Heather Smith spent much of her early life wrestling with words. Not only was she a reluctant reader, she struggled with speech as well. Unable to pronounce certain words, she became a walking thesaurus, anxiously swapping out words she wanted to say with words she could say. Today, Heather wrestles with words in a different way – she’s a writer. Instead of dodging words, she grabs them tight with both hands and finds them a home on the page.~Originally from Newfoundland, Heather now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her east coast roots inspire much of her writing. When Heather is not writing, she is probably eating toast and/or watching documentaries that most people would find boring.~Twitter: @heather_t_smith~Instagram: @heather.t.smith~Facebook: @HeatherWritesBooks

Emme Cross is a veteran journalist who has worked at the biggest media outlets in Canada, and has met everyone from politicians to rock stars. She has written and read the news on the biggest radio station in the country and researched and wrote for the biggest news station in Canada.~ ~After decades of getting up before the sun, she morphed into a career in the public service where she works in communications and media relations.#Emme is the proud author of nine romance novels and a screenplay that was made into a docudrama about the murder of Dorothy Stratten for the Reelz network in the United States. She is currently working on a science-fiction novel.#Emme is an avid reader, gardener, world traveller and foodie. She lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and their English Bull Terriers.~Twitter: @emmecross

Although books and reading have been a part of her life since early childhood, Anne Renaud didn’t actually start writing until the 1990s, when she came across a picture book by Margaret Merrifield entitled Come Sit by Me. The story was about a child in daycare whom none of the other children wanted to play with when it became known she was HIV positive.#Realizing the need for such books and, following her instinct, Anne reached out to the publisher and offered to translate the book into French. The experience and incentive also translated into Renaud’s first involvement with book publishing.#With a penchant for stories that have a Canadian and historical slant, Anne has gone on to write five non-fiction books for nine to twelve year olds on the topics of Pier 21, the Empress of Ireland, the Canadian Tulip Festival, Grosse Ile, and the Nova Scotia giantess, Anna Swan. Another outlet for her creativity is children’s picture books, which Anne first writes in English and then translates into French. This, she feels, increases her chances of publication since she can approach both English and French publishers with her work.#Along with her latest French picture book entitled La boîte à sourires, Anne’s other picture books include Mousseline vole au vent, How the Sea Came to Marissa, Missuk’s Snow Geese, Amande Lavande and Les Pierres d’Emma, which has been translated into Korean.#Anne’s readers often ask her why she writes books. She tells them it is because she likes to do creative things and finds writing to be a very creative exercise. It’s also because she can’t dance well and can’t sing well, so she tries her best at writing well. She hopes her books educate, entertain and inspire children.#Anne lives in Westmount, Quebec.

Yolanda Ridge has always had a lot to say. As a young girl, she talked her way through every family meal, only to be left alone at the table after everyone else was finished eating. When she wasn’t telling stories, she was reading – both are still two of her favorite things to do.~ ~Before writing for young people, Yolanda wrote everything from poetry filled with teenaged angst to scientific articles full of words no one can pronounce. In 2006, she became the mother of twin boys who inspired her return to creative writing. With a master’s degree in science and ten-years of experience working as a genetic counsellor, she’s adept at making complex concepts understandable – a skill she uses when crafting middle-grade novels, teaching and author visits.~ ~Originally from Ontario, Yolanda grew up in Alberta and eventually settled in British Columbia because she couldn’t go any further west. She currently lives in the Monashee Mountains where she likes to ski, cycle and hike with her family. The only girl in the house, she still has a lot to say – even if her dog and cat are the only ones listening.~Twitter: @YolandaRidge~Facebook: www.facebook.com/Author.Yolanda.Ridge

Jennifer Mook-Sang was born in Guyana near the shores of the Berbice River, where pirates may have sailed long ago. Treasure for her was a stack of storybooks and an even taller pile of comic books. She moved to Canada when she was fourteen, earned two degrees in psychology and enjoyed working with children for many years. Jennifer rediscovered the wondrous world of children’s books as an adult. Reading picture books to her two sons, Matt and Ben, inspired her to begin her journey to becoming a writer.#Speechless was Jennifer’s first publication. A middle-grade novel, it has many more pages than a picture book, but is full of the surprises and laughs that she loves. Speechless has been short-listed for many awards, and recommended by the Ontario Library Association, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, the CBC and the TD Summer Reading Club.#Captain Monty was one of the first stories Jennifer ever wrote; but it languished like buried treasure in a box until she found just the right ending. She shipped it off to a writing contest and “blow me down” the story was a finalist. It sailed on to become Captain Monty Takes the Plunge. #Jennifer loves to visit schools and libraries to talk about the three aRRRs – Reading, wRiting and (her favorite) Revision. She lives in Burlington, Ontario. You can find out more about her at jennifermooksang.com.