Melissa Hart is the author of Avenging the Owl; Wild Within: How Rescuing Owls Inspired a Family; and Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood. She's a contributing editor at The Writer Magazine, and her essays have appeared in The Normal School, Fourth Genre, Orion, The Washington Post, The LA Times, etc.

Brian Tashima is the author of the Joel Suzuki series, a YA sci-fi/fantasy series featuring a teenage protagonist on the autism spectrum. He is also a board member of Autism Empowerment, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people in the autism community.

Carmen T. Bernier-Grand is the author of eleven books for children and young adults. Three of her biographies have won Pura Belpre honors. Among other recognitions for her contributions to children's literature is the Walt Morey Young Readers Literary Legacy Award.

Donna Gephart's award-winning, middle grade novels exhibit humor and heart. They include: In Your Shoes, Lily and Dunkin, Death by Toilet Paper, and How to Survive Middle School. Donna is a popular speaker and creative writing teacher at schools, conferences, libraries, and book festivals.