Charlene Chua can’t remember what her first illustration was, but suspects it was a drawing of her mum, a pony, a cat or possibly all of the above. Since then, she has gone on to illustrate many things, including magazines, packaging, advertisements and, of course, children’s books. She is also the author-illustrator of Hug?.#Her illustration work has won several awards, and books she has illustrated have been nominated for the Shining Willow Award, Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards and Kirkus Best Middle-Grade books.#Charlene was born and grew up in Singapore, where the days are always hot and humid. She moved to Canada in January 2007, and her first thought about her new home was, “Wow, that is a lot of snow.” She has since gotten used to living with seasons and long winters, which may be helped by her penchant for hiding in her studio for most of the time.#Charlene enjoys making art in a variety of ways. She uses computer programs like Photoshop, but she also enjoys working with pencil, watercolor and ink. When she is not making art, she enjoys cooking, reading and playing with her cats. She lives with her husband in Hamilton, Ontario.~Instagram: @charlenedraws~Twitter: @charlenedraws~Facebook: @charlenedraws

A. K. Riley is a seasoned bookseller, storyteller and an author of poetry and short prose. Snow Song is her first book for children. She lives in Burlington, Ontario.

Dave Cameron began his writing life as a journalist, and his profiles and essays have appeared in several publications, including Reader’s Digest, the Walrus and Cottage Life.#Dave does some of his writing at a family cottage on the shores of Lake Huron. The century-old building is falling down in a charming way, and its many nooks and shadowy crannies are home to many, many critters. Spiders and mice are quite comfortable there. Squirrels stash food in the roof. There’s a hole in the wall by the front door that makes a perfect nest for the very small and very loud house wren. The cottage, is, really, their place. Fortunately, none of these creatures seem to mind when humans drop by.#Dave spends most of the year in Hamilton, Ontario, with his partner and their son.

Cathy Ballou Mealey enjoys all kinds of fun vacation activities, including swimming, reading and sharing sweet treats. When she is not writing or reading, she volunteers for schools and programs that support individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. Cathy likes dill pickle pops and chocolate ice cream, but not at the same time! She lives with her husband, son and daughter north of Boston, Massachusetts, where she delights in watching silly squirrel antics and is waiting patiently for a sloth to appear. #Instagram @catballoumealey X/Twitter @catballoumealey Bluesky @catballoumealey

Carrie S. Allen grew up in the Colorado mountains, at 10,000 feet elevation. She worked as a certified athletic trainer, first in a high school, and then in collegiate sports medicine. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband, kids and dogs. When she’s not acting as an unpaid chauffeur, she writes about athletes. Not female athletes, but athletes who happen to be female.