Dahlia Adler
DAHLIA ADLER is an Editor of mathematics by day, the overlord of LGBTQReads by night, and a Young Adult author at every spare moment in between. Her novels include the Kids’ Indie Next picks Cool for the Summer, Home Field Advantage, and Going Bicoastal (Wednesday Books, 2023), and she is the editor of the anthologies His Hideous Heart (a Junior Library Guild selection), That Way Madness Lies, At Midnight (Flatiron Books, 2022), and, with Jennifer Iacopelli, Out of Our League (Feiwel & Friends, 2024). Dahlia lives in New York with her family and an obscene number of books, and can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @MissDahlELama.
Jennifer L. Armentrout
#1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband, her Border Jack Apollo, Border Collie Artemis, six judgmental alpacas, two rude goats, and five fluffy sheep. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can. Jennifer has been nominated and won numerous awards for her young adult and adult fiction.
Jennifer loves hearing from readers. Follow her on IG @jennifer_l_armentrout, her Facebook and Goodreads, or visit her website at jenniferlarmentrout.com.
Marni Bates
MARNI BATES wrote her first full-length manuscript in high school, and was hired at age 19 to write her memoir, Marni, for HCI’s Louder Than Words series (selected by the New York Public Library for their Stuff for the Teen Age List). Her debut novel, Awkward, was optioned by The Disney Channel as a made-for-TV movie. She has five published novels in her Smith High School series, which have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, and French. Her latest novel, DIAL EM FOR MURDER is forthcoming from Merit Press in summer 2016.
Tracy Bilen
TRACY BILEN is the author of What She Left Behind, published by Simon Pulse. She is a high school French and Spanish teacher in Michigan where she lives with her husband and two children. Before moving to Michigan, Tracy taught at a high school ski academy in Vermont (Spanish, not skiing!). She studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and taught English in Strasbourg, France. She loves hiking, skiing, and red velvet cake. You can find her on the web at www.tracybilen.com
Dusti Bowling
DUSTI BOWLING grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, as her family will tell you, she always had her nose in a book. But it wasn’t until after starting down a couple of different career paths that Dusti realized her true passion was writing. She currently lives in Carefree, Arizona with her husband, three daughters, one bobcat, a pack of coyotes, a couple of chuckwallas, several rattlesnakes, and a few herds of javelina.
Dusti’s middle grade novels include INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS (Sterling Children’s, 2017) and its sequel MOMENTUS EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS (Sterling Children’s, 2019), 24 HOURS IN NOWHERE (Sterling Children’s, 2018), and THE CANYON’S EDGE (Little, Brown Children’s, 2020). Follow her on Twitter @Dusti_Bowling.
Heather Murphy Capps
HEATHER MURPHY CAPPS grew up in a small Minnesota town where the motto is: “Cows, Colleges, and Contentment.” She spent 20 years as a television news reporter before deciding to focus on her favorite kind of writing: books for kids involving history, social justice, science, magic, and a touch of mystery. She’s a mixed-race author committed to diversity in publishing and an administrator/contributor to the blog From the Mixed-Up Files … of Middle-Grade Authors. Her debut middle grade novel INDIGO AND IDA will release from Carolrhoda Lab / Lerner in 2023. She now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, two kids, two cats, and yes, even a few cows, colleges, and contentment too. Follow her on Twitter: @HMCwrites.
Hayley Chewins
HAYLEY CHEWINS grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, in a house so full of books that she learned to read by accident. The second eldest of four daughters, she sang incessantly as a child. So incessantly, in fact, that she was sent to lessons twice a week in the interests of household peace. Hayley studied classical voice for a year before switching to a degree in English Literature and Italian. Since then, she’s collected an odd array of qualifications—including an LLB from the same law school that Nelson Mandela attended. She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a house full of art and music and color, with her husband, a small poodle, and a husky that moonlights as an escape artist. She believes in two things above all else: the magic of love, and the heroism of sisters. Hayley’s debut novel, The Turnaway Girls (Candlewick, 2018), was a Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of 2018 and was featured on the Amelia Bloomer List of Best Feminist Books for Young Readers. Her second book, The Sisters of Straygarden Place (Candlewick, 2020), won the Foreword Indie Gold Award for Juvenile Fiction and was an Amazon Best Book of the Month.
Frank L. Cole
FRANK L. COLE was born into a family of southern storytellers and wrote his first book at age eight. Highly superstitious and gullible to a fault, Frank will believe in any creepy story you tell him, especially ones involving ghosts and Big Foot.
Frank is the author of the middle-grade novels THE AFTERLIFE ACADEMY (Delacorte/Random House 2015) and THE WORLD’S GREATEST ADVENTURE MACHINE (Delacorte/Random House, forthcoming in 2016), as well as seven other children’s books including the ADVENTURE’S OF HASHBROWN WINTERS series and the GUARDIAN series. An active promoter of reading, he has spoken to over 45,000 children across the country on the theme of “Exercising Your Imagination.” You can read more about Frank at: http://franklewiscole.blogspot.com
Ashlee Cowles
ASHLEE COWLES is the award-winning author of BENEATH WANDERING STARS (Simon Pulse), which won the Colorado Book Award, and THE POPPY & THE ROSE (forthcoming from Owl Hollow Press in 2020).
A history buff who wishes time travel was real, Ashlee finds writing books the next best thing. Raised in a military family without roots, she spent her teen years in Europe and enjoys traveling the world almost as much as she loves telling stories. Learn more at http://ashleecowles.com.
Lindsay Currie
LINDSAY CURRIE loves a great mystery, and is the author of a number of award-winning books for young readers. Her titles include THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET (2017, Aladdin/ S&S), SCRITCH SCRATCH (2020, Sourcebooks), WHAT LIVES IN THE WOODS (2021, Sourcebooks) and the forthcoming CURSES OF EASTPORT (2022, Sourcebooks) and COME OUT, COME OUT (2023, Sourcebooks). Her books have been through several print runs, earned a feature in TIME for Kids, reached the finals in children’s book awards in eight states. Connect with Lindsay at https://www.lindsaycurrie.com/; Twitter: @lindsayncurrie.
Julia Day
JULIA DAY was born in Tennessee, raised in Mississippi, and now calls North Carolina her home. She has two twenty-something daughters, one old husband, and too many computers to count. When she’s not writing stories or software, she’s traveling to distant places or watching dance reality shows on TV.
The Possibility of Somewhere (St. Martin’s Press, 2016) was Julia’s first YA contemporary romance, followed by Fade to Us (St. Martin’s Press, 2018). She also writes YA paranormal as Elizabeth Langston.
Margaret Dilloway
MARGARET DILLOWAY is the internationally published author of critically acclaimed middle grade and women’s fiction novels. Her middle grade contemporary novels, including Summer of a Thousand Pies, Five Things About Ava Andrews, and the forthcoming Where the Sky Lives (2022) are published by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins. She is also the author of the American Library Association Asian/Pacific Islander Honor Award-winning Momotaro middle grade fantasy series (Little, Brown/Hachette), about a contemporary half-Japanese boy who discovers that he’s a legendary warrior.
Margaret sits on the board of San Diego Writers, Ink, where she sometimes teaches. She lives in San Diego with her husband, three kids, and a fluffy Goldendoodle named Gatsby, who co-stars in the Momotaro series.
Jen Ferguson
JEN FERGUSON (she/her/hers) is Métis (on her father’s side) and Canadian settler (on her mother’s side), an activist, a feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD. She believes writing and teaching are political acts. She lives on Gabrielino Tongva territory and teaches fiction writing at Loyola Marymount University. She also teaches at the University of British Columbia through their Optional Residency MFA program. Jen’s debut young adult novel, The Summer of Bitter & Sweet, will release from Heartdrum/HarperCollins in Summer 2022, with a second YA novel to follow. You can reach her on twitter at @jennyleeSD or at www.jenfergusonwrites.com.
Claire Forrest
CLAIRE FORREST is a novelist and essayist. Her work has appeared on HuffPost Personal and Bustle, among other places. She is a graduate of Hamline University’s Masters in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. Her critical thesis focused on the importance of allowing disabled authors to tell their own authentic stories. Claire debut novel, Where You See Yourself, will release from Scholastic in 2023, with a second novel to follow.
When she’s not writing, Claire is looking for her next book to read and enjoys swimming, attending concerts, spending time with her family and friends, and befriending every dog she meets. She currently lives in Minneapolis, MN. You can find out more about her at claireforrest.com.
Lisa Gerlits
LISA GERLITS is a writer, muralist, and children’s art teacher. She graduated with honors from Lewis and Clark College with a degree in English, where she published short stories, wrote and produced plays, and won an Academy of American Poets Prize. She spent ten years traveling and volunteering before settling down in Silverton, Oregon with her family. Her debut middle-grade novel A MANY FEATHERED THING will release from Capstone in 2020. Her website is www.lisagerlits.com; Twitter is @lisagerlits.com.
Alison Gervais
Watty Award winning author ALISON GERVAIS is a current undergraduate student at Colorado State University-Pueblo, and has been writing for as long as she can remember. If she’s not writing or studying for classes, she can be found re-reading Harry Potter, watching Supernatural, or trying to win the affection of her cats.
Her debut YA contemporary novel, IN 27 DAYS, which garnered over 15 million reads on WattPad, released from HarperCollins/Blink in the summer of 2017. THE SILENCE BETWEEN US followed in 2019.
Juliana Goodman
JULIANA GOODMAN was born and raised in Blue Island, Illinois. She received her B.A. in English Literature from Western Illinois University and her MFA in Fiction Writing from Purdue University. Juliana has received several awards and scholarships for her writing and was a 2014 Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Arts Award Finalist. She’s had work published in Sigma Tau Delta’s Rectangle, Blackberry: a Magazine and Fiyah Literary Magazine. Juliana is currently a second year Literary Arts Fellow with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. In her free time, she enjoys watching horror films, reading the latest young adult novels and hanging out with her pit bull, Artie Partie and her cat, Pickle. Her debut YA novel The Black Girls Left Standing will release from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan in Summer 2022, with a second novel to follow.
Michelle Dominguez Greene
A native Angelino, MICHELE DOMINGUEZ GREENE attended USC, studying theatre and creative writing. She began writing short stories, screenplays and magazine articles with features in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Animal Wellness among others. Eventually she got up the nerve to try her hand at her favorite form, the novel. Her debut young adult novel, Chasing The Jaguar (HarperCollins), has been nominated for an American Library Association award and is included on reading lists for teens around the country. Her next novel was Keep Sweet (Simon & Schuster 2010). She continues to have a very successful career as an actress, having appeared in the NBC series L.A. Law and numerous television and independent movies. She has been seen recently on The Unit, Cold Case, Brothers and Sisters among other top rated series. Michele resides in Los Angeles, CA. Visit www.michelegreene.com.
Candice Iloh
CANDICE ILOH is a first-generation Nigerian-American writer, performer and teaching artist residing in Brooklyn, NY whose writing has appeared in Fjords Review, The Grio, For Harriet, Blavity, No Dear Magazine, Glass Poetry Journal, Puerto Del Sol, and The Black Girl Magic Anthology by Haymarket Books. They are a recipient of fellowships from VONA, Home School via Lambda Literary fellowship, as well as a Rhode Island Writers Colony Writer-in-Residence alum. They hold an MFA in Writing for Young People, concentrating in verse, from Lesley University and is a 2018 Hi-ARTS Critical Breaks artist residency recipient where they debuted their first one-woman show, Ada: On Stage. When not writing or teaching, they dance. Candice’s debut YA novel-in-verse, Every Body Looking (Dutton Young Readers/Penguin Random House, 2020) was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and a Printz Honor book. Their forthcoming young adult novels include Break This House (Dutton, 2022) and Salt the Water (Dutton, 2023).
A.R. Ivanovich
A. R. IVANOVICH is the bestselling author of YA steampunk series, The War of Princes.
A. R. enjoys being swallowed by forests, sleeping on lakes, and watching the sky. Her passion for writing about other worlds is accompanied by a love of artwork, video games, horseback riding, medieval weaponry, and the culinary perfection behind a well balanced plate of nachos. She was raised in Hawaii, where she once again resides, with her husband and their extensive family of rescue pets.
For more information, maps and other goodies, visit her online at arivanovich.com.
Tiffany King
USA Today Bestselling author TIFFANY KING is a lifelong reading fanatic who is now living her dream as a writer, weaving Young Adult and New Adult romance tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iphone and ipad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, zombies and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.
Tiffany’s YA psychological thriller LOSING LEAH released from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan in Winter 2018. You can connect with Tiffany on her webpage at authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com.
Cayla Kluver
CAYLA KLUVER lives in Wisconsin, where only the hardy survive, with her family and her muse (Nina, her cat). Her debut young adult trilogy, Legacy, Allegiance, and Sacrifice, was published by Harlequin Teen and combines mystery, romance, and warring Kingdoms within the context of the Medieval period. Legacy garnered numerous positive industry reviews, and was also honored by the Reader Views Literary Awards, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, the National Best Books Awards, and the Young Voices Foundation. Her most recent novels are the Heirs of Chrior series, also published by Harlequin Teen.
In addition to writing, Cayla enjoys such activities as singing, theatre, horseback riding, and hanging out with friends and family. Visit http://www.caylakluver.com.
Mary Lindsey
Mary Lindsey is a multi award-winning, RITA® nominated author of romance for adults and teens. Her books Shattered Souls and Fragile Spirits have been selected for the 2017 Spirit of Texas Reading Program.
Mary lives on an island in the middle of a river. Seriously, she does. When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, two Cairn Terriers, and one husband. Inexplicably, her favorite animal is the giant anteater and at one point, she had over 200 “pet” Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. The roaches are a long story involving three science-crazed kids and a soft spot for rescue animals. The good news is, the “pet” roaches found a home… somewhere else.
She loves to connect with readers and can be found at www.marylindsey.com and on Twitter at @MaryL_MarissaC
Jennie Liu
JENNIE LIU is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Having been brought up with an ear to two cultures, she has been fascinated by the attitudes, social policies, and changes in China each time she visits. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband and two boys.
Jennie’s debut, GIRLS ON THE LINE, a young adult novel, released from Carolrhoda Lab/Lerner in 2018, and was followed by LIKE SPILLED WATER in 2020. You can follow her on Twitter @starnesliu.
Mary McCoy
MARY MCCOY is a librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library and the author of the young adult novels Indestructible Object (Simon & Schuster Children’s), Dead to Me (Disney-Hyperion), Camp So-and-So (Carolrhoda Lab), and the 2019 Printz Honor Book I, Claudia (Carolrhoda Lab). Mary grew up in western Pennsylvania and holds degrees from Rhodes College and the University of Wisconsin. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.
Anna Meriano
ANNA MERIANO is the author of the middle grade Love Sugar Magic series (Walden Pond/HarperCollins), which has received starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Shelf Awareness, as well as the YA contemporaries This Is How We Fly (Philomel/Penguin) and It Sounds Like This (Viking/Penguin, 2022). She grew up in Houston, Texas, graduated from Rice University with a degree in English, and earned her MFA in writing for children from the New School. Anna works as a tutor and part time teacher with Writers in the Schools, a Houston nonprofit that brings creative writing instruction into public schools. In her free time, she likes to knit, study American Sign Language, and play full-contact quidditch.
Jennifer Moffett
JENNIFER MOFFETT grew up in Arkansas, where she spent her childhood playing in creeks and climbing trees while dreaming up stories about faraway places. A college study abroad program sparked her lifelong passion for travel. After working in children’s television in New York City, she received an MA in Creative Writing from The University of Mississippi and wrote book reviews for regional publications. Her short stories and poems have appeared in various literary journals, including New Orleans Review and descant. She teaches creative writing at a community college on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where she enjoys kayaking, gardening, reading outdoors, and planning trips to new places (preferably with great local yarn shops and bookstores).
Her debut YA thriller, THOSE WHO PREY, will be published by Atheneum, Simon & Schuster in Fall 2020.
You can find Jennifer at: website | twitter | instagram
Axie Oh
New York Times bestselling author AXIE OH is a first-generation Korean American, born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California San Diego and holds an MFA in Writing for Young People from Lesley University. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea, and she currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her dog, Toro (named after Totoro). She is the author of the YA science fiction novels Rebel Seoul and Rogue Heart (Tu Books/Lee & Low), the YA contemporary XOXO (Harper Teen), and the YA fantasy The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2022).
Ingrid Palmer
Originally from Ohio, INGRID PALMER has always had a touch of the pioneer spirit. She once crewed a sailboat through the Georgian Bay, drove sled dogs in Quebec, and went river rafting in Germany. These days, she’s having the time of her life writing young adult novels in the small Colorado mountain town where she lives with her husband, two sons, a mellow dog, and a ninja cat.
When not writing books, Ingrid works as a freelance editor. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute. ALL OUT OF PRETTY, her debut novel, will release from Creston Books in 2018. Visit her online at www.ingridpalmer.com or follow her on Twitter @IngPalmer.
Jaime Questell
JAIME QUESTELL grew up in Houston, Texas, where she escaped the heat and humidity by diving into stacks of Baby Sitter’s Club and Sweet Valley High books. She has been a book seller (fair warning: book lovers who become book sellers will give half their paychecks right back to their employers), a professional knitter, a semi-professional baker, and now works as a graphic designer in addition to writing. Currently, she lives in the suburbs with her family, one derpy dog, and one imperious cat. If she had her way, she’d have an army of corgis, like the Queen of England. Her debut YA contemporary fantasy By a Charm and a Curse released from Entangled Teen in 2018.
Sandy Stark-McGinnis
SANDY STARK-MCGINNIS was born in California. Early childhood dreams: Play quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, or become a forest ranger. Instead, she became something more inspirational, a teacher. Currently, she teaches fifth grade, and is amazed and inspired by her students every day. She spends her time reading (of course), and traveling with her husband and two children. Sandy believes her thirteen years as a competitive swimmer trained her to have the discipline and perseverance to journey through a writing life. Her middle grade novels include Extraordinary Birds and The Space Between Lost and Found (Bloomsbury). Find about more about Sandy at https://sandystarkmcginnis.com
Kirya Traber
KIRYA TRABER is originally from Northern California, and now resides in Brooklyn, NY. She is a collaborating artist with Ping Chong + Company, and is New York Stage and Film’s 2020 Founders Award recipient. From 2015-2020 she was Lincoln Center’s lead Community Artist in Residence. She is the recipient of a NY Emmy Nomination (First Person PBS), Robert Redford’s Sundance Foundation award for Activism in the Arts, a California Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and an Astrea Lesbian Writers Fund award for Poetry. She has been a commissioned artist of notable New York arts institutions such as the New York Philharmonic, the Morgan Library & Museum, the Orchestra of St Luke’s, and La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, among others. Throughout her ambitious performance and writing career, Kirya has continuously utilized her art for social change as a cultural organizer. Her debut young adult novel will release from Dutton/Penguin Random House in 2023.
Edward Underhill
EDWARD UNDERHILL writes music for animated TV shows by day and words for teenagers by night. He grew up in Wisconsin and earned his bachelors in music composition from the Oberlin Conservatory (while also writing queer ghost stories for a campus magazine). A queer trans man, Edward is a recipient of the SCBWI-LA Mentorship Award and currently resides in California with his partner and a talkative black cat. His debut young adult romcom Always the Almost will release from Wednesday Books/Macmillan in spring 2023, with a second novel to follow.
Jenni L. Walsh
JENNI L. WALSH spent a decade enticing readers as an award-winning advertising copywriter before becoming an author. Her passion lies in transporting readers to another world, be it in historical or contemporary settings. She is a proud graduate of Villanova University, and lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband, daughter, son, and four-legged kids. She writes historical fiction for adults and children, along with nonfiction for children. Her first middle grade historical novel is forthcoming from Scholastic Press in 2021. You can find Jenni at jennilwalsh.com. and @jennilwalsh on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Kristi Wientge
KRISTI WIENTGE is originally from Ohio where she grew up writing stories about animals and, her favorite, a jet-setting mouse. After studying to become a teacher for children with special needs, she spent several years exploring the world from China to England, teaching her students everything from English to how to flip their eyelids inside out before finally calling Singapore home. Now, all her adventures revolve around her four children and within the contemporary MG books she writes. Her novels include Karma Khullar’s Mustache, Honeybees and Frenemies, and Best Friends, Bikinis, and Other Summer Catastrophes (Simon & Schuster Children’s, 2022).
Alexandra Leigh Young
ALEXANDRA LEIGH YOUNG was born with a Top 40 song stuck in her head. Her first two cassette tapes were Janet Jackson’s Control and Queen’s Greatest Hits. Her pop-music dreams came true in college when she got a gig in concert production and went on tour with Third Eye Blind, The New Kids on the Block, Nick Lachey, and many more. After graduating from UC Berkeley, she moved to New York City where she ran an audio post-production house called Explosion Robinson. While there, she produced music and sound design for TV shows and video games like Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and Dance Central. In 2015, she was awarded an artist residency in South Korea, where she fell in love with a new kind of music: K-pop. After a year of reporting on South Korea’s music industry, she returned to the US and produced her debut podcast episode for Radiolab, called “K-poparazzi.” Today, she continues to report and produce podcasts for The New York Times’ #1-ranked news podcast, The Daily. Her debut young adult novel Idol Gossip, set in the world of K-pop, will release from Walker US/Candlewick in fall 2021.
