Get to know Gretchen… Gretchen McNeil is an opera singer, writer and clown. Her YA horror POSSESS about a teen exorcist debuted with Balzer + Bray for Harper Collins in 2011. Her follow up TEN – YA horror/suspense about ten teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer …
Get to know Marilyn… Marilyn Nelson’s books include The Homeplace; The Fields of Praise; Carver; Fortune’s Bones; The Freedom Business; A Wreath for Emmett Till; Faster than Light, and How I Discovered Poetry. The 2012 recipient of the Robert Frost Medal, she was Poet Laureate of CT for five years. She …
Get to know Carrie… Carrie Pearson lives in Marquette, Michigan on the sandy shore of Lake Superior. She is a former early elementary teacher and nonprofit development officer. Currently, she is the co-Regional Advisor for SCBWI-Michigan. Along with her husband and their three daughters (and two labradoodles), she hikes, bikes, …
Get to know Sherri… Sherri Rinker is the author of two #1 bestselling picture books, Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train. Cumulatively, these two books have spent over three years on the NYT Bestseller List. Additionally, Sherri has numerous other projects in production, including Since There Was …
Getting to know Bobbie… Bobbie was born and raised on the Gulf Coast of Florida. As a child, she very much wished to be a mermaid when she grew up. By second grade, she had become much more practical and announced to her parents she planned to be a frog …
Get to know Nina… Nina Seven is an illustrator and surface designer from beautiful Seattle, WA. She lives in a 1909 Craftsman style home with her family and a couple of crazy cats, named Scout and Zoey. The house is filled with colorful painted walls and lots of colorful art. …
Get to know Joyce… Joyce Sidman received the 2013 NCTE Award for Excellence in Children’s Poetry, which is given every two years to a living American poet in recognition of his or her aggregate work. She is the author of many award-winning children’s poetry books, including the Newbery Honor-winning Dark Emperor and Other Poems …
Get to know Paul… Paul Schmid is an author and illustrator of children’s picture books, including Oliver and his Alligator, A Pet for Petunia, and Hugs From Pearl. In 2010 Paul was awarded a month-long fellowship with Maurice Sendak. He lives in Seattle with his wife, Linda, and their daughter Anna. For …
Get to know Deborah… Deborah Hocking recently resettled in her lovely hometown of Portland, Oregon, after several years of living in Indiana and France. She shares a cozy little apartment with her husband and their kombucha scoby. For more info, visit her website. Quirky Questions If you could own a …
Get to know Alexis… Alexis O’Neill is best known for her lively, award-winning “bully” book, The Recess Queen (Scholastic), a conversation-starter for kids across the country at the opening of each school year. She is an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and enjoys traveling around the country doing school visits and …