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Kate Albus writes historical fiction for young people. She loves getting to know new characters, both by writing and reading about them. Kate grew up in New York and now lives with her family in rural Maryland. Other than writing, she loves baking, reading, knitting, and other activities that are inherently quiet.

Dusti Bowling is the author of several chapter and middle grade books for children. Her books have won the Reading the West Award, the Sakura Medal, a Golden Kite Honor, the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, and have been nominated for over forty state awards. Dusti currently lives in Eagar, Arizona with her husband, three daughters, and a bunch of farm animals.

 Pablo Cartaya is an internationally acclaimed author, screenwriter, speaker, and educator. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, and on Oprah’s Booklist. Pablo has worked with Disney, Apple+, and Sesame Street on projects adapted from television series and movies. In 2021, he served as a judge for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature and has taught creative writing workshops and spoken at various universities and conferences throughout the world. He calls Miami home and Cuban-American his cultura.

J. Anderson Coats has seen the sun rise over three oceans and two seas. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, including a cat that may be the smartest person in the room. J. Anderson Coats has received three Junior Library Guild selections, two Washington State Book Awards, and earned starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, the Horn Book Review, and Shelf Awareness.

Lindsay Currie is an award-winning author of five middle grade novels, Including The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street, Scritch Scratch, What Lives in the Woods, The Girl in White, and It Found Us. She grew up on Nancy Drew and loves a good mystery. Bonus points if it’s spooky! When she’s not writing, Lindsay can generally be found looking for an adventure of her own. She loves researching the forgotten history in her city, Chicago, taking long walks with her family, and as pretty much everyone knows . . . Disney World!  

Janet Fox is an award-winning author with a deep passion for the magic of storytelling. Her writing journey began at age 8 with a poem published in the town newspaper, setting the stage for a career dedicated to writing captivating tales for young readers.

As a writer, Janet strives to create books that can help grow young hearts and minds. Her 12 award-winning books span the spectrum of picture books through young adult, in a broad variety of genres.

Alex London has published over 25 books for children, teens, and adults, including the middle grade series Battle Dragons, Dog Tags, and The Wild Ones, For young adults, he’s the author of the award winning cyberpunk duology Proxy, and the fantasy trilogy The Skybound Saga, anNBC Today Show pick. A former librarian, journalist, human rights researcher, and snorkel salesman, he now lives in Philadelphia with his husband, daughter, and one unruly hound dog.

Sharee grew up in St. Thomas where she was inspired by the bright colors and sunshine of the Caribbean. She is known for her fresh and cheerful characters. Sharee loves creating picture books, graphic novels, and illustrations that depict black joy.

Anne Rellihan is a former elementary school teacher and alumna of Teach for America. She writes contemporary middle grade novels about friendship, family, and growing up set in the Midwest from her home in Leawood, Kansas. She is the author of Not the Worst Friend in the World (Holiday House, February 2024). When she’s not writing, Anne can be found wrangling her four children, volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), or traveling to her favorite place, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

Chad Sell grew up in a small town in central Wisconsin, where he loved filling up his sketchbooks with colorful characters and imaginative stories. After studying art and film at Yale University, he embarked on a career as an illustrator and storyteller. He has worked on three different series of children’s books: The Cardboard Kingdom, Doodleville, and The Stupendous Switcheroo. Chad currently lives in Connecticut with his husband and his cat.

 Karen Strong is the critically acclaimed author of Just South of Home, which was chosen for several Best of Year lists including Kirkus Reviews Best Books; Eden’s Everdark, a Junior Library Guild and BCCB Blue Ribbon selection; and The Secret Dead Club, publishing August 20, 2024 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Karen is the editor of the young adult anthology Cool. Awkward. Black. and a Star Wars contributor featured in Stories of Jedi and Sith. Born and raised in rural Georgia, Karen is an avid lover of strong coffee, yellow flowers, and night skies.