Nicole Melleby
Nicole Melleby, a Jersey native, is the author of highly praised middle-grade books, including the Lambda Literary finalist Hurricane Season and ALA Notable Children's book How to Become a Planet. She lives with her wife and their cats, whose needs for attention oddly align with Nicole’s writing schedule.
Feel free to follow her on Twitter @LadyMelleby
If you like author Nicole Melleby here is the list of authors you may also like
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Pseudonymous Bosch
Pseudonymous Bosch is the infamously anonymous author of the New York Times bestselling Secret Series and the Bad Books. Despite rumors to the contrary, his books are not actually written by his pet rabbit, Quiche; the rabbit is merely his typist.
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Jules Machias
Jules Machias is the author/illustrator of the novels Both Can Be True (an American Library Association Rainbow Booklist Top Ten Title for Young Readers, a Bank Street Children’s Best Book of the Year, and an Indie Next List Pick) and Fight + Flight.
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Jules has worked for veterinarians, marketing firms, construction companies, a car parts warehouse, and schools for kids with disabilities; they now own and operate Red Pen Refinery, an editing business. Jules lives in Cincinnati with their family, a bunch of lizards and pythons, a herd of discount-rack dogs, and a garage full of dirt bikes and art supplies. Visit Jules on Instagram for ridiculous dog pictures. -
Lin Thompson
Lin Thompson (they/them) is a former children's librarian, a Lambda Literary Fellow, and the author of two books for middle-grade readers: The Best Liars in Riverview (Little, Brown, 2022), which was a JLG Gold Standard selection and appeared on the 2023 ALA Rainbow List, and The House That Whispers (Little, Brown, 2023), also a JLG Gold Standard selection. Lin grew up playing pretend games in the backyard and basement of their home in Kentucky. Now they get to write pretend stories in the backyard and basement of their home in Iowa, where they live with their wife and cat.
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Elle McNicoll
Hey, I'm Elle. I'm Scottish, autistic and an author/screenwriter who is really bad at logging her reading choices.
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I write about autistic girls finding out who they are and what makes them happy, because I'm an autistic girl trying to find out who she is and what makes her happy.
I don't read reviews, as they are for readers, but I'm grateful to any and everyone who engages with my work, on the page or on the screen. My Young Adult Romance debut is called Some Like It Cold in it will be published on the 3rd of October. Official professional shiz below:
Elle McNicoll is a bestselling and award-winning novelist and screenwriter. Her debut, A Kind of Spark, won the Blue Peter Book Award and the Overall Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, as well -
Alina Chau
Alina Chau (周曉芬) is an award-winning filmmaker and artist. Her credits include the Emmy Award-winning Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, and numerous best-selling games. She illustrated The Nian Monster, which received the 2018 APALA Picture Book Honor. Having grown up in Hong Kong in an Indonesian-Chinese family during the British colonial era, her creative vision is strongly influenced by a diverse mix of cultures. She finds inspiration in her grandmother's stories, colorful sarongs, and delicate wooden sculptures from Southeast Asia, as well as in the aroma of stinky tofu, and the sound of Hong Kong tram bells chiming. Alina's unique cultural heritage strongly influences her artistic and storytelling voice. Her whimsical illustra
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Caroline Huntoon
Caroline Huntoon (they/them) is a nonbinary storyteller and educator and the author of SKATING ON MARS, LINUS AND ETTA COULD USE A WIN, and GOING OVERBOARD (spring 2025), all from Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan. They grew up in Michigan but spent time in New York City to earn their B.A. at Barnard College and see as much musical theater as possible, Walt Disney World to fulfill a lifelong dream of working on The Great Movie Ride, and Vermont to earn their M.A. from The Bread Loaf School of English and eat their weight in maple creemees. Now back in Michigan, Caroline lives with their headstrong and hilarious child, Winnie, and their adorable and needy dog, Oscar David. By day they work as an English teacher and theater director, and by night
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Alison McGhee
Alison McGhee writes novels, picture books, poems, and essays for all ages, including the just-published THE OPPOSITE OF FATE, a novel, and the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestseller SOMEDAY, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Her work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She lives in Minneapolis and California.
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Gennifer Choldenko
There’s a Lego in my bum which fits with the Lego in my chair and when I sit down to write, I hear the satisfying snap of the two pieces fitting together. I love words, dictionaries, thesauruses, sharp pencils, the smell of book ink and the delicious art of carving out sentences on clean white paper. I love to slip into another person’s skin and feel what it’s like to live another life. I love when characters come to me out of nowhere and make me cry so hard my mascara runs or laugh until my stomach hurts. I love the crazy fun and infinite possibility of storytelling.
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What prepared me for a life of writing fiction? Though I have a BA from Brandeis University in English and American Literature and a BFA in illustration from Rhode Island Schoo -
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Kirby Larson
Kirby Larson went from history-phobe to history fanatic while writing the 2007 Newbery Honor Book, HATTIE BIG SKY. Her passion for historical fiction is reflected in titles such as THE FENCES BETWEEN US, THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL, as well as the sequel to HATTIE BIG SKY, HATTIE EVER AFTER, and her two latest titles, DUKE--which was nominated for 5 state Young Reader Choice awards as well as being a finalist for the Washington State Book Award-- and DASH--which has garnered two starred reviews, a NAPPA Gold Award and a Capitol Choices nomination. She will have two new books out in 2016 -- watch for them!
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In 2006, Kirby began a collaboration with her good friend Mary Nethery resulting in two award-winning nonfiction picture books: TWO BOBBIES: A TR -
Anne Ursu
Anne Ursu is the author of several fantasies for young readers, including THE REAL BOY, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, and BREADCRUMBS, which was named as one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly, Amazon, and School Library Journal. She is also the recipient of a McKnight Fellowship. She teaches at the Hamline University's Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and lives in Minneapolis. Her next book, THE LOST GIRL, will be out in February 2018.
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Tracey Baptiste
From Thompson-Gale: "Something About the Author"
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I have always loved books. My favorite, was an oversized complete Grimm's Fairy Tales with beautiful illustrations, which I lost when my family moved to the United States. I was fascinated by the stories of the tailor who went up against a giant, and clever Hans, who wasn't so clever as well as the more traditional princess stories. When I was about thirteen, after spending a summer in the library reading Paul Zindel and Judy Blume among other authors, I announced to my best friend that I was going to be a writer. I didn't decide what I wanted to write until I read "The Friends" by Rosa Guy. I had recently moved to Brooklyn, NY, and the book spoke to my situation precisely. It remains one of m -
Sherri L. Smith
Sherri L. Smith is the award-winning author of YA novels LUCY THE GIANT, SPARROW, HOT SOUR SALTY SWEET, FLYGIRL and ORLEANS. In October 2015, she makes her middle grade debut with THE TOYMAKER’S APPRENTICE from G.P. Putnam and Sons for Penguin Random House.
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Sherri has worked in film, animation, comic books and construction. Her books have been listed as Amelia Bloomer, American Library Association Best Books for Young People, and Junior Library Guild Selections. FLYGIRL was the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist.
She loves her family, travel, chocolate chip cookies, reading, and and a really good cup of tea. -
Sherri Winston
Prepare for your greatest mission yet. Jada Sly, Artist & Spy, is ready to take you on a journey across Manhattan and behind the scenes at her family’s museum. Fast-paced and quick-witted, Jada leads us into her conspiratorial world with great panache and determination. Perfect for cool middle grade spies.
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Sherri Winston has eight published works of fiction, and lives in Orlando, FL. -
Ann Clare LeZotte
Deaf--bilingual, bicultural. Author of T4: A Novel in Verse (Houghton, 2008) and Show Me a Sign (Scholatic, 2020). Library Youth Services for 11 years and counting. Focus on underserved populations and inclusion. Lives with her family in Gainesville, Florida.
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Deva Fagan
I write fantasy and science fiction for readers of all ages. I live in Maine with my husband and our dog. When I'm not writing I spend my time reading, playing video games, doing geometry, and drinking copious amounts of tea.
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NOTE: My comments on books I've read are not meant to be critical reviews, but are just my own reactions. I don't generally use stars, but I do occasionally mark a book with five stars if it's one that feels like it will become a long-term favorite, because it's exactly my sort of book, and caters to my specific tastes as a reader. There are plenty of books I read and really admire that are clearly excellent books, but which are not so exactly "for me" that I give them five stars. I will unabashedly stop reading books I -
Jodi Meadows
I write books. I snuggle cats. I drink coffee.
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Feel free to send a friend request. I don't reply to Goodreads messages; email is preferred. -
Alex Gino
Alex Gino loves glitter, ice cream, gardening, awe-ful puns, and stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of being alive.
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Gino is genderqueer and uses singular they pronouns and the honorific Mx. -
Mylisa Larsen
Mylisa Larsen has been telling stories for a long time. This has caused her to get gimlet-eyed looks from her parents, her siblings and, later, her own children when they felt that certain stories had been embellished beyond acceptable limits. She now writes children’s books where her talents for hyperbole are actually rewarded.
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She is the author of the middle grade novels Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better and Playing Through The Turnaround and the picture books All Of Those Babies, If I Were A Kangaroo, How To Put Your Parents To Bed and Ho Ho Homework.
She has lived in eight states and two countries and has loved things about all of them. The first place she always finds is the library.
You can visit her online at http://mylisalarsen.com -
Jamie Sumner
Jamie Sumner is the author of the critically-acclaimed middle-grade novels, Roll with It, Tune It Out, and One Kid's Trash. Her forth middle-grade novel The Summer of June hits shelves on May 31st, 2022 with Atheneum Books for Young Readers. She is also the author of the nonfiction parenting books, Eat, Sleep, Save the World and Unbound.
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She has also written for the New York Times and the Washington Post as well as other publications. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She and her family live in Nashville, Tennessee. Connect with her at Jamie-Sumner.com -
Lyla Lee
Lyla Lee is the bestselling author of books for all ages. Inspired by her Korean heritage and love of pop culture, she writes cute and sometimes swoony stories that have been translated into multiple languages around the world. Originally from South Korea, she’s lived in various cities throughout the United States, worked in Hollywood, and studied Psychology and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. She now lives in Dallas, Texas. Visit Lyla at lylaleebooks.com or on social media (Kid lit: @literarylyla and adult romance: @authorlylalee).
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Alicia D. Williams
What's there to know about Alicia D? Well, that depends on who you ask.
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If you ask kindergartners, they'd tell you:
1. She likes chunky guacamole.
2. She likes shiny things.
3. She tells good stories.
If you ask her middle schoolers, they'd surely say:
1. She gets us.
2. She makes us laugh with all her jokes.
3. She is Da BOMB.
While all of these may be true, there are a few more points to add . . . Alicia D. is a teacher in Charlotte, NC. She is the proud mother of a brilliant college student. Her love for education stems from conducting school residencies as a Master Teaching Artist of arts-integration. Alicia D infuses her love for drama, movement, and storytelling to inspire students to write. And like other great storytellers, she made the leap -
A.J. Sass
A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author whose narrative interests lie at the intersection of identity, neurodiversity, and allyship. He is the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 titles Ellen Outside the Lines, which was also a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, and Ana on the Edge, as well as the co-author of Camp QUILTBAG (with Nicole Melleby). All three books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections.
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A. J. is the author of the upcoming middle-grade book Just Shy of Ordinary (Little, Brown, 2024), and a contributor to the This Is Our Rainbow (Knopf Books for Young Readers), Allies (DK/Penguin Random House), and On All Other Nights (Abrams, 2024) anthologies. His debut picture book with illustrator Noa Kelner, Shabbat -
Andrea Beatriz Arango
Andrea Beatriz Arango is the author of Newbery Honor Book Iveliz Explains It All and the Pura Belpré Honor Book Something Like Home. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she first became a teacher. She then spent a decade in the United States working in public schools and nonprofits. When she’s not busy writing about middle schoolers and their families, you can find her hoping to spot manatees at the beach. Andrea lives in Puerto Rico with her family and two dogs.
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Jake Maia Arlow
Jake Maia Arlow is a Stonewall Honor author, podcast producer, and bagel connoisseur. They grew up on Long Island and now live with their girlfriend and loud cat in the Pacific Northwest.
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Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Shifa Saltagi Safadi was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents when she was a young girl. She is a bilingual Arabic/English speaker, and is very familiar with the challenges of learning English and navigating two languages.
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As a mom to four Arab American children and a former English teacher to Middle School students, (and an author!) she now spends her time helping kids develop a love of reading and writing too.
You can learn more about her books on her website shifasafadi.com -
Taylor Tracy
Taylor Tracy is the author of the Stonewall Award Honor Book Murray Out of Water. Taylor writes books filled with humor and heart that explore the joys and hopes of queer kids, focusing on mental health, found family, and the importance of a sense of community. She lives in New Jersey with her family, including a fluffle of mischievous rescue bunnies, and loves everything her home state has to offer: the best bagels, pizza, and beaches. When not writing, she can be found down the shore, in the rock gym or next to her growing pile of books to read and love.
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Phil Stamper
Phil Stamper grew up in a rural village near Dayton, Ohio. While it could be seen as a boring lifestyle to some, he kept himself entertained by playing the piano and writing stories that stretched his imagination. He has a B.A. in Music from the University of Dayton and an M.A. in Publishing with Creative Writing from Kingston University.
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When he first left his home state, he landed in Washington, DC with no job prospects, $800 in graduation money, and the promise of a walk-in closet to live in. Not long after—and he’s not totally sure how—he was jumping headfirst into a career in non-profit PR and sleeping in a real bed. He loved writing for a living, even if he was writing press releases and news stories... and hundreds of emails to annoye -
Tommie Smith
Tommie C. Smith (born June 6, 1944) is an American former track and field athlete and former wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20-second barrier was broken officially.
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Niki Smith
Artist, writer, lover of fine comics (and some pretty trashy ones too). Niki Smith now calls Germany home and is dedicated to filling the world with queer and diverse stories.
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Alex Gino
Alex Gino loves glitter, ice cream, gardening, awe-ful puns, and stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of being alive.
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Gino is genderqueer and uses singular they pronouns and the honorific Mx. -
Gail D. Villanueva
Gail D. Villanueva is a Filipino writer and graphic artist based in the Philippines. She is the author of the upcoming LULU SINAGTALA AND THE TAGALOG GODS series (HarperCollins, 2023) and SUGAR AND SPITE (Scholastic, 2021). Her debut novel, MY FATE ACCORDING TO THE BUTTERFLY (Scholastic, 2019), was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, an Amazon Best Book of the Month Editor’s Pick, and a NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Gail was born in Manila but was raised in Quezon City. She and her husband currently live in Rizal where they run a web design company while constantly trying to keep up with the shenanigans of their many pets—dogs, ducks, turtles, cats, and random birds they befriend in the backyard.
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M. Evan Wolkenstein
M. Evan Wolkenstein is a high school teacher and author of YA novel Turtle Boy (Random House, May 2020).
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He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Hebrew University, and the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies. His work can be found in The Forward, Tablet Magazine, The Washington Post, Engadget, My Jewish Learning, and BimBam.
He lives with his wife and daughters in the San Francisco Bay Area. -
Jake Maia Arlow
Jake Maia Arlow is a Stonewall Honor author, podcast producer, and bagel connoisseur. They grew up on Long Island and now live with their girlfriend and loud cat in the Pacific Northwest.
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Cat Clarke
Cat was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people.
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Cat has written non-fiction books about exciting things like cowboys, sharks and pirates, and now writes YA novels. She lives in Edinburgh with a couple of cats, Jem and Scout, who spend their days plotting to spit up furballs at the most inconvenient times. She likes cheese A LOT, especially baked camembert. -
Cassie Beasley
Author of Circus Mirandus, Tumble & Blue, and The Bootlace Magician .
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Hi there! And thanks for reading!
Exciting news:
The Bootlace Magician is coming on October 1! I'm so, so, so happy about this story. It's the sequel to Circus Mirandus, and I feel like this one is for readers who finished that book and thought, "Okay, I'm ready for more of the circus, more of Micah learning about his talent, and lots more magic."
Of course I love all of my stories, but I think Bootlace is the book that best matches my tastes as a reader. I always want to see behind the scenes of a magical world. This story was my chance to give readers a backstage pass to the circus and let people discover the nooks and crannies that I couldn't show the first time arou -
Schuyler Bailar
Schuyler is the first trans athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA D1 men’s team, and the only to have competed for all four years. He is an internationally-celebrated inspirational speaker and a respected advocate for inclusion, body acceptance, and mental health awareness.
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Schuyler graduated from Harvard College in May 2019 with a degree in Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology. His studies focused on social emotional learning, emotional intelligence, and education. He is a tireless advocate for inclusion through speaking engagements and social media. Schuyler also holds on-going advisory roles with Monte Nido & Affiliates (the leading eating disorder treatment provider), USA Swimming, the Harvard Medical School Primary Ca -
Elisa Stone Leahy
Elisa Stone Leahy is a queer, Peruvian American children’s author who lives with her husband and kids in Columbus, Ohio. Her first middle grade book, Tethered to Other Stars, was a finalist for the Cybils Award and the Ohioana Book Award, made the 2024 Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices list, the Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year list, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, which called it “beautifully executed.” Her second book, Mallory in Full Color, was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, made the NYPL Best Books for Kids list, was named on SLJ’s Best Books of 2024 list, and received starred reviews from The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books and School Library Jou
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Nicole Valentine
Nicole Valentine is a children’s book author, educator and technologist. She has an MFA in Writing from VCFA and teaches writing at The Highlights Foundation. She lives outside of Philadelphia with her family and two dogs Merlin and Arthur, and two cats, Pickwick and Tink. One day she would like to add a falcon or hawk to the mix.
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Caela Carter
Caela Carter grew up in Basking Ridge, NJ and Baltimore, MD. She's been writing since she learned how to pick up a pen but before the writing thing got serious she spent six years teaching English to middle and high school students in Jacksonville, FL and Chicago, IL. Her debut novel, ME, HIM, THEM AND IT was published in 2013 by Bloomsbury. When she's not writing, Caela is a teacher of some awesome teens in Brooklyn, a Notre Dame football enthusiast, and a happy explorer in New York City.
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A.J. Sass
A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author whose narrative interests lie at the intersection of identity, neurodiversity, and allyship. He is the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 titles Ellen Outside the Lines, which was also a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, and Ana on the Edge, as well as the co-author of Camp QUILTBAG (with Nicole Melleby). All three books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections.
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A. J. is the author of the upcoming middle-grade book Just Shy of Ordinary (Little, Brown, 2024), and a contributor to the This Is Our Rainbow (Knopf Books for Young Readers), Allies (DK/Penguin Random House), and On All Other Nights (Abrams, 2024) anthologies. His debut picture book with illustrator Noa Kelner, Shabbat -
Lisa Jenn Bigelow
Michigan native Lisa Jenn Bigelow is the critically acclaimed author of the middle grade novels Hazel’s Theory of Evolution (2019), winner of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Children's/Middle Grade, and Drum Roll, Please (2018), an Illinois Reads selection and Michigan Notable Book; and the young adult novel Starting from Here (2012), an ALA Rainbow List Top Ten Book. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she serves as a youth librarian in the Chicago suburbs during her non-writing hours.
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Jen Wilde
Jen Wilde (she/they) is the queer, disabled author of QUEENS OF GEEK, THE BRIGHTSIDERS and GOING OFF SCRIPT.
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They write unapologetically queer stories about unlikely heroes, awkward romantics and chosen families. Jen’s books have been praised in Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, Autostraddle, Vulture and Bustle. Their debut, QUEENS OF GEEK, made the 2018 Rainbow Book List and the Amelia Bloomer List.
Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Jen lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her wife, where she collects books, candles and foster cats. When she isn’t writing, Jen spends her time shouting about queer books on TikTok.
Connect with her online @jenwildebooks or visit her website: jenwildebooks.com. -
Mia Siegert
Mia Siegert's sophomore novel SOMEBODY TOLD ME released in Spring 2020 with great trade reviews (SLJ's verdict was "Highly Recommended Read") and features in Teen Vogue, Book Riot, Buzzfeed, and many more.
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Siegert's debut JERKBAIT made Goodreads Best YA of May 2016, Top 12 Indie YA from Barnes & Noble Teen Blog, Top 10 YA of 2016 from AndPop!, and gained attention from SB Nation, Publishers Weekly, Barnes & Noble Teen Blog, AndPOP!, MaximumPOP! UK, VOYA Magazine, Paste Magazine, Teen Librarian Toolbox, among many others.
When not writing, Siegert is a self-taught costume designer with their husband and two cats. Their work has appeared on Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and the CW's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." -
Ernesto Cisneros
Ernesto Cisneros is a veteran English teacher currently serving the colorful city of Santa Ana, California. He holds an English degree from the University of California, Irvine; a teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach; as well as a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from National University.
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Whenever his knees will allow it, he enjoys playing basketball, running, and swimming. He likes to read contemporary books with realistic characters and meaningful storylines full of heart. He is an avid music and ketchup lover, and he still follows the Lakers—even post Kobe.
As a writer, he believes in providing today’s youth with honest depictions of characters with whom they can identify. He believes the real world is f -
Lisa Bunker
Lisa Bunker has written stories all her life. Before setting up shop as a full-time author she had a 30-year career in non-commercial broadcasting, most recently as Program Director of the community radio station in Portland, Maine. Besides Maine she has made homes in New Mexico, the LA area, Seattle, the Florida panhandle, and New Hampshire. She now lives in Sacramento, CA with her wife Dawn, an expert on anxiety in children and an author in her own right. Between them they have three grown children. From 2018 to 2022 Lisa represented the town of Exeter in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Her other active interests include chess, birding, choral singing, and playing the bass.
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Leanne Hatch
I’m Leanne. I am a writer, illustrator, textile designer, and accessory designer living in the Pacific Northwest.
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Growing up, my little sister and I would spend hours drawing paper dolls. Then we would draw them again in different outfits. One day, Dad brought home a gigantic roll of plain white paper for us from Boeing Surplus. We would cut the paper into various lengths in order to make settings for the dolls. We created everything from bedrooms to playgrounds to retail shops. The possibilities were endless!
I went on to get a BA in fine arts with an emphasis on drawing, then received a second BA in apparel design. With my combined interest in art and fashion, I began my career as a textile print designer in the clothing industry.
While m -
Niki Smith
Artist, writer, lover of fine comics (and some pretty trashy ones too). Niki Smith now calls Germany home and is dedicated to filling the world with queer and diverse stories.
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Anna Lapera
Anna Lapera is a writer and educator based in the DC area. She comes from a Guatemalan mother and Hawaiian-Filipino-German father, and was raised all over the world.
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She teaches by day and writes stories about girls stepping into their power in the early hours of the morning before the teaching day begins. She is a member of Las Musas, a 2022 Macondista and Kweli Journal mentee, and has received financial support from Tin House, Kweli Journal and SCBWI.
When she’s not writing or teaching, you can find her visiting trails and coffee shops in DC and Maryland, where she lives with her family.
Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice is her debut novel, and she’s currently working on a historical fiction young adult novel as well as a short story co -
Rena Rossner
Rena Rossner hails from Miami Beach, Florida. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University's Writing Seminars program, Trinity College, Dublin and she holds a MA in history from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her debut novel, The Sisters of the Winter Wood, was listed as "One of the 100 Best Books" of the year by Publisher's Weekly. She currently lives in Israel, where she works as a Literary Agent at The Deborah Harris Agency. Her grandparents and great grandparents immigrated to the USA from Hungary, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova - their stories, together with her love of Jewish mythology and fantasy, inspire her work.
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Alyssa Zaczek
Alyssa Zaczek grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, where she spent her childhood writing stories about nervy girls and slowly amassing a landslide of books beneath her bed. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Playwriting, which she uses to justify her love of banter. When not reading or writing, she enjoys cooking, curating vintage clothing and making her partner laugh. She currently lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota, with said partner and their four animals. MARTIN MCLEAN, MIDDLE SCHOOL QUEEN is her debut novel.
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Jessica Verdi
Jessica Verdi lives in Brooklyn, NY, and received her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. She loves seltzer, Tabasco sauce, TV, vegetarian soup, flip-flops, and her dogs. Visit her at jessicaverdi.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @jessverdi.
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