Wendelin Van Draanen
Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series, and wrote Flipped which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by SLJ, and became a Warner Brothers feature film with Rob Reiner directing. Her novel The Running Dream was awarded ALA’s Schneider Family Award for its portrayal of the disability experience.
Van Draanen's latest book, Hope in the Mail, is part memoir, part writing guided, designed to encourage aspiring writers to pursue their dream.
Van Draanen is also the author of two short chapter-book series. The Gecko & Sticky books, are fun read-alouds, perfect for reluctant readers, and the Shredderman books—featuring
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Bella Zamri
Bella Zamri is a third-year Dietetics student at UiTM Puncak Alam who has been posting her novels on Wattpad.com since she was only sixteen.
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Using the pen name ‘Bellaaa_’ on Wattpad, she began writing The Boy Who Lost His Sight in 2012, where it quickly became popular. It has gained over 16 million reads from people around the globe.
Apart from trying to get her first degree by day and writing sappy teen fiction by night, in her free time she loves to read, eat and play with her cats.
The Boy Who Lost His Sight is her debut novel and it has been published under a Malaysian publishing company, Terfaktab Media.
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Linas Alsenas
Linas Alsenas has spent - OK, spends - way too much time singing show tunes to himself in the mirror. He has written several books for children and young adults, including Gay America, Peanut and Mrs Claus Takes a Vacation. His latest book is Beyond Clueless, a novel about teens living in s a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, that is very much like Linas's hometown. Linas now lives in London with his husband and works as an editor at a children's book publisher.
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Brenda Rufener
Brenda Rufener is a technical writer turned novelist and the author of WHERE I LIVE, which Bustle named a most anticipated YA contemporary book hitting shelves in 2018 and Jennifer Niven called a “hard-hitting novel filled with hope.”
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SINCE WE LAST SPOKE, Brenda’s second young adult novel, arrived April 2019 and received a starred review from School Library Journal, among other honors.
When not writing, Brenda enjoys hiking the woods of North Carolina and spending time with her family. She is an advocate for homeless youth. -
Julie Schumacher
JULIE SCHUMACHER grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from Oberlin College and Cornell University, where she earned her MFA. Her first novel, The Body Is Water, was published by Soho Press in 1995 and was an ALA Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her 2014 novel, Dear Committee Members, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor; she is the first woman to have been so honored. She lives in St. Paul and is a faculty member in the Creative Writing Program and the Department of English at the University of Minnesota.
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Jasminne Mendez
JASMINNE MÉNDEZ is a Macondo and Canto Mundo Fellow, as well as a Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) alumna. She is the author of a multi-genre memoir, Island of Dreams (2013), winner of an International Latino Book Award. She lives and works in Houston, Texas.
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Beck McDowell
Beck McDowell is the author of THIS IS NOT A DRILL, Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin, Fall '12 - recently chosen by the American Library Association as a 2013 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers. This YA fiction tells the story of Emery and Jake, who must protect the kindergartners they're tutoring when Brian Stutts, an Iraq vet suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, pulls a gun when he's not allowed to check out his son because of a custody battle. While Jake searches for a way to communicate with policemen surrounding the building, Emery, fighting her shyness, fear, and POTS symptoms, reaches out to the soldier and gains a new understanding of what he faced in Iraq.
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Beck is also the author of LAST BUS OUT, the true story of Courtney -
Angeline Boulley
Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She gained attention from the We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program. Angeline was the former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Her agent is Faye Bender at The Book Group. Firekeeper's Daughter has been optioned for a Netflix series by the Obamas' Higher Ground production company.
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Israel Horovitz
Israel Horovitz has written more than 80 plays, several of which have been translated into as many as 30 languages and performed worldwide. His play Line reached 50 years of continuous performance, off-Broadway, at 13th Street Repertory Theatre.
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Horovitz is Founding Artistic Director of Gloucester Stage Company, and of the New York Playwrights Lab. For two decades, he taught a bilingual screenwriting workshop with writers from la Fémis, France’s national film school, and Columbia University’s graduate film program. Has also written or adapted numerous plays for BBC Radio. (Click on link for listing and description of plays.)
He is married to Gillian Adams-Horovitz, former British National Marathon Champion and Record holder, and former USA Tr -
Scott Chantler
Scott Chantler is the acclaimed cartoonist of the graphic novels SQUIRE& KNIGHT, BIX, TWO GENERALS (which was long-listed for CBC’s CANADA READS: TRUE STORIES, named one of Chapters-Indigo’s Best Books of 2010, and selected for BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2012), NORTHWEST PASSAGE (which was nominated for Eisner, Harvey, Shuster, and Doug Wright Awards), and the THREE THIEVES series (the first book of which, TOWER OF TREASURE, won the Joe Shuster Award for Best Comic for Kids).
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Clete Barrett Smith
Clete Barrett Smith’s first novel, Aliens on Vacation, will be published by Disney-Hyperion Books for Children in May, 2011. A sequel, part of The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast series for middle grade readers, will come out the following year. A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, Clete taught English, Drama and Speech at the high school level for over a dozen years and has also worked in journalism. Clete received his MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in January, 2010. He currently lives in Bellingham, Washington with his wife and two daughters.
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Rebecca E.F. Barone
As an engineer, Rebecca E. F. Barone has worked on projects ranging from injury analysis for the NFL to engine calibration for hybrid cars. Realizing her love for books in addition to numbers, she now describes the world with words rather than equations.
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Paz Marquez Benitez
Born in 1894 in Lucena City, Quezón, Márquez Benítez authored the first Filipino modern English-language short story, Dead Stars, published in the Philippine Herald in 1925. Born into the prominent Márquez family of Quezón province, she was among the first generation of Filipinos trained in the American education system which used English as the medium of instruction. She graduated high school in Tayabas High School (now, Quezón National High School) and college from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912. She was a member of the first freshman class of the University of the Philippines, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912.
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Two years after graduation, she married UP College of Education Dean F -
Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne is an American actress, singer, and music video director. She began her career at six weeks old as a child model, and eight years old with roles in in the television series My Own Worst Enemy and Big Love, Thorne gained mainstream notoriety for her starring role on the Disney series Shake It Up as well as Freeform’s Famous in Love. In 2018 she signed with Epic Records and began work on her debut album. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she started a makeup line called Thorne by Bella.
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Kirsten Miller
Kirsten Miller grew up in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. At seventeen, she left for college in New York City, where she lives to this day. Kirsten's latest novel, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, is a side-splitting satire that takes on some of the most controversial issues of our day. Her first adult novel, The Change, was a Good Morning America Book Club pick for May 2022. Kirsten is also the author of over a dozen middle grade and YA novels, including the acclaimed Kiki Strike books, (which tell the tale of the delinquent girl geniuses who keep Manhattan safe), and How to Lead a Life of Crime. She is not the Kirsten Miller who wrote All That Is Left, but she assumes that Kirsten is lovely and talented. Librar
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Don Calame
Don Calame the author of SWIM THE FLY, BEAT THE BAND, CALL THE SHOTS and DAN VERSUS NATURE. He is also a professional screenwriter whose film projects include EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH and HOUNDED. Of his many prior occupations, he says his most satisfying was teaching elementary school for four years in Los Angeles, where he received the LAUSD District Intern Golden Apple Award and a Los Angeles Education Partnership Grant. He lives in British Columbia.
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Pete Hautman
Peter Murray Hautman is an American author best known for his novels for young adults. One of them, Godless, won the 2004 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. The National Book Foundation summary is, "A teenage boy decides to invent a new religion with a new god."
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Matteo L. Cerilli
Matteo L. Cerilli (he/him) is a transmasc author specializing in speculative fiction for all ages. His writing aims to erase the barrier between liberation movements and the people they’re for, by opening doorways to Big Ideas like queer justice, neurodivergent liberation, youth equity, and community care. His activism work includes setting up gender care for trans students at York University, helping to found the Students for Queer Liberation—Toronto, and organizing with the No Pride in Policing Coalition. He currently lives in Toronto, within walking distance of so many people and places that he loves.
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Beth Kander
Beth Kander is a USA Today bestselling writer with tangled roots in the Midwest and Deep South. The granddaughter of immigrants, her work often explores how worlds old and new intertwine—or collide. Beth earned an MSW from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mississippi University for Women, where she has also served as a visiting professor. She calls Chicago home these days, and is lucky to live there with her very favorite characters: her heroic husband, their two brave, hilarious kids, and a giant rescue dog named Oz.
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For more: www.bethkander.com -
Glenn Rawson
Glenn Rawson is a Mormon teacher, radio and television personality, writer, and producer.
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Jenny Wingfield
Jenny Wingfield grew up “pretty much all over Louisiana”. The daughter of a Methodist minister, she learned early on that being a preacher’s kid could mean moving a lot.
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After high school, she attended Southern State College (now SAU), in Magnolia, Arkansas, earning her B.A. in English. Later on, she taught English and Language Arts in the Hope, Arkansas and Ashdown Arkansas public schools.
Wingfield broke into freelancing by writing celebrity articles for Scene Magazine, Music City News, and The Saturday Evening Post. Several years later, she shifted lanes, tackling screenwriting. Her film credits include The Man In The Moon (Reese Witherspoon’s debut movie), The Outsider (starring Naomi Watts), and Hallmark Hall of Fame’s A Dog Named Chri -
Natasha Friend
Natasha Friend is the award-winning author of Perfect, Lush, Bounce, For Keeps, My Life in Black and White, Where You'll Find Me, The Other F-Word, How We Roll, and The Wolves Are Waiting. Natasha lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her family.
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Sarah Vowell
Sarah Jane Vowell (MA, Art History, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1999; BA, Modern Languages and Literature, Montana State University, 1993) is a historian, journalist, essayist, social commentator, and actress. She has written seven nonfiction books on American history and culture. Vowell was a contributing editor for the radio program This American Life on Public Radio International from 1996 to 2008, where she produced numerous commentaries and documentaries. She was also the voice of the teenage superhero Violet Parr in the 2004 animated film The Incredibles and its 2018 sequel.
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Judy Blume
Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber; Just as Long as We're Together; and the five book series about the irrepressible Fudge. She has also written three novels for adults, Summer Sisters; Smart Women; and Wifey, all of them New York Times bestsellers. More than 80 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into thirty-one languages. She receives thousands of letters a year from readers of all ages who share their feelings and concern
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Gail Carson Levine
Just letting you all know: I'm only going to review books I love. There's enough negative criticism without me piling on. A book is too hard to write.
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Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and began writing seriously in 1987. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Fairest; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction book Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly and the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a 1790 farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley -
Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.
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Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after s -
Todd Strasser
Todd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.
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His most recent novel is Summer of '69
Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."
Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and -
Chris Grabenstein
CHRIS GRABENSTEIN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include the LEMONCELLO, WONDERLAND, HAUNTED MYSTERY, DOG SQUAD, and SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE series, and many fun and funny page-turners co-authored with James Patterson. You can visit Chris at ChrisGrabenstein.com.
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Victoria Chang
Victoria Chang's latest book of poems is With My Back to the World (Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Corsair in the UK), which received the Forward Prize in Poetry for the Best Collection. Her most recent book is The Trees Witness Everything (Copper Canyon Press, 2022). Her prose book, Dear Memory, was published by Milkweed Editions in 2021. Her recent book of poems, OBIT, was published in 2020 by Copper Canyon Press. It was named a New York Times Notable Book, as well as a TIME, NPR, Publisher's Weekly, Book of the Year. It received the LA Times Book Prize, the PEN Voelcker Award, and the Anisfield-Wolf Award. It was also a finalist for the Griffin Poetry Prize and the NBCC, and long listed for the NBA. She is the Bourne Chair of Poetry and the
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Adam Rubin
Adam Rubin is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of ten critically-acclaimed picture books, including the Those Darn Squirrels trilogy, Dragons Love Tacos, Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel, Secret Pizza Party, Robo-Sauce and El Chupacabras (winner of the 2020 Texas Blue Bonnet award). In between writing projects, he designs and collects optical illusions, puzzles and games. His favorite color is blue, his favorite food is fried chicken, and his favorite animal is the otter. Adam currently lives in Brooklyn.
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Lisa Yee
Lisa Yee has written over 20 novels. Her most recent book, Maizy Chen's Last Chance, is about a fifth-generation Chinese American girl, and is a National Book Award Finalist, Newbery Honor, and the Asian Pacific American Children's Literature Award winner.
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Lisa's debut novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, won the prestigious Sid Fleischman Humor Award. Other books include Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, Absolutely Maybe, and a series about a 4th grader, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) and Bobby the Brave (Sometimes), illustrated by Dan Santat.
Lisa is also the author of several American Girl books and the DC Super Hero Girls series. A Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence, Lisa's books have been named a NPR Best Summer Read, Sports Illust -
Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Jennifer has spent three decades writing award-winning fiction and nonfiction for children. Amongst her titles are picture books: THIS IS MY ROOM (NO TIGERS ALLOWED) and OH, CHICKADEE!; chapter books: Andy Shane series and Twig and Turtle series; middle grade novels: SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT, PAPER THINGS, THE DOLLAR KIDS, CRASHING IN LOVE; and young adult novels: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF WHY I HATE HER and STAINED. Her awards and honors include ALA Best Books For Young Adults, Publishers Weekly Best Books, NYPL Best Books for Teens, Parents Choice Gold Award, IRA Young Adult’s Choice, ILA Social Justice Award, NTCE Charlotte Huck Honorable Mention, Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and Junior Library Guild Selections as well as many state awa
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Sian Ann Bessey
Sian Ann Bessey was born in Cambridge, England, but grew up on the island of Anglesey off the coast of North Wales. She left her homeland to attend university in the U.S., where she earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in English.
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She began her writing career as a student, publishing several magazine articles while still in college. Since then she has published historical romance and romantic suspense novels, along with a variety of children's books. She is a USA Today best selling author and a Whitney Award finalist.
Although Sian doesn't have the opportunity to speak Welsh very often anymore, she can still wrap her tongue around, "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch." She loves to travel and expe -
James Ponti
James Ponti is the New York Times Bestselling author of three Middle Grade book series: the DEAD CITY trilogy about a secret society that polices the undead who live beneath New York City; the Edgar Award-winning FRAMED! series about a pair of Sherlockian tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, D.C.; and the all-new CITY SPIES about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 spy team.
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James grew up in Atlantic Beach, Florida and lives in Orlando. He's a die hard fan of the Boston Red Sox, the USC Trojans, and the Italian National Soccer Team. He loves travel, writing, and spending time with his amazing family. -
Swati Avasthi
Swati Avasthi has a BA from the University of Chicago and an MFA from the University of Minnesota. She has received numerous awards and grant, most recently from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Her first novel, Split, has received a silver parents' choice award and a CYBILS award and was named a best books for young adults, 2011 from YALSA. Split was also nominated for a GoodReads Choice Award and a Minnesota Book Award. She is keeping her fingers crossed.
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Mac Barnett
Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.
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Adam Gidwitz
To read my bio and learn more about me, and find a FAQ, visit:
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Renée Watson
Renée Watson is the author of the children’s picture book, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen (Random House, June 2010), which was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Her middle grade novel, What Momma Left Me debuted as the New Voice for 2010 in middle grade fiction by The Independent Children's Booksellers Association.
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Renée’s one woman show, Roses are Red, Women are Blue, debuted at New York City's Lincoln Center at a showcase for emerging artists. Her poetry and articles have been published in Rethinking Schools, Theatre of the Mind and With Hearts Ablaze.
When Renée is not writing and performing, she is teaching. Renée has worked in public schools and community organizations as an artist in residence for several years, teachin -
Charlotte Guillain
Charlotte Guillain has written over 100 books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her most well-known titles are the 'George's Amazing Adventures' picture book series, including 'Spaghetti with the Yeti' and 'Pizza for Pirates'. 'Spaghetti with the Yeti' was shortlisted for nine awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Before writing children's books, Charlotte worked as a bookseller, a teacher of English as a Foreign Language, and an editor.
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Jess Rothenberg
JESS ROTHENBERG is a writer and freelance editor who grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. A former editor of books for young readers, including the #1 International Bestselling Vampire Academy series, Jess lives in New York City with her husband, son, and cat-who-thinks-he’s-a-dog, Charlie. Her debut novel for teens, The Catastrophic History of You & Me, has been translated into more than a dozen languages.
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To find out more, visit www.jessrothenberg.com or follow Jess on Instagram and Twitter at @jessrothenberg. -
Jordan Sonnenblick
I am the author of seven books for children and young adults, including Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. So if youʼre looking for info about some other guy named Jordan Sonnenblick, youʼve got the wrong website.
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Anyway, I know a lot of people are looking for stuff they can use in reports for school, so Iʼll just get this out of the way right up front:
My favorite color is blue.
I have a wife and two kids.
The best pet I ever had was a garter snake I caught when I was eight by a lake in Pennsylvania. I named the snake Hector. Then it gave birth to 20 baby snakes, so I changed its name to Hectoria.
My all-time favorite band is the Beatles, although I like a ton of different music.
My hobbies are playing the drums, guitar, and bass; riding my bicycle a -
Bel Kaufman
Bel Kaufman (b. 1911) was a bestselling writer, dedicated teacher, and lecturer best known for her novel Up the Down Staircase (1965), a classic portrayal of life in the New York public school system. Kaufman was born in Berlin, the daughter of Russian parents and granddaughter of celebrated Yiddish writer Sholom Aleichem. Her family moved to Odessa when she was three, and Russian is her native language. The family also lived in Moscow before immigrating to New York City when Kaufman was twelve. There, she graduated magna cum laude from Hunter College and with high honors from Columbia University. Kaufman then worked as a high school teacher in the city for three decades. The success of Up the Down Staircase launched her second career as a
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Georgia Byng
Lady Georgia Mary Caroline Byng, (b. 1965), is a British author of children's books and a former actress. Her first writing was for a comic strip, and her first published book was The Sock Monsters. Byng's best known work is Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism and its sequels, about a girl who finds a book about hypnotism and learns how to hypnotize people. Georgia's first published item was a comic strip for kids from the age of five to seven.
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Philippa Leathers
Philippa Leathers studied graphic design, illustration, and animation, and currently works as a freelance animator and illustrator. The Black Rabbit is her first picture book, while her animation credits include work on the Charlie and Lola and Peppa Pig TV series. She lives in England with her family, a gray tabby cat named Emmi, and two rabbits named Benji and Kiki, who inspired her to write The Black Rabbit, as where one goes the other follows close behind.
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Sarah McGuire
Sarah McGuire is a nomadic math teacher who sailed around the world aboard a floating college campus. She writes fairy tales and fun fantasy and would be just fine if one day she opened a wardrobe and stumbled into another world. Coffee and chocolate are her rocket fuel. She wishes Florida had mountains, but she lives there anyways with her husband (who wrote this bio in less than three minutes!) and their family.
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Caroline Pignat
Caroline Pignat is the two-time Governor Generalʼs Award winning author of highly acclaimed young adult novels. Her historical fiction, contemporary, and free verse novels use multiple points of view and varied forms to engage readers of all ages.
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As a Writer's Craft student, Caroline wrote a short story that years later became Greener Grass, the first of a critically acclaimed series, and went on to win her first Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature in 2009.
A teacher with the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Caroline has taught elementary, intermediate and high school students. She spends her mornings teaching grade 12 Writer’s Craft and her afternoons working with students in Writing Workshops and Author Visits, or deep in her -
Frederick Joseph
Frederick Joseph is a Yonkers, NY raised three-time New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. His books include a poetry collection, We Alive, Beloved, two books of nonfiction, Patriarchy Blues, and The Black Friend, a collaboration, Better Than We Found It, a children’s book, The Courage to Dream, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and his recent bestselling, Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly Starred reviewed YA novel, This Thing of Ours.
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Cliff Burke
Cliff Burke has taught reading and writing in China, Hong Kong, the US, and the UK. His first novel, An Occasionally Happy Family, was a 2022 Spirit of Texas Book and was selected for several state reading lists. His most recent novel, My Not-So-Great French Escape, was released in March 2023.
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Visit him online at cliffburke.com -
Elizabeth J. Church
Elizabeth J. Church is the author of THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF LOVE , which was a #1 Indie Next List selection and a Target Club Pick, and was shortlisted by the ABA Indies Choice Book Awards for adult debut book of the year and the Reading the West Book Awards for best adult fiction. ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS is her second novel.
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Lance Rubin
Hi, I'm Lance Rubin.
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I wrote the Denton Little series and Crying Laughing. My solo MG debut, Zed Moonstein Makes a Friend, comes out this August 2025, and my new YA novel, 16 Forever, comes out in January 2026.
I also co-wrote The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek with Good Mythical Morning's Rhett & Link, Monster Club: Monsters Take Manhattan with filmmakers Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel, and the musical Broadway Bounty Hunter with Be More Chill's Joe Iconis & Jason SweetTooth Williams.
I'm originally from Matawan, New Jersey. I went to Brown University, and now I live in Brooklyn with my family.
Before I became an author, I was primarily an actor. "Anything I'd recognize you from?" you might ask. Probably not, unless you watched the short-live -
Caitlin Alifirenka
Caitlin Alifirenka (Stoicsitz) was born in 1985 in Chestnuthill, Pennsylvania to Anne Neville and Richard Stoicsitz. Caitlin started corresponding with Martin Ganda, her Zimbabwean pen pal, in 1997 which led to a life long friendship. After graduating from North Penn High School in 2003, Caitlin attended Abington Memorial Hospital's Dixon School of Nursing and now works as an Emergency Room Registered Nurse. Caitlin lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband Dzmitry Alifirenka and their two young daughters, Mila and Dasha.
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Swati Avasthi
Swati Avasthi has a BA from the University of Chicago and an MFA from the University of Minnesota. She has received numerous awards and grant, most recently from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Her first novel, Split, has received a silver parents' choice award and a CYBILS award and was named a best books for young adults, 2011 from YALSA. Split was also nominated for a GoodReads Choice Award and a Minnesota Book Award. She is keeping her fingers crossed.
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Julie T. Lamana
Julie T Lamana is a retired educator with a strong passion for literacy. She and her husband are blessed with six children, six grandchildren, three dogs, and counting! Originally from Colorado, Julie relocated to Louisiana in 1995. Although the adjustment was a challenge for the Lamana family, they quickly fell in love with the unique culture that Louisiana has to offer.
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Three Little Bayou Fishermen is Julie's first published work, and a memorable way to introduce children to life on the Bayou. -
Todd Strasser
Todd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.
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His most recent novel is Summer of '69
Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."
Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and -
Eric Velásquez
Eric Velásquez is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including several previous collaborations with Carole Boston Weatherford. He won the John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award for his illustrations of The Piano Man, written by Debbi Chocolate. Eric Velásquez is also the author-illustrator of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award–winning Grandma’s Gift. Born in Harlem, he lives and works in Hartsdale, New York.
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Hailey Alcaraz
Hailey began her writing career in the sixth grade as a kid reporter for Time for Kids magazine, and has been addicted to storytelling ever since. Born in California and raised in Arizona, she's a Southwest girl through and through who loves stories about fellow multicultural girls finding their way in the world.
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She currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, two daughters and precocious German Shepherd. Connect with her online at haileyalcaraz.comand @alcarazbooks on both TikTok and Instagram. -
Katrin van Dam
Katrin van Dam has worked in children’s media and licensing for nearly thirty years and is currently a creative executive at a major media company. In 2018, Scholastic published her debut young adult novel, Come November. A few months later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. After getting a taste of the societal pressure to have reconstruction, she felt compelled to provide a resource for women who are facing this difficult decision. Flat and Happy, her first work of nonfiction, came out of that commitment.
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Kat lives with her husband in New York City. She is an avid theatergoer and enjoys hosting raucous dinner parties and traveling. She is also passionate about good food, storytelling, and saving our be -
Christine Platt
Christine A. Platt is a historian and storyteller of the African diaspora. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida, M.A. in African Studies from The Ohio State University and received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law.
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Her debut novel, The Truth About Awiti, was published under the penname CP Patrick and won the 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal for Multicultural Fiction. The Truth About Awiti is currently used in high schools, colleges and universities to teach the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Christine’s highly anticipated children series, Ana & Andrew, will be published on December 15, 2018 (ABDO Books/Calico Kids).
Christine currently serves as the Managing Dir -
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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 -
L.M. Elliott
L. M. Elliott was an award-winning magazine journalist for 20 years before becoming a New York Times bestselling author of historical and biographical novels. Three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award and winner of multiple Dateline Awards, Elliott focused primarily on women's issues. Her groundbreaking profile of a domestic violence survivor, wife of a high-level federal government appointee, was one of the first to discuss "white-collar" violence against women and the psychological/emotional control intrinsic to the abuse. Elliott’s extensive reporting experience on such topics informed and enriched the themes and characters of TRUTH, LIES, AND THE QUESTIONS IN BETWEEN. It is her third docudrama-novel exploring a fraught politic
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Kati Gardner
Kati is a recovering actor who has spent the last few years keeping tiny humans alive. In high school she was determined to play a doctor on General Hospital and possibly add in a love story with Jonathan Jackson. She would spend hours toiling away on FanFiction for my AOL community and dreaming of the day she would accept a Daytime Emmy Award. In college she majored in Theater arts and spent lots of time hanging out in the box office.
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Before any of that happened though, Kati had cancer. She was eight. She responded to chemotherapy and had an amputation of her entire left leg. She still advocates for childhood cancer research and accessibility for all individual with disabilities.
Kati is married, has two great girls, and a posse of furry fr -
Mary Cecilia Jackson
Mary Cecilia Jackson has worked as a middle school teacher, an adjunct instructor of college freshmen, a technical writer and editor, a speechwriter, a museum docent, and a development officer for central Virginia's PBS and NPR stations. Her first novel, Sparrow, was an honor recipient of the SCBWI Sue Alexander Award and a young-adult finalist in the Writers' League of Texas manuscript contest. She lives in Georgia with her architect husband and three sweet dachshunds.
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Nicholasa Mohr
Nicholasa Mohr (born November 1, 1938) is one of the best known Nuyorican writers. Her works tell of growing up in the Puerto Rican communities of the Bronx and El Barrio and of the difficulties Puerto Rican women face in the United States. She was raised in the Bronx. From 1988 through 1991, she taught at Queens College, City University of New York. From 1994 through 1995, she was Writer-in-Residence at Richmond College, the American University in London.
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K.D. McCrite
Also writes as Sydney Hope Archer.
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K.D. McCrite was raised on a small dairy farm in the Ozarks. She has a degree in psychology from Drury University and has worked as a librarian and as a mental health caseworker.
She currently resides in Arkansas. -
Robin Daniels
The most important thing to know about me is that I'm basically a sixteen-year-old trapped in an adult's body. It's why I feel such a great connection to all of my characters and why I love to write romantic comedy. The kid in me just wants to be goofy. Besides being a writer; I'm a wife, mother of five, volleyball enthusiast and home decorating guru. My list of favorites includes: reading, Christmas, pedicures, dessert, steak, Arizona winters and most importantly, Diet Coke.
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Christy Goerzen
Christy Goerzen has been telling stories since the age of two. She holds a Master of Arts in Children's Literature, and has worked as a bookseller, children's television writer, communications manager, speechwriter and university instructor. She lives in Vancouver with her husband, son and one funny little cat.
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Joani Elliott
Joani Elliott believes in the magic of stories, a good cup of tea, and the power of living a creative life. She has taught writing at the University of Maryland and Brigham Young University. She lives with her husband and two daughters near Salt Lake City, Utah. For book club resources, virtual author chats, and more, visit joanielliott.com.
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Sharelle Byars Moranville
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an engineer--and some days still do. But I love being a writer and teacher of creative writing. I live on a small acreage with my husband in the midwest and am devoted to gardens and grandchildren. I spend most of my time helping things grow: ideas into stories; seeds into flowers; grandbabies into miracles.
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Kim Smejkal
Kim Smejkal writes dark fantasy for young adults and not-so-young adults, always with a touch of magic. Her debut novel, INK IN THE BLOOD, released from HMH in early 2020, and the sequel, CURSE OF THE DIVINE, released in 2021.
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When she’s not writing, she’s homeschooling her kids, tutoring other people’s kids, and voraciously hoarding any precious alone time. Though she grew up on the Canadian prairies, she now lives with her family on beautiful, muse-satiating Vancouver Island. She is represented by Daniel Lazar of Writers House.