of New York City and has lived in many places throughout her life. These days, she calls the south coast of England home. She has 3 brothers, no sisters and is passionate about animals and their causes and has many animal friends. (Pets)
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Over the course of her life she has had several careers before finding her real love, writing children's books. Being the only girl in family of boys, she grew up a true tom-boy and always loved books with high adventure. But one of the problems she discovered was a lack of female leads in these adventure books.
When she started to write, Kate decided to address this imbalance and now writes high fantasy adventures with strong, compassionate and -
Philippa Leathley
Philippa Leathley grew up in East Yorkshire, spending summers near London with her eccentric grandparents and writing feverishly as soon as she could hold a pen. When not writing, she enjoys learning new languages, studying anything from historical fashion to shipwrecks, and is passionate about protecting the environment. She currently lives just outside Hull with her family and three weird and wonderful rescue cats, Bram, Lyra and Theo the Brave.
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Her debut children’s book, INKBOUND: METICULOUS JONES AND THE SKULL TATTOO, is due to be published by HarperCollins 30th January 2025 in the UK and 28th January in the US. She’s represented by Hannah Sheppard at HS-LA.