Alison Acheson lives in the East Side of Vancouver, in a little house with a wood stove (which is nice to write by on rainy days). She shares the house with her youngest son, who likes to sing. She has written books for all ages: the very young, the growing-quickly and the supposedly grown-up. She likes to listen to music, dance and play the saxophone for fun.#As a kid, she was homeschooled and was always reading books. Piles and piles of books. She tried to stack them high enough to build a house, but it was too hard to make a roof – and where she grew up it rains too much not to have a roof. Now her favorite things are hammocks and trains. Both are good for reading. And for dreaming.

Marsha Diane Arnold grew up on the Kansas prairies. It was there she developed a love of nature and home and a curiosity about almost everything. From childhood she has been an avid reader, but never thought about writing until she was grown with children of her own. Their antics, adventures and storytelling led her to write a syndicated, award-winning column, homegrown treasures. But it was picture books that held her heart. She felt that the best of them polished an idea to its brilliant essence in a memorable way. That’s what she wanted to do, too.#Now Marsha Diane Arnold’s picture books have sold over one million copies and have been described as “whimsical,” “inspiring” and “uplifting.” Called a “born storyteller” by the media, Her books have been selected for the Smithsonian Notable Books for Children list and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and have garnered awards such as the Ridgway Award for Best First Book and several state Children’s Choice awards. Recent books include Galápagos Girl / Galapagueña, a bilingual book about a young girl growing up on the Galápagos Islands, and Lost. Found., a Junior Library Guild selection illustrated by Caldecott medalist Matthew Cordell, which received three starred reviews. She is especially excited to make her Kids Can Press debut with Mine. Yours., illustrated by the talented Qin Leng.#Marsha was born and raised in Kansas, lived most of her life in Sonoma County, California, and now lives with her husband in Alva, Florida. She still loves nature and nothing makes her happier than standing in her backyard in the midst of purple martins swooping for insects, unless it’s sitting in her home surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Alyssa Schwartz has sold multiple television pilots to NBC, CW and ABC and has written films for several studios, including Paramount and MGM. She recently branched out into Young Adult fiction with the four-book series Georgetown Academy and the mystery-thriller The Lost Causes, both co-authored with her writing partner, Jessica Etting. She resides in Washington, D.C.

Alisha Sevigny holds a degree in professional writing and sociology from the University of Victoria, is a film school graduate, former literary agent and hot yoga lover. Now a Toronto-based writer, she grew up roaming barefoot through the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, which accounts for her strong connection to the earth as well as for the sorry state of her feet. She gets pedicures when she can.