(alphabetical order)

• M. Molly Backes Molly Backes grew up in Wisconsin, where she began writing about the world around her. At age four she penned her first story, "Raccoons Looking in a Mailbox, " asking readers to grapple with the important question: What are those raccoons looking for? After graduating from Grinnell College, Molly moved to New Mexico, where she got 150 middle schoolers to write novels with her for NaNoWriMo. Her first YA novel, The Princesses of Iowa, will be published by Candlewick Press in Spring 2012. Molly lives in Chicago, writes for young adults, and stops to pet every dog she sees. Check out her blog at mollybackes.blogspot.com.

  
  

• Ale Barba Ale Barba has been making art for as long as she can remember. She started painting at an early age creating holiday and birthday cards for her family. It wasn't until a co-worker at a children's museum told her artists can "actually" make a living that the idea of illustrating for a career even occurred to her. That was six years ago and Ale has been working as an illustrator ever since. She has been published in Mexico, Denmark, Colombia and Spain, and has won numerous awards for her artwork world wide. Ale was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and still lives there today. She is currently working on several projects which she has written and illustrated that are due out for submission. To see more of Ale's work visit: www.AleBarba.com

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• Veronica Bird Veronica Bird knew from the moment she picked up her first Barbara Cartland novel that romance was in her blood. Her first historical romance, The Pirate's Apprentice (out for submission), is the steamy tale of a headstrong English lady who receives lessons in seduction from a roguish yet irresistible captain of a pirate ship. When she is not writing, Veronica can be found keeping her two-year-old son from tackling her five-year-old daughter (and the dog from tackling them both). She aspires to one day sit down and watch a movie all the way through without interruption. Veronica is a graduate of University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where she majored in creative writing.

  
  

• Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen never thought she'd grow up to be a writer. She'd thought of being a doctor (but she's afraid of blood), a model (but she likes to eat), the president (but she had a dissolute youth)... so much for childhood dreams. Sudipta is the author of eleven picture books and sixteen nonfiction books for children including The Hog Prince, illustrated by Jason Wolff (Dutton, 2009), Ballots for Belva, illustrated by Courtney Martin (Abrams, 2008) and The Mine-o-saur, illustrated by David Clark (Putnam, 2007). Sudipta often visits schools to share her stories, and teaches writing to children and adults. She lives in New Jersey with her three children and an imaginary pony named Penny. Find her on the web at www.sudipta.com.

  
  

• A.C.E. Bauer A.C.E. Bauer has been telling and writing stories since childhood. After a break while she worked as an attorney, writing legal briefs and telling stories about her clients, she has returned to fiction, writing children's books and short stories for all ages. No Castles Here (Random House, 2007), her first middle grade novel, was named "one of the strongest titles of the year" in a starred Kirkus review and was named to the ALA's 2009 Rainbow List. Her second middle-grade novel, Come Fall, is due out from Random House in July 2010. Born and raised in Montreal, A.C.E. Bauer spends most of the year in New England, and much of the summer on a lake in Quebec. To learn more about her writing, visit her website at http://acebauer.com.

  
  

• Jake Bell Jake Bell declared his intention to be a writer when he was seven years old. His mother gave him one piece of advice: "Get a good day job." After fifteen years in the job market, Jake had been a sportscaster, a magician, a disc jockey, a bagel baker, professional wrestling referee, a college English instructor, and a minor league second baseman, and earned a BA and MBA--but he hadn't gotten much writing done. Finally, during a stint of unemployment, Jake got fed up with trying to find a good day job and wrote his first middle grade novel, Secret Identity Crisis. This is the first superhero book in The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks series coming from Scholastic in May 2010, with cover illustrations and a special full-color, eight page comic insert by Chris Giarrusso. Jake lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his two kids from whom he regularly poaches ideas for picture book manuscripts. Find him on the web at www.jakebell.com.

  
  

• Amanda Berry After an exciting life as a CPA, Amanda Berry took up writing when her husband swept the family off to England to live for a year. Now she's hooked, and since returning to the states spends her writing days concocting spicy contemporaries and dark paranormal romances while her cats try in vain to pry her hands off the keyboard. Her Marlene award-winning contemporary romance, L.A. Cinderella, will debut from Harlequin Silhouette Special Edition in June 2010. From gritty paranormals to glowing contemporaries, one thing remains the same—love and happily ever after. Amanda lives in the Midwest with her husband and two children. For more about Amanda and her books, please visit www.amanda-berry.com.

  
  

• David Borofka David Borofka is the award-winning author of more than forty published short stories in which he explores the relationship of spirituality with sexuality, religion with the deceptions of piety. Elizabeth Gaffney (NY Times Book Review) observes, "Moments of giddy redemption leaven the woes of Mr. Borofka's characters, but the real miracle is the deftness, subtlety and humor with which he makes their many bedeviled lives cohere in a single vision of well-earned affirmation." Winner of the Missouri Review's Editors' Prize and Carolina Quarterly's Charles B. Wood Award for Distinguished Writing, David's work has appeared in numerous literary journals. His latest novel, A Perfect Life, intertwines the story of the notorious Oneida Community with our contemporary desire for utopian and religious ideals, a reminder that in a country founded by religious radicals and lunatics, a repetition of our spiritual history is inevitable, generation after generation.

  Read an excerpt from David Borofka The Secret Life of Engineers Copyright © 2007 by David Borofka [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Jennifer Boyd & Laura Conant Jennifer Boyd and Laura Conant are sisters who have decided to patch up years of name calling and hair pulling by writing a book together. As the mom of a toddler and a biology and environmental sciences professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Jennifer juggles strained yams with mid-term exams while using effective everyday ways to reduce her family's environmental footprint. She earned her doctorate in earth and environmental sciences from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in environmental science and English from Allegheny College. Laura Conant also graduated from Allegheny College with a degree in environmental science and is currently a natural resources graduate student at the University of Vermont. Laura is a proud aunt, competitive peek-a-boo player, and volunteer mentor to young girls in the Burlington area. While they've authored and co-authored a number of scientific articles, the eco-parenting guide Mind Your Mother Earth!: Fifty Ways to Green Up Your Parenting of Infants, Teens and Kids In Between is Jennifer and Laura's first book. They are enjoying taking a break from writing about photosynthesis and soil nitrogen in favor of some witty banter.

  
  

• Dan Brewer & Paul Paolilli Dan Brewer and Paul Paolilli are an uncle and nephew team who have collaborated on many creative projects over the years. Their first picture book, Silver Seeds (Viking Children's Books, 2001) received the 2002 International Reading Association's Award for Best Children's Book by first time authors. Dan and Paul's passion to teach and learn has drawn them both into education; Dan teaches high school English and Paul is a school psychologist. They credit their strong Italian tradition of family and food, nature and song for providing the foundation for their imaginations. Dan and Paul's latest picture book, Nightlights, takes young readers on a lyrical journey through a luminous nightscape. They are currently working on their first middle grade novel, The Shadow Soup, in which a group of friends must discover the mystery behind a creepy new shop purveyor who also happens to be a collector of highly unusual treasures... before it's too late.

  
  

• Meagan Brothers Meagan Brothers published her debut novel for young adults, Debbie Harry Sings in French, in 2008 by Henry Holt & Co. It was a selection in the Kirkus First Fiction special section, an ELLEgirl book club pick and included in the New York Public Library's Stuff for the Teen Age 2009. The book received a starred review in PW, and Booklist proclaimed it "an easy recommendation for reluctant readers." A second young adult novel is due out soon from Henry Holt. She is also the author of Drinking People, an adult novel set in a dusty Texas town that explores the relationship between father, daughter, and their writing (out for submission). Her chapbook of poems, 1978, was published by CafeMo Press in 2001. Meagan has also written film and album reviews for Upstage Magazine, and played guitar with several loosely formed groups in the New York-New Jersey area. A native Carolinian, Meagan currently lives and works in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

  Read excerpts from Meagan Brothers Debbie Harry Sings in French (Henry Holt & Company Spring 2008) Drinking People Copyright © 2007 by Meagan Brothers [ Buy the book at Amazon | close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Opal Carew Opal Carew writes erotic romance for St. Martin's Press. In May 2006 (on Opal's wedding anniversary), Emily Sylvan Kim called to invite her into the Prospect family of authors. Within a week, Emily had sold Twin Fantasies to Rose Hilliard at St. Martin's Press as part of a three-book deal! Now Opal is writing three books a year for St. Martin's Press. She has been a finalist for several awards, including the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the HOLT Medallion, the Laurel Wreath Award, and the Passionate Plume Award. She was also named "Fresh Face of Erotic Fiction" by H.B. Fenn (the largest Canadian distributor of books). Before publishing with St. Martin's Press, Opal wrote for New Concepts Publishing and Loose Id under the name Elizabeth Batten-Carew. She wrote everything from short stories to full-length novellas and in several difference subgenres of romance. Opal earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and spent 15 years as a software analyst before turning to her passions as a writer. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two sons. Her oldest is just beginning his adventures in university. To learn more about Opal, visit her website at www.OpalCarew.com, or contact her at OpalCarew@BestRomanceAuthors.com.

  
  

• Mônica Scheliga Carnesi Monica Scheliga Carnesi hails from sunny Brazil. She is crazy about (in no particular order) books, art supplies and animals. Monica works as a librarian in Philadelphia, which enables her to combine her love for illustration and children's literature. She draws, paints and doodles constantly and is happily building her own personal library of picture books from all over the world. Working in pen and ink, watercolor, and color pencil media, Monica uses loose lines and white space to aim for art with a simple, uncluttered look. Monica is currently working on her debut picture book which she has both written and illustrated called Baltic (Nancy Paulsen Books / 2012). Baltic is the true-story about the Polish dog stranded on ice floe in Baltic sea this January. His rescue made waves in the news internationally. Baltic is book one of a two-book deal with Nancy Paulsen Books. Learn more about Monica on her website and blog

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• Lee Chapman Lee Chapman is originally from Los Angeles, where he directed TV commercials for cars, soaps, toys, and various junk foods. In 1992 he moved to Mexico to fulfill his dream of becoming an artist. His work has been strongly influenced by the people, color, music and folklore of Mexico (and also the many dogs, cats, pigs, and burros in his neighborhood). Lee has illustrated several picture books, including Eight Animals on the Town, Eight Animals Play Ball, and Eight Animals Bake a Cake (all from Putnam). His images also have been licensed and reproduced as prints, calendars, greeting cards, and decorative items sold in stores such as Pier 1, JCPenny, and Kohl's. In addition, Lee's whimsical paintings have been shown in galleries throughout Mexico. Lee lives in Puerto Vallarta with his wife, Nancy, and their two dogs, Rudy Rojo and Pinta la Vaca. Visit him online at www.LeeChapmanGallery.com.

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• Kit Chase & Adam Chase Kit Chase and Adam Chase are a husband and wife team, who after love, marriage, and a couple of baby carriages, decided to merge their abilities and write and illustrate children's stories. Kit, a children's illustrator, began her drawing career early in life on the pages of her mother's books and walls. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Exercise Science, and after four years of drawing cadavers, bones, and brains, decided to take a more lighthearted turn in her illustration. Her work for children is sold internationally, and retailed in children's shops around the world. Adam, a writer, got his start telling long, winding stories to his menagerie of stuffed animals. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Media Arts, with an emphasis in Screen Writing. By day, he is a mild mannered construction worker, but when night falls, he is given to wild flights of fancy, which he captures in screenplays and stories. Kit, Adam, and Offspring make their home in Sunny, Southern California. They are currently working on their first picture book about friendship, foxes, and one lonely little girl. To read and see more visit lullaloo.blogspot.com or shop at www.etsy.com/shop/trafalgarssquare.

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• Elliot Cowan Elliot Cowan sold his house, gave his dog to his parents, and moved to London after 10 years of writing and directing television commercials in Tasmania. Now he works on animated movies, illustrations for other people and art pieces for himself. The short films based on his characters, Boxhead and Roundhead, have played to great acclaim at film festivals all over the world. He has abandoned London for the Big Apple and the love of a good woman. Pictures and animation can be found at www.elliotelliotelliot.com.

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• Cori Doerrfeld Cori Doerrfeld has been creating art since she could first hold a pencil. After graduating with a degree in studio art from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, she received her Post Baccalaureate from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. With a strong passion for animation and children's literature, Cori has always tried to create art that tells a story. She has illustrated Welcome to Your World, Baby! and It's the Best Day Ever, Dad!, both by Brooke Shields (HarperCollins, 2008 and 2009), as well as the upcoming Seashore Baby by Elise Broach (Little, Brown, 2010). Cori is also excited about two fabulous picture books that she has written herself, Penny Loves Pink (Little, Brown, 2011) and Little Bunny Foo Foo (Dial, 2011). Cori currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband, daughter and two mischievous kitties. Visit Cori online at www.CoriDoerrfeld.com.

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• Marissa Doyle Marissa Doyle graduated from Bryn Mawr College intending to be an archaeologist but somehow got distracted. But that's okay, because she's used her love of the past to write books steeped in history and romance—and a touch of magic—for young adult readers. Bewitching Season (Henry Holt, 2007) and Betraying Season (Holt 2009) take place in the first years of the reign of young Queen Victoria (herself a teen), and The Waterloo Plot (Holt 2010) goes back to the exciting years around the fall of Napoleon. When not writing historical, Marissa is usually involved in other creative activities like quilting and sewing, which are almost as much fun as writing but do tend to leave threads all over the carpet. She lives in Massachusetts with her family, too many research books, and a bossy 15 lb. lop-eared rabbit.

  
  

• Katherine Easer Katherine Easer has written her first young adult novel entitled Vicious (forthcoming from Bloomsbury), which tells the story of Sarah Weaver, a slightly jaded, depressed seventeen-year-old from a broken family who leaves California to attend an eastern women's college. At Wetherly, Sarah meets Maddy Snow and Agnes Pierce, a mysterious pair of legacy students who have been best friends since birth. When the girls accept her into their circle, loner Sarah finally has the family she's always wanted. But then she starts to notice things: Maddy's compulsive lying, Agnes's obsession with Maddy, the deterioration of the girls' friendship. And just when Sarah begins to question her own sanity, Maddy reveals a shocking secret—a secret which could lead to the murder of a best friend. Katherine is a graduate of Smith College. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

  
  

• Kirstie Edmunds Kirstie Edmunds was born in a small town in South Wales, UK. She's obsessed with books and spent many long hours scanning the pages of her favorites as a child. In early 2009, she turned to illustration professionally and with a strong background in both graphic design and art direction, creates images that are playful and contemporary, yet somehow nostalgic. She has a formidable collection of children's books in her studio, with many heroes including the late, great Charley Harper, M. Sasek, Mary Blair, Maurice Sendak and Eric Carle. Kirstie will make her illustration debut in 2012 with two zany picture books: So You Want to Be a Rock Star by Audrey Vernick (Walker Children's Books) and an untitled monstery-tale by Tiffany Strelitz (Holt). You can visit her at pencilpocket.blogspot.com.

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• Bonnie Edwards Bonnie Edwards has worked at a variety of jobs but loves storytelling best. Raised in Toronto, Canada, she now lives on an island within view of the Coastal Mountains and the City of Vancouver. In 2006, she helped launch the Kensington Aphrodisia erotic romance line. With 3 releases in 2007 and Thigh High in Feb, 2008, her career has taken off. 2009 will bring a Harlequin Blaze, and another anthology from Aphrodisia, with more exciting books in the line-up. A long time member of Romance Writers of America, she can be reached at www.BonnieEdwards.com.

  Read an excerpt from Bonnie Edwards Midnight Confessions II (Kensington 2007) Copyright © 2007 by Bonnie Edwards [ Get the book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble | close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Amy Ester Fischer Ester Amy Fischer began her journey in the placid suburbs of New York and on the manicured lawns of the Wesleyan University campus. A long time pro-sex feminist, she has always sought to understand the nexus between sexuality, art, and healing. She brought performance art to the former Eastern Bloc in the nineties and created a sound healing technique which she taught to a community of raw foodists in the Caribbean. After trying to peddle her massage therapy services on Craigslist and winding up offering other services as well, her first novel, American Courtesan, was born. She is now working on a second novel, a coming of age story which explores a dangerous and often abusive relationship between a professor and his student. Her recent article "My Experience as a Craigslist Hooker: A Requiem for Craigislist Erotic Services" was posted on The Huffington Post and was a front page hit. You can find additional musings on americanourtesan.blogspot.com, or follow Ester on twitter: twitter.com/americourtesan.

  
  

• Evelyn Mann Friedman Evelyn Friedman grew up in New York City and environs. After college at Vassar, she earned an MA in art history from Columbia and an MBA in marketing from NYU. She has worked for many years as a fundraiser and strategic planner for non-profit organizations. Evelyn has also worked in art galleries and taught college art history. She recently completed Traitor (out for submission), a historical romance full of passion, Napoleonic spies, and art history. This is Evelyn's first book and it is sure to be a success. Writing under the penname Evelyn Mann, she happily lives in Manhattan with her daughter and two cats.

  
  

• Cynthia Gall Cynthia Gall has dreamed of being an artist and writer since she was a small child. Fearful for her future, Cynthia's practical parents forbade her from taking art classes and enrolled her in French class instead. So when instructed to study something sensible in college, Cynthia majored in French Literature at UC Santa Barbara. She spent a year studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, and also worked in Germany, teaching English and translating advertising copy. Since her return to the States, Cynthia has focused on refining her photographic and sculpting skills at California State University Long Beach, where her work has been featured in several shows. She currently combines the sculpture and photography to illustrate her picture books. She lives in Long Beach, California, with her two small dogs, Hansel and Gretel, and a posse of garden gnomes who prefer to remain anonymous. Visit her online at www.cynthiagall.com.

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• Brian Gerrity Brian Gerrity grew up in Connecticut, where he spent most of his childhood doodling. He continued to doodle and went on to graduate with degrees in illustration from Philadelphia College of Art and from the M.F.A. Illustration Program at the School of Visual Arts. Brian illustrated Old MacDonald Had a Wedding by Ron Berman (Price Stern Sloan, 2007) and was the recipient of the 2007 Tomie de Paola Award, given by Tomie de Paola at the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrator's SCBWI winter conference. Today, he lives in New York, New York. You can visit him online at www.BrianGerrity.com.

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• Gretchen Géser Gretchen Géser has been drawing since before she can remember and has been an illustrator most of her adult life. She works in a variety of media but prefers to combine watercolor,inks, and Adobe Illustrator. A graduate of Smith College, Gretchen has taken illustration courses at Pratt and the School of Visual Arts, and she has an M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. Her debut picture book, One Big Smile, will be published by Henry Holt in Spring 2011. Gretchen lives in upstate New York with her husband and daughter, and is an Adjunct Professor at Sage College of Albany, where she teaches Digital Imaging and Digital Illustration. Visit Gretchen's website at www.GretchenGeser.com.

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• Chris Giarrusso Chris Giarrusso began his cartooning career as a kid by whiting out comic strip word balloons in the daily newspaper and filling in his own dialogue. Soon he was whiting out the pictures as well. Eventually he realized he'd save a lot of time by starting out with blank paper. Chris created the world-famous Mini Marvels comic strips for Marvel Comics, featuring kid versions of Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. In addition to his digest collections of Mini Marvels and another collection of his own creation called G-Man (Image Comics), he is illustrating the covers and full-color, eight-page comic inserts for Jake Bell's The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks series (Scholastic). Chris and Jake have also collaborated on a picture book, Stinky Stella (due out for submission). Chris currently lives and draws in Queens, New York. Check out more of his art and animation at www.ChrisGcomics.com.

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• Deirdre Gill Deirdre Gill is an illustrator with a passion for children's literature. She graduated from Syracuse University in 2002, where she received a BFA in Illustration. Deirdre has worked with children's publishers such as Cricket Magazine and McGraw Hill, and has written her own book, The Green Guide for Kids (out for submission). Inspired from her lifelong passion for the environment, this hands-on book is a field guide for young people to navigate their way through the sometimes daunting environmental movement. Deirdre is the creator of greenguideforkids.blogspot.com, an online resource for kids, teachers and parents with readers from over 75 countries around the world. She lives in Burlington, Vermont. Visit her online at www.DeirdreGill.com.

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• Bridget Hardy Bridget Hardy is a freelance writer and fitness instructor who prides herself on her ability to summon the endurance both professions require. She recently completed her first manuscript, How Babies Are Made (due out for submission), a bittersweet tale of a nervous accountant and father-to-be, Ray Brisco. Ray is forced to cope with his fear of fatherhood when his wife becomes pregnant after an enthusiastic 'christening' of their new, vintage red, three thousand dollar couch. Once he gets over his initial bafflement ("Sex: newborn baby. It was like finding shoes in the refrigerator."), Ray proceeds to unravel, with sarcasm, insight, and compassion, the source of all his fears.

  
  

• Lark Howard Lark Howard's love of reading, writing and travel led her to a degree in English, a string of colorful jobs and a well-worn passport. After college, she escaped to the Virgin Islands for a few years to dive, sail and scribble observations on island life. Back in the states, she used her love of words to market commercial architecture by day and write novel length fiction at night. Her current project is a paranormal romance set in Paris, in which an American tourist is drawn to a handsome French aristocrat with frightening psychic powers - and a family secret that could destroy the city he was born to protect. When not traveling to far-away places, Lark lives in Texas with her brilliant husband and a grumpy old Lab-Pit Bull.

  
  

• Aaron Hawkins Aaron Hawkins grew up in rural New Mexico before attending the California Institute of Technology and UC Santa Barbara. After stints at a start-up, CIENA, and Intel, he traded the corporate world for life as an electrical engineering professor at Brigham Young University. Aaron's first novels use his Southwest childhood as the setting. The Year Money Grew on Trees (Houghton Mifflin, 2010), sets a group of unsupervised cousins to work reviving an abandoned apple orchard. Big Rock Mitchell (out for submission), follows a teenager's pursuit of the perfect car and college after starting his first job at a trading post. Aaron's ultimate challenge is to write something that makes engineers seem cool.

  
  

• Noelle Henderson & Barbra M. Kolten Barbra Noel is the pseudonym for, Noelle Henderson and Barbra Kolten. Two writers who have joined forces to create intriguing, sexy stories after meeting as book-critique partners. Their debut novel, Secrets of Sin, will be published with Kensington's Aphrodisia line in January of 2010 in a two book deal. The duo's process of collaboration is ever-evolving and, if not always scientific, is always successful and fun. Noelle is a quintessential eccentric Southerner who lives with her family in North Carolina and seems to find a story in almost everything. Barbra is a peculiar polyglot perfectionist obsessed with details. She lives and works in Austria (that tiny spot on the globe in the heart of Europe). They can be reached at barbranoel.com.

  
  

• Leeza Hernandez Leeza Hernandez spent her spare time as a child scribbling on every possible surface. It soon led to career in art and design, where she learned to keep her art on paper and off her mum's living room walls. She grew up in the south of England, and leapt to this side of the pond ten years ago. Leeza graduated with a degree in art, design and communication, but it was working as an art director that threw her into illustration. Her love for line, color and texture is evident in her award-winning work, which has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, American Illustration, and national magazines. She was also the recipient of the SCBWI's Tomie dePaulo Award in 2009. Leeza has illustrated Sandy Donovan's Bored Bella Learns About Ficion and Nonfiction (Picture Window Books, 2010) and is currently working on artwork for Ann McCallum's Eat Your Math Homework (Charlesbridge, 2011) and her very own debut picture book, Dog Gone (Putnam, 2012). She currently dwells in rural New Jersey with her husband, daughter and fluffy cat, Maisy. Visit Leeza's website at www.LeezaWorks.com.

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• Aya Kakeda Aya Kakeda likes cats, seals, and receiving postcards. She has ever changing weekly obsessions — this week it's Clavariaceae and star nosed moles. She also elaborates lots of theories about different things. When not indulging her obsessions, Aya paints and draws, creating her own whimsical narratives. Born and raised in Tokyo, she now works and lives in Brooklyn. To learn more about Aya visit: www.ayakakeda.com.

  
  

• Aryn Kennedy Aryn Kennedy has been a Witch since 1991. Just like the Witch she writes about in Witch Sex Is Better, she writes funny, sexy fiction with a heavy dusting of love magic. Under her pseudonym Selene Silverwind, she has written two visionary Wiccan romances: Once Upon a Beltane Eve and Field of Jonquils (Spilled Candy, 2001 and 2005). She is also the author of two non-fiction books: Magic for Lovers (Crossing Press/Ten Speed, 2004), a collection of spells for couples looking to improve their relationships; and The Everything Paganism Book (Adams Media, 2004), an overview of many Pagan religions and practices. She has given numerous workshops and presentations on love magic at bookstores and Pagan conventions, including an appearance at the Salem Witch Village in Massachusetts. Aryn can sometimes be found on radio and television programs performing a love spell. Learn more about Aryn at ArynKennedy.com and www.SeleneSilverwind.com.

  Read an excerpt from Aryn Kennedy To Buzz or Not to Buzz Copyright © 2007 by Aryn Kennedy [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Rose Kent Rose Kent served as a Navy lieutenant and later as a manager for a Fortune 500 food company before returning to her favorite childhood pastime: writing books. An avid reader and runner, Rose is also an admitted foodie who enjoys thickening the plot with mouthwatering dishes (Book titles give that away.) Her first middle-grade novel, Kimchi & Calamari (HarperCollins, Spring 2007) was inspired by her adopted Korean children and features a wisecracking Korean adoptee. Kimchi & Calamari was selected for the Sunshine State Reader's Award, the READ ON Wisconsin program, and was a featured book selection of the Anti Defamation League. Her second novel, Rocky Road, is due out from Knopf in 2010, and introduces an artistic, indefatigable Tess, who, along with her erratic mom and deaf little brother, opens an ice cream shop in the dead of winter. Rose is thrilled to be with Prospect Agency and sends a "Write on, Rock On!" shout-out to all writers and illustrators. Visit Rose at www.RoseKent.com

  Read an excerpt from Rose Kent Kimchi & Calamari (Harper Collins 2007) Copyright © 2007 by Rose Kent [ Get the book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble | close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Machiyo Kodaira Machiyo Kodaira grew up in Tokyo, Japan. After studying the basics of design and fine art at Joshibi University and KIDI Parsons, she moved to New York City to study illustration at Parsons The New School for Design. Her illustrations have appeared in Don't Know Much About® Martin Luther King, Jr. by Kenneth C. Davis (HarperCollins, 2005) and Hachiko Waits by Lesléa Newman (Henry Holt, 2004). She is currently working on the final art for Bottom of the Ninth by Jaime Adoff (HarperCollins, 2011) and is writing her own picture book entitled Modern Jazz Heroes (due out for submission). Machiyo is also one of the founders and the design director of the New York-based fashion label Coskel University, where she incorporates her illustrations into clothing design. Visit her online at www.ArtAndSoulProject.com.

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• Jane Kohuth Jane Kohuth began her love affair with children's books before she could walk. At her preschool entrance interview, she introduced herself and her sister as Frances and Gloria — Russell Hoban's iconic badger characters (she got in). She's also a big fan of Scrabble, crossword puzzles, and GRE analogies, but has found that writing for kids is the most fun of all. Jane has a degree in English and Creative Writing from Brandeis University as well as a master's degree in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. She loves to write about sensitive kids and goofy animals, but will tackle most subjects as long as she can make the words sing. She has two books forthcoming from Random House Children's: Ducks Go Vroom (Random House, Spring 2011) and Estie the Mensch (Fall 2011). She frequently brainstorms with her husband, who, conveniently, has the sense of humor of a four-year-old.

  
  

• Sarah Laing Sarah Laing was born in Illinois and grew up in New Zealand, interrupted by a couple of years in Germany. She started writing seriously while working as a graphic designer in New York City. Her collection of short stories, Coming Up Roses, was published by Random House NZ in 2007, after she won a prestigious short story competition in New Zealand. She has also illustrated children's books and worked as a book designer.

  
  

• Luke Lamarca Luke LaMarca lives in a skull shaped cave built into a volcano on a remote, tropical island full of dinosaurs (somewhere in Maryland). He enjoys the company of animals, the number 11, and rubbing the back of his eyelids until he see those pretty sparkly thingies. When he's not drawing, he's either eating or sleeping... most likely eating. He's the illustrator of The Curious Demise of a Contrary Cat by Lynne Berry (Simon&Schuster 2005) and just recently finished work on The Day Ray Got Away written by Angela Johnson (Simon&Schuster 2010).

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• Shannon Landrum Shannon Landrum enjoys the sound of water lapping at the hull of a boat, the smell of theme park asphalt baking in the sun, and living vicariously through her rockstar teenagers. Her first novel, The Dust Prophet (out for submission), tells the story of Esta, the daughter of poor dirt farmers in a Depression-era Kansas town. After a devastating tornado, Esta is miraculously found unharmed and perched on the roof of a church. When she speaks of a heavenly experience and is found to be pregnant, the town must decide if she is God's handmaiden, a witch, or a clever con-artist. Shannon is also the author of two collections of children's poems, The Book of Brats and Dark Verses for the Truly Twisted. She lives in Florida with her husband, two children, and three Jack Russell terriers.

  Read an excerpt from Shannon Landrum The Dust Prophet Copyright © 2007 by Shannon Landrum [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Jen Latham Jen Latham was born in New York but grew up on Army bases. Since studying economics, anthropology, and psychology, she has been a school psychologist and a middle school teacher. Along the way, she has also worked in a food bank, a drug and alcohol detox unit, a neuropsychology practice, a museum in Spain, a prison, and a morgue. She met her husband at Swarthmore College, has two amazing daughters, takes care of too many pets at her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and wants nothing more from her professional life than to keep teaching yoga to people who didn’t know they could do it and to write books that people enjoy reading.

  
  

• Janet Lawler Janet Lawler was born and raised in Milford, Connecticut, where she and her older sister cared for chickens, dogs, rabbits, ducks, and a large garden. Her love of family and nature inspires much of her writing. Janet's critically acclaimed children's books include A Mother's Song (Sterling, 2010), Tyrannoclaus (HarperCollins, 2009), If Kisses Were Colors (Dial, 2003, board 2010), A Father's Song (Sterling, 2006, board 2008), and A Mama Bug's Love (Little Simon, 2006). Janet, her husband, and two children share their home in Connecticut with a dog, a lizard, and a lop-eared rabbit.

  
  

• M.T. Love M.T. Love (aka "Love") has worked construction, flown planes, and starred in an infomercial. She now toils away in an office cubicle, but she wants you to know she's only doing it to keep a roof over her head until she gets "discovered." When not working, she's out clubbing with friends or playing drums in the San Francisco alternative rock cover band "Red Light Go" (myspace.com/redlightgosf). Love's YA novel A DJ Called Tomorrow (Little Brown, 2011) is the story of Marley Johnnywas Diego-Dylan, a 16-year-old boy with a heartbreaking home life, volatile school life, and full-time job busing tables to cover rent. His passion for DJing is the only thing that keeps him going. When Marley is handpicked to battle in an elite DJ competition his whole world changes overnight. To win, he'll have to mix the bitter and the sweet of everything he's ever experienced into one incredible set.

  
  

• Susan Lyons Susan Lyons writes sexy contemporary romance that's intense, passionate, heartwarming, and fun. Her books have won the Booksellers Best Award, the Aspen Gold, the Golden Quill, and the More Than Magic, and been nominated for the RT Reviewers' Choice award. Reviewers say: "a heartwarming romance topped with steaming hot erotica"; "wickedly hot sex and a story line that grabs you and doesn't let go until the last word." She has sold sexy romance to Kensington Aphrodisia, Berkley Heat, and Harlequin Spice Briefs. Her sweet short romance is published by The Wild Rose Press, and she is a three-time contributor to the Dreams & Desires charity anthologies from Freya's Bower. With an eclectic background spanning psychology, law, and computers, she now finds that writing romance and women's fiction gives her a perfect outlet to demonstrate her belief in the power of love, friendship, and a sense of humor. She lives in Vancouver, BC, and enjoys photography, growing orchids, and being around those she loves. Learn more at www.SusanLyons.ca.

  Read an excerpt from Susan Lyons Touch Me (Kensington 2007) Copyright © 2007 by Susan Lyons [ Get the book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble | close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Evie Manieri Evie Manieri has been fascinated by all kinds of fantasy writing since her fifth grade teacher introduced her to Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. Later in life, impatient with the tendency of fantasy heroes to go for very long walks, she found herself wishing that their worlds were better supplied with horses. This set her on the path to satisfy her own desire for an immersive, fast-paced, emotionally nuanced brand of fantasy, and The Mongrel was born. The first book in a trilogy, The Mongrel takes place in a desert world rife with revolution, secrecy and deception—which reaches a breaking point when a notorious female mercenary forces a reckoning between worlds of fire and ice. Evie is fascinated by intricacy, and when not entangled in the threads of her plots, she can be found knitting airy lace shawls, re-reading Bleak House, singing soprano with New York's Renaissance Street Singers, and attempting to match the relentless imagination of her daughter, Prudence.

  
  

• Rachel Mankowitz Rachel Mankowitz lives on Long Island, near three beaches, though she never swims. Her novel Yeshiva Girl, is about Izzy, a fifteen year old girl who looks a lot like Rachel did, and acts a lot like Rachel may have acted, but turns out a lot better than Rachel. While the book is out looking for a publisher, Rachel hopes to write essays that will attempt to balance an extreme need for self disclosure and a strong desire to hide in the back of a cave. Rachel has a few degrees, and they're nice, but they don't make the writing any easier. She is most often found indulging in a little bit of nap time with her equally sleepy puppy dog, Cricket.

  
  

• Elizabeth Lardaro Martinez Elizabeth Lardaro Martinez is the author of The Queen of Crime TV, a novel that grew out of her time working in the fast-paced world of daytime television. A writer since she was six years old, Elizabeth's writings have since been published in Oxford Magazine and the literary journals Lynx Eye, Mudrock, and Artisan. A lawyer, teacher and actress, she is currently at work on a young adult novel and has just started her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of South Carolina. Elizabeth loves to spend her free time with her husband and two daughters. Contact her at ElizabethLardaroMartinez@yahoo.com.

  Read an excerpt from Elizabeth Martinez The Queen of Crime TV Copyright © 2007 by Elizabeth Lardaro Martinez [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Janice Maynard Janice Maynard came to writing early in life. When her short story, The Princess and the Robbers, won a red ribbon in her third-grade school arts fair, Janice was hooked. She holds a B.A. from Emory and Henry College and an M.A. from East Tennessee State University. In 2002, Janice left a fifteen-year career as an elementary teacher to pursue writing full-time. Her first love is creating sexy, character-driven, contemporary romance. She has written for Kensington, NAL, Berkley, and most recently, Harlequin/Silhouette. Her 17th and 18th books hit the stores in the fall of 2010. Cowboy CEO is a September release from Silhouette Desire, and Wicked Wonderland, a Christmas anthology from NAL, follows a month later. Visit Janice at www.JaniceMaynard.com and also on Facebook.

  Read an excerpt from Janice Maynard Improper Etiquette (NAL 2007) Copyright © 2007 by Janice Maynard [ Get the book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble | close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Shaun McGuire Shaun McGuire has been a student of fiction since the age of eleven when he wrote his first short story about adolescence, mountain lions, and sucking chest wounds. He credits his love for storytelling to his father's dinnertime habit of spinning everyday life into epic quests for adventure and his mother's love for all things oil painted. Shaun holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University and his short fiction has appeared in various literary journals including: The Indiana Review, Alligator Juniper, and Carve Magazine. His novels tend to explore the intricate mythology of popular culture while imposing a supernatural order on a relatively normal hero. Atomic Punk (out for submission) is a novel about punk rock, demons, and a young reporter who finds himself chasing after both—problem is, saving the soul of rock n'roll may lead straight to a showdown with the devil himself. Shaun currently lives in Brooklyn with his soul mate, Lora, his dog, Rocky, and his cat, Bailey. He believes, wholeheartedly, that someday puppies will save the world.

  
  

• Martín Monreal Martín Monreal was born in Argentina and studied literature at the University of Buenos Aires. In 1999 he moved to New York to study computer animation and photography at Pratt Institute. His illustrations, cartoons and articles have been published in Argentina and Mexico, and he also translates films and books, including those by best-seller authors Rhonda Byrne and Jodi Picoult. In addition Martín is a book-club moderator and reviewer for Tinta Fresca, a magazine focused on the Spanish book market in the US, for which he has also interviewed a variety of writers and media personalities. In January 2010, his interview with Guatemalan writer David Unger appeared in Hoy, the most widely read Spanish-language newspaper in the US. Martín has written and illustrated a picture book about the treacherous journey a rhino makes to see his tapir friend (due out for submission). He lives in Brooklyn, with his wife, Gabriela, and his daughter, Abril.

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• Jodi R. Moore Jodi R. Moore grew up in San Diego, where her parents often encouraged her to pursue her passions for her own enjoyment. Writing—from poetry to songs to stories—is something she has always enjoyed. Jodi's debut tween series, Summer Job (out for submission), is about going after your dreams and making them happen—whether your dream is to be a songwriter, fashion designer, caterer or chemist. She draws from her experiences in the entertainment industry with Universal Music Group, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's Dualstar Entertainment Group and a talent search television show hosted by Ed McMahon. A graduate of Stanford University, Jodi currently lives in Los Angeles, California, and works in consumer products for The Walt Disney Company.

  
  

• Alison Pion Alison Pion, writing as Alison West, finds inspiration for her work in the gritty underbelly of nineteenth-century life where explosive danger and raw passion collide. In her dark, sensual Regency romance, The Lady Thief (out for submission), desire, lies, and prejudice clash when a desperate thief and a notorious half-Persian Viscount battle distrust and treacherous secrets to uncover a murderer before he destroys them both. The Lady Thief won first place in Indiana Romance Writers of America 2008 Golden Opportunity Contest, the Rose City Romance Writers 2008 Golden Rose Contest, and the 2008 From the Heart Romance Writers Golden Gateway Contest, and placed second in the 2009 First Coast Romance Writers Unpublished Beacon Division Award for Excellence in Romance. In her current sensual historical, The Adder and the Rose, passion and intrigue flourish as a ruthless English assassin and a beautiful French spy once married must work to squash an international conspiracy before war erupts and they lose not only a second chance at love, but everything they hold dear, including their lives. A student of the historical period about which she writes, Alison received her B.A. in Literature and Society from Brown University. Later, she received a PhD in European History, with a specialization in Nineteenth-century Britain, from Northwestern University. She lives in Washington, DC.

  
  

• Linda Poitevin Linda Poitevin is slightly astonished to find that dreams of a writing career really can come true (and was even more astonished to find out that not everything she learned in high school English was a waste of time). Linda started out writing romance (A Fairy Tale For Gwynh was recently published by The Wild Rose Press) before turning her attention to the darker side of paranormal suspense with Sins of an Angel. Sins is the first book in The Grigori Legacy, a series replete with angels and demons, heavenly treason, and the eternal, seductive struggle between good and evil. Linda lives near Ottawa, Canada's capital, with her husband, three daughters, a dog, two cats, a rabbit, a lizard, and assorted pond goldfish that over-winter in her garage – and always feels the urge to finish that list with "...and a partridge in a pear tree!" To find out more about Linda, visit her Website at www.lindapoitevin.com.

  
  

• Alicia Potter Alicia Potter remembers her very first story: it starred a trio of pirate kittens and was illustrated with cut-outs from a Meow Mix ad. Her first published picture book, Fritz Danced the Fandango (Scholastic, 2009), about a nimble-footed goat, a yodeling sheep, and a glockenspiel-playing dog, won an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Next up is Mrs. Harkness and the Panda, a picture-book biography (due out from Knopf in 2011). When not creating tales inspired by her travels and hometown by the sea, Alicia works as a freelance journalist and children's book reviewer. A graduate of the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts, she lives in Boston with her partner Peter and a cat who'd make an excellent pirate.

  
  

• Bonnie Ramthun Bonnie Ramthun grew up in Colorado and earned a degree in computer science so she could find her way into strange and amazing jobs—and write about them. She's now a full time mom and writer and lives in Erie, Colorado with the love of her life, Bill. Bonnie finds raising four children to be more adventurous and exciting than her helicopter crash investigations in Alabama or the giant welding robots in Michigan, although she sometimes longs for the peaceful days of virtual war gaming. In Bonnie's first three published novels, Colorado Springs homicide detective Eileen Reed and her handsome partner Joe Tanner, a war gamer, solve murders and save the world in Ground Zero, Earthquake Games and The Thirteenth Skull. Her most recent novel, The White Gates (Random House Children's, November 2008), is a middle grade mystery introducing Torin Sinclair, a young snowboarder who must discover the modern secret behind an ancient curse. The White Gates was recently named a Junior Library Guild Premiere selection for 2008 and was praised in Kirkus Reviews. Bonnie's currently working on Phantom Canyon, a sequel in which Torin and his friends find themselves cornered between a haunted landmark and some very real, very bad guys. Fortunately, this time the kids have a dog with a mysterious past on their side. Bonnie is thrilled to be with Prospect Agency and invites you to visit her website at www.BonnieRamthun.com.

  
  

• Peter Reese Peter Reese has written essays for the Boston Globe Magazine, a series of pieces for NPR in Baltimore, a short story in the Looking Back anthology (Brighton Books), and poetry in the New York Quarterly. Most recently, his short story "In the Blind", was accepted for publication in the Kenyon Review (Summer 2010). Peter's first adult novel, Into the Wissahickon (out for submission), centers on an 11-year old boy who explores Philadelphia's vast Wissahickon Park in order to escape the chaos caused by his mother's mental illness. In addition to being a writer, Peter works as a physician on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

  Read an excerpt from Peter Reese Into the Wissahickon Copyright © 2008 by Peter Reese [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Jonathan Roth Jonathan Roth lives in Rockville, Maryland, by way of Detroit, the Congo, Brooklyn, the Virgin Islands, and rural Virginia. He earned his BFA at the Cooper Union School of Art in Manhattan, and later combined his love of pictures and words as a freelance cartoonist for various publications. Though he once ran back into a burning house to save a dog, it is probably only a coincidence that his latest middle-grade novel, Never Leave Home Without Your Tarantula (out for submission), is about a boy whose pet spider gets left behind in a wildfire evacuation. By day, Jonathan teaches public school elementary Art, where he sees over 500 kids a week. By comparison, he thinks running into a burning building was easy.

  Read an excerpt from Jonathan Roth Funny Things Happen to Dewey Farrder Chapter 7: Lucky Pencil Copyright © 2007 by Jonathan Roth [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• J. Rutland J. Rutland was born and raised in a family full of preachers and storytellers in the deep south—Alabama and North Carolina, to be precise. His full name is Jarrett Rutland, but he chose J. Rutland for his pen name so that the focus would be on his last name, in honor of all the tremendous Rutland role models in his upbringing. J. Rutland's favorite hobby as a child was writing and illustrating his own stories. After attending art school at Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore, he landed his first picture-book deal illustrating Alligator Wedding by Nancy Jewell (Henry Holt, 2010). He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

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• Sonia Sánchez Sonia Sánchez lives with her boyfriend and a sleepy-head cat in a blue house near the Mediterranean Sea. She paints with both traditional and digital brushes and likes a lot of texture in her work. She loves children's books and her favorite illustrators are Quentin Blake and Fiep Westendorp. Sonia studied illustration at Pau Gargallo's Arts and Design School of Badalona in Spain. Her illustrations have been published abroad in books, magazines, on graphic posters and textile designs for clothing. To see more of Sonia's work visit her website at www.soniasan.4t.com.

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• Brianna Caplan Sayres Brianna Caplan Sayres used to tell her second graders, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a writer." "But you are grown up, Mrs. Sayres," her students would protest. Well, Brianna's still not quite sure she's grown up, but she has grown into a writer. She writes poetry, picture books, chapter books and nonfiction, and her writing has been accepted by magazines including Highlights, Cobblestone, Appleseeds and Wee Ones. Her debut picture book Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? will be published by Random House in Fall 2011. While Brianna now lives in New Jersey, she will always root for her hometown Seattle Mariners. She still loves to teach, and in her free time (which there isn't much of with a fire-truck-loving preschooler and a learning-to-eat-solids baby!), she is a very beginning cellist. Brianna and her critique group chat about writing for children at The Paper Wait.

  
  

• Courtney Schafer Courtney Schafer grew up reading Diana Wynne Jones and Patricia McKillip and her love of fantasy has only expanded with age. A voracious reader, she took up writing when she found that fantasy books weren't published fast enough to satisfy her craving for new worlds full of magic and wonder. Her first novel, The Whitefire Crossing, is the story of a sardonic young smuggler and a runaway apprentice mage caught in a deadly game of intrigue between rival mages that will determine the fate of a city. When not writing, Courtney figure skates, climbs 14,000 foot peaks, squeezes through Utah slot canyons, and skis way too fast through trees. To support her adrenaline-fueled hobbies and writing habit, she received a degree in electrical engineering from Caltech and now works in the aerospace industry. She lives with her husband and son in the climber's paradise of Boulder, Colorado

  
  

• Laurie Schneider Laurie Schneider has been a graveyard shift doughnut girl, traffic flagger, editor, composition instructor, and green bean sorter. She is the author of Double Stop, an acerbic middle-grade novel (currently out for submission) about a boy who plays with sticks: hockey and violin. Some day she'd like to write about being a doughnut girl. A graduate of Oberlin College (English) and Washington State University (American Studies), she lives with her husband and two red-headed children in the Palouse, the rolling wheat country of northern Idaho.

  Read an excerpt from Laurie Schneider Double Stop Copyright © 2007 by Laurie Schneider [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Inara Kirsten Scott Inara Kirsten Scott is an attorney and mother of two who resides in the gloriously rain-soaked Pacific Northwest. Her debut novel, Delcroix Academy: The Candidates, combines all her favorite genres — young adult fiction, urban fantasy, and a healthy dose of romance. The Candidates will be released by Disney-Hyperion in Summer 2010. She also has a Regency romance short story in the Second Chance at Love anthology, which is forthcoming from Highland Press in 2009. Inara writes her adult romance under the pen name Kirsten Scott, and young adult fiction as Inara Scott. Inara firmly believes in happily ever after and dreams coming true. Now that she's found the man of her dreams and sold a book, she expects a pony to arrive on her doorstep any minute.

  Read an excerpt from Inara Kirsten Scott Delcroix Academy: The Candidates Copyright © 2009 by Inara Kirsten Scott [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Regina Scott Regina Scott is a life long writer. Her latest work is a young adult novel, La Petite Four, about the adventures of a duke's daughter and her three friends in 19th century London (Penguin Razorbill, 2008). She is also the author of seventeen works of romantic fiction. Reviewers and readers praise her subtly nuanced characters, adventurous plots, sharp wit, and graceful writing. For more information, see her web page at www.ReginaScott.com.

  Read an excerpt from Regina Scott La Petite Four Copyright © 2007 by Regina Scott [ Get the book at Amazon | close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Jody Jensen Shaffer Jody Jensen Shaffer has always loved to write. Her first book, The Easter Bunny, which she also illustrated, was a big hit with her fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Smith. Since then, Jody has put aside illustrating bunnies to focus full-time on writing. She has won or placed in several writing contests, including a haiku contest for which she won the grand-prize: a bike. Jody received a BA in English from William Jewell College and an MA in English from Truman University. Jody taught college composition and directed several corporate training departments before deciding to stay home with her kids, who provide her with lots of material for her books. Jody lives with her husband, two kids, and dog in Liberty, Missouri. You can visit her blog at jodyjensenshaffer.blogspot.com.

  
  

• Kevin Sherry Kevin Sherry grew up in Southern New Jersey before moving to Baltimore to study Art at the Maryland Institute, College of Art. During school, he was involved with the Community Arts Partnerships, which paired art students with groups of kids in after-school programs. After graduation, Kevin started the company Squidfire, an online custom t-shirt company. Traveling and selling shirts from Brooklyn to Las Vegas, Squidfire remains a success, even opening a brick and mortar store in 2007. During that time, Kevin also managed to put out the children's books, I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean, I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean and Acorns Everywhere! with Dial Books for Young Readers. Kevin can usually be found in his home studio with a cat named Sweetie and mountains of books. Visit www.squidfire.com to see some of Kevin's awesome tshirt designs.

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• Holly Shumas Holly Shumas is a novelist and a licensed marriage and family therapist. That means she's lucky enough to spend her life immersed in stories, those she creates and those she witnesses. Being a professional empathizer and observer brings a unique perspective to her fiction. She likes to explore complex motivations in emotionally resonant situations, as in Turning to Stone, her latest novel (due out for submission). It asks the question that transfixed so many after the John Edwards scandal broke: Can a man who truly loves his terminally ill wife be unfaithful to her? Holly's first two novels were published by Hachette. She lives with her husband in the San Francisco bay area, where she also practices therapy.

  
  

• Jessa Slade Jessa Slade is a cynic who drinks by the credo of her despair.com Pessimist's Coffee Mug, yet her rough-edged heroes and smart-mouthed heroines always manage to save the world and find true love by the end of the story. In Seduced By Shadows (NAL, 2009), the first in an urban fantasy romance series, immortal warrior lovers search for the missing pieces of their souls to find their way through the darkness—all the while facing demonic possession, Armageddon and the awkwardness of waking up next to someone who knows just how wicked you really are. Jessa lives in a 100-year-old farmhouse in Portland, Oregon with a musician who feeds her, a shelter dog who walks her, and two nocturnal geckos to keep her company through the wee writing hours. So maybe the glass is half full after all. Jessa is a frequent contributor to the paranormal romance blog Silk and Shadows. Her own blog can be found at demonrepent.com.

  
  

• Jon Skovron Jon Skovron plays nine instruments, but none of them well. He also only has nine fingers (but these two facts are unrelated). He hates sweets, loves comics, and has highly prized blood. His debut novel, Struts & Frets is published by Abrams Amulet. His second novel, Misfit, will be published in the Fall of 2011. In his spare time, he writes technical manuals and tries to forget about his sordid past as an actor. He lives with his two sons and two cats outside Washington, DC. Visit him at jonskovron.com.

  Read an excerpt from Jon Skovron Grope for Luna Copyright © 2007 by Jon Skovron [ close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Tiffany Strelitz Tiffany Strelitz Haber was born in NJ, raised in NYC, has traveled extensively and lives for adventures. She will taste any food she is served, be it fried Witchetty Grubs on a stick or Calf's Brain Ravioli, and loves being high in the air, or deep in the sea. Her obsession with rhyme began at the age of 3, when a nursery school admissions scout asked her "What is a flower that rhymes with nose?", and she proudly shouted: "Rose!". Twenty-five years later (give or take), now married with two sons and coming off of a twelve year career in finance, she has reconnected with her love of words and rhyme as a writer. Tiffany has two debut picture books forthcoming: Ollie and Claire (Philomel Books / Spring 2013) and an untitled monster story to be illustrated by Kirstie Edmunds (Holt / Fall 2012). Tiffany resides in central New Jersey and is available for children's workshops everywhere.

  
  

• Brenda Reeves Sturgis Brenda Reeves Sturgis is the author of 10 Turkeys in the Road, debuting in 2011, with Marshall Cavendish, illustrated by David Slonim. She lives on a lovely little lake in Maine where loons shrill and moose meander. She's a wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, and an avid reader, and writer. She served proudly in the United States Airforce, and was stationed in far away fairytale places like Aviano, Italy. She loves to dream up tales for children, in both rhyme, and prose. She tries to sing, but the moose and loons think she should definitely stick to writing. You can find Brenda at www.brendareevessturgis.com.

  
  

• Todd Tarpley Todd Tarpley grew up in Colorado before journeying to New York City in search of adventure. He has written How About a Kiss for Me? (Dutton, 2010), as well as several other humorous picture-book manuscripts, including How to Become a Knight, So My Grandma is a Ninja, and The Furry Four (all out for submission). Todd is a graduate of NYU, the University of Iowa, and Yale. His favorite subjects are still lunch and recess. He lives with his smart and beautiful wife, two huggable sons, a sweet black Cavalier Cocker, and an evil, furniture-destroying cat in New York, New York.

  
  

• Tim Tharp Tim Tharp lives in Oklahoma where he writes novels and teaches in the Humanities Department at Rose State College. In addition to earning a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an M.F.A. from Brown University, Tim Tharp has been a factory hand, construction laborer, psychiatric aid, long-distance hitchhiker, and record store clerk. His first novel, Falling Dark (Milkweed Press), was awarded the Milkweed National Fiction Prize. Knights of the Hill Country (Knopf Books for Young Readers) is his first novel for young adults and was named to the American Library Association's Best Books of 2007 list. Tim's new YA novel, The Spectacular Now, (Knopf Books, Nov. 2008) was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award. Visit Tim's website: www.TimTharp.com

  Read excerpts from Tim Tharp Knights of the Hill Country (Knopf Books for Young Readers 2006) The Spectacular Now (Knopf Books for Young Readers 2008) Copyright © 2007 by Tim Tharp [ Get the book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble | close this excerpt ]

  
  

• Tricia Tharp Tricia Tharp has a sketchbook filled with whimsical critters, each begging for the spotlight. Some get paint, others become a stamp or even printed on fabric depending on her mood. A former position as a children's wear artist uncovered her passion for creating art for kids. Now she is looking forward to sharing her art and stories with the world. In addition to illustration, Tricia enjoys all kinds of music, anything chocolate and the outdoors. She lives in Detroit with her husband and two labs but often escapes to the woods of Northern Michigan. Visit Tricia's website at www.TriciaTharp.com.

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• Joyce Wan Joyce Wan designed her first greeting card when she was in first grade for a city-wide greeting card design contest. The design won first place and was subsequently sold through a major department store chain. Twenty years later, after a brief stint as an architect, that design would inspire a line of greeting cards and eventually a design studio called Wanart whose products featuring Joyce's designs are now sold in thousands of boutiques and gift shops world wide. Joyce is inspired by Japanese pop culture, modern architecture, and things that make her happy. Her style is noted for its bold, clean lines, fresh color palette and playful imagery resulting in illustrations with wide market appeal. Joyce is the author and illustrator of Greetings from Kiwi and Pear (Blue Apple Books, 2009), her debut picture book based on characters from one of her best-selling greeting card lines. She is currently working on You Are My Cupcake (Cartwheel Books, 2011) and We Belong Together (Cartwheel Books, 2011). Joyce hails from Boston, Massachusetts but currently lives in New York City. Visit her online at www.wanart.com.

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• Joseph Williams Joseph Williams makes his living as a "Courseware Developer, Instructional". Thirty years ago he would've been called a "Technical Writer". And a hundred years ago he would've just been a plain old "Writer" —which is far more romantic, really. Joseph wrote his first novel, The Incendiary Agent (due out for submission), on the PATH and F trains during his daily commute from Hoboken to Queens. In this thinking man's espionage thriller—inspired by John MacDonald and Dennis Lehane—agent Nathan Frost disrupts the principal players in a counterfeiting ring, resulting in a trail of violence that leads him to a plan for apocalypse. Frost is a new take on the anti-hero character, and while readers may be unsettled by his unique philosophy and interrogation methods, they'll be forced to reconcile their own thoughts on what the world must do to keep itself safe—and at what cost. Joseph Williams lives in Long Island, New York, with his wife, Liz, and daughter, Laura.

  
  

• Kaitlin Willihnganz Kaitlin Willihnganz wrote her first novel at fourteen. It was not good, but it was good practice. She continued practicing as she attended Indiana University, where she created an individualized major in theatrical linguistics, and then Spalding University, where she received an M.F.A. in writing. Her supernatural young adult novel, Dream Walker (due out for submission), explores the lives of a secret society of people who risk their lives in the dream world in order to end nightmares. When their most promising young dream walker, Joshlyn Weaver, is given an apprentice from the outside, she has to teach him the ropes—while saving him from nightmares, her own grandfather, and monsters from her past—all without falling in love. Kaitlin is currently writing another young adult novel, set during the Black Death in England, and also owns the Louisville, Kentucky, branch of Women Writing for (a) Change, a feminist writing academy.

  
  

• Tracy Wolff Tracy Wolff collects books, English degrees and lipsticks and has been known to forget where—and sometimes who—she is when immersed in a great novel. At six she wrote her first short story—something with a rainbow and a prince—and at seven she forayed into the wonderful world of girls lit with her first Judy Blume novel. By ten she'd read everything in the young adult and classics sections of her local bookstore, so in desperation her mom started her on romance novels. And from the first page of the first book, Tracy knew she'd found her life-long love. Now an English professor at her local community college, she writes romances that run the gamut from everlastings to paranormals to eroticas. No Apologies (Harlequin Spice Brief, 2008) is her first erotic story, and The Turn for Home (Harlequin Everlasting Love, 2008), is her first erotic novel. Check out her blogs at sizzlingpens.blogspot.com and hqeverlastinglove.blogspot.com.

  
  

• Lindsay Woolman Lindsay Woolman has always had a burning desire to write books that matter. She is thrilled to have written the first young adult novel about trichotillomania, Split Ends. In the book, Alyssa Simone cannot stop pulling her hair out. She's horrified and embarrassed, but to make matters worse she moves to Las Vegas with her mom to be on a reality show and falls in love. As the bald spots grow bigger, Alyssa has to hide them from everyone she knows, not exactly easy considering she's surrounded by cameras and about to get her first kiss. Lindsay's work has been featured in Girls' Life magazine and Collegebound Teen. She is currently working on her second young adult novel. Besides being a writer, Lindsay is a night owl, jewelry maker, and a dancing machine. Her laugh is especially loud. She graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon and currently lives in Boise, Idaho. Visit: www.lindsaywoolman.com

  
  

• Emma Wunsch Emma Wunsch has an MFA from Brooklyn College. Her humorous tween novel, Like (out for submission) tells the story of Susannah Brewster, an eighth grader who returns from summer camp only to discover that her best friend is now in the popular crowd and her mother has started dating a woman. She also has a YA novel in the works about a girl whose brother is diagnosed with schizophrenia. In addition, Emma has written several short stories for adults that have been published in The Bellevue Review, Lit, Fugue, Passages North, The Brooklyn Review, The Vermont Review, The Boston Fiction Annual Review, and Natural Bridge. One story, "Lily of the Valley", was included in The Best of The Bellevue Review anthology and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Emma lives with her husband, the photographer Nick Gaffney, and daughter, Georgia, in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

  
  

• Kim Zarins Kim Zarins enjoys books with pictures—whether they're children's picture books or the illuminated medieval manuscripts that inspire her dissertation on fourteenth-century English literature. Her picture books include Playful Bunny (Scholastic/Cartwheel) and Helpful Puppy (forthcoming from Holiday House) and she has three other picture-book manuscripts that are currently out for submission. She also has a middle-grade novel in the works. Kim holds a Ph.D. in English from Cornell University and teaches medieval literature and children's literature at Sacramento State. She lives in nearby Davis, California, with her husband and son.

  
  

• David Zeltser David Zeltser was born in Moldova, grew up in Pittsburgh and San Diego, and got his bachelor's degree in physics at Harvard. He then moved to New York, where he wrote ads for a living and wallpapered his tiny apartment with publishers' rejection letters. This all changed when he finally fled to San Francisco and met his fabulous wife, Fiona, who looks askance at wallpaper of any kind. Since settling in Mill Valley, California, his humor writing has appeared in McSweeney's (from The Complete Guide to the Care and Training of the Writer in Your Life) and his screenplay, Sticks and Stones (co-written with friend Max Faugno), has been picked up for production. David has a lifelong love of picture books, and has written several manuscripts including Bartholomew's Book, Guide Horse, and Holy Molars! (all out for submission). To learn more about David, please visit www.linkedin.com/in/zeltser.

  
  

• Debra Ziss Debra Ziss has a keen eye for cute and finds inspiration in all things fuzzy, tasty and fun. The animal storybook, Dolphin's Big Leap (Scholastic, 2002; written by Kimberly Weinberger), has sold more than 350,000 copies and was her first book translated into Arabic. Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish (Scholastic, 2009; written by Lorie Ann Grover) was reviewed in Publishers Weekly and chosen as a top pick for 2009 by Parents magazine. Additionally, Debra has illustrated books for Random House, Pearson, Oxford University Press, Penguin, Houghton Mifflin and McGraw Hill, among others. When she isn't drawing, she can be found chatting up cats on windowsills and roaming the streets of Brooklyn with her petite muse and adviser on all things adorable, a rescued Chihuahua named Francie.

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