Nick Arrojo
Nick has been working in the hair industry for more than twenty-five years, and his pioneering approach to styling is recognized worldwide. His cutting-edge work has been featured in print and television on countless occasions. A top New York City hairdresser, he was featured on TLC’s hit show, What Not to Wear.
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Allison Britz
Allison Britz graduated with a BA in Spanish and a MA in Management from Wake Forest University in 2012. After wandering around the country following whims and careers, Allison has settled in north Texas with her husband, son, and dog. Obsessed, her first book, was awarded the 2018 ILA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award for Non-Fiction.
Carmindy
Since her Southern California childhood, Carmindy has dreamed of traveling the world doing makeup and meeting inspiring people. Having established herself as a top makeup artist, she has been featured on TLC’s hit show, What Not to Wear and has appeared on The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, Christian Broadcasting Network, as well as in The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Elle, O, Glamour, Self, Lucky, GQ, Essence, Details, Marie Claire, and InStyle. She lives in New York City.
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John Carr
John is a clinical social worker and psychotherapist in private practice in New York City. He has counseled men on fathering and parenthood for more than twenty years. In his practice, John works with individual dads, runs father support groups, and conducts dad-only workshops. He is affiliated with the SoHo Parenting Center and Everyday Parenting. John lives with his wife and three children in New York.
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Jill Castle
Jill is a registered dietician with many years of experience in pediatric nutrition. She is a consultant, speaker and writer. She blogs at Just the Right Byte. She writes and feeds her family in Connecticut.
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Kim Chance
Kim is a high school English teacher who enjoys working closely with her target audience. With a BA in Journalism and a MA in Education, she is determined to prove her students wrong when they complain that reading and writing are no fun. Though she currently lives in Texas with her husband and twin daughters, Kim is originally from Alabama—that’s where the Southern twang comes from! She considers herself a huge nerd and nothing makes her happier than fangirling over all her obsessions. She is a proud Gryffindor, Whovian, and GoT fan to name a few! She loves polka dots, red lipstick, and smiling—smiling is her favorite! When she’s not writing, Kim is busy spending time with her family, wrangling her two crazy dogs, binge watching shows on Netflix, and making death-by-cheese casseroles.
Megan Eccles
Megan Eccles writes dark, speculative fiction for young adults. She holds a BA in Music from the University of San Diego and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California Riverside—Palm Desert.
When she’s not writing or rehoming rattlesnakes, she pairs lipstick to her favorite books on instagram and plays Dungeons & Dragons with her four boys. She has been accused of owning too many books, but it simply isn’t true.
Jenny Feldon
Jenny completed her Bachelors degree in English Literature from Boston University and earned her MFA in creative writing from the New School University in New York City. Her work has appeared in nonfiction anthologies, as well as many online and print publications. She writes the popular blog, Karma (continued…), and was named one of BlogHer’s Voices of the Year in 2012. Jenny lives in Los Angeles where she balances writing, motherhood, and giant cups of coffee…mostly all at once.
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Jaime Formato
Jaime is a third-grade teacher from northern Florida. Her days are spent hanging out with kids and reading, and the nights are for musicals, hockey, and writing. She lives in a little house by the woods with her husband, their four beautiful children, two cats that don’t love her enough, two dogs that love her a little too much, and a whole lotta nature.
Kelly Fullan
Kelly is a librarian and middle grade fiction writer from Ohio. When she’s not working or writing, Kelly can usually be found at home watching movies (or random YouTube videos) with her husband and cat.
Joani Geltman
Joani has literally spent half of her life working to become the Parenting Expert she is today. She got her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Lesley University and her Masters of Social Work from Washington University. For thirty years she worked with troubled teens and their families both in schools and in private practice. In addition, she teaches undergraduate courses in the Psychology Department at Curry College. Joani is also a sought-after speaker, giving more than 40 seminars a year to schools, community groups, and churches.
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Elaine Rose Glickman
Parenting expert Elaine Rose Glickman is the author of Sacred Parenting, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. She has been featured on the syndicated television talk show Daytime and as a keynote speaker on parenting issues. The mother of three (fabulous) children, she writes a parenting advice column for a bimonthly magazine and blogs about parenting for the Jewish Journal. She has written and edited four other books, and her essays and poetry are widely published.
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Arden Greenspan-Goldberg
Arden is a family and marriage psychotherapist who maintains a private practice in New City, New York, and New York City. Her areas of specialization include parenting, performing arts, eating disorders, sport psychology, LGBTQQ youth, women, men, teen and young adult issues. She has her Masters in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work, City University of N.Y., and two Certificates in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis from the National Institute for the Psychotherapies in New York. She is a sought after speaker and guest talk and radio show expert, appearing on The View, John Walsh, Sally Jesse, Maury Povich, Gordon Elliot, Ricki Lake, The People’s Court, and MSNBC, among others.
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Lina Hanson
Born in Sweden, Lina is passionate about combining her expert beauty knowledge and skill with her concern for the environment. As a makeup artist to the stars, she has worked with Mandy Moore, Jewel, Zac Efron, and Adrian Grenier, among others. She has created red-carpet looks for the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Grammys, and Emmy Awards. Her skilled artistry has appeared in Vogue, W, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, Interview, and Elle. She lives in Los Angeles.
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Tom Holland
Tom is an exercise physiologist with a master’s degree in exercise science and sport psychology. He has been certified by the ACSM, NSCA-CSCS, NASM, ACE, and AFAA, and Women’s Health magazine named him one of the Top 10 Fitness Professionals in the country. He is the author of The Marathon Method and The 12-Week Triathlete, as well as the upcoming Swim, Bike, Run — Eat. He stars in numerous fitness videos, including Supreme 90 Day and The Abs Diet Workout.
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Katie Hurley
Katie Hurley, LCSW, is a child and adolescent psychotherapist, parenting expert, and writer. She is the founder of “Girls Can!” empowerment groups for girls between ages 5-11. Hurley is also the author of The Happy Kid Handbook, and her work can be found in The Washington Post, PBS Parents, and US News and World Report, among other places. She practices psychotherapy in the South Bay area of Los Angeles and earned her BA in psychology and women’s studies from Boston College and her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania. She splits her time between Los Angeles, California and coastal Connecticut with her husband and two children.
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Maryann Jacobson
Maryann Jacobsen is a registered dietitian, family nutrition expert and freelance writer. She is the founding editor of Raise Healthy Eaters, a popular blog about feeding children. You can find more of her work at WebMD’s Real Life Nutrition, the New York Times Motherlode, Huffington Post, and She Knows. As a family nutrition expert, she has been quoted in various publications including Parents, Scholastic Parent & Child and American Profile and has been featured on Good Morning America.
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Tish Jett
Tish is a longtime fashion journalist who has worked for the New York Daily News, The Detroit Free Press, Women’s Wear Daily, W, the Chicago Tribune, and the International Herald Tribune in Paris, where she eventually became the last editor of American Elle. The author of the blog A Femme d’Un Certain Age, Tish lives in France.
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Janet Sumner Johnson
Janet Sumner Johnson lives in Utah with her husband and three kids. She bakes a mean cinnamon twist and eats way more cookies than are good for her, which explains her running habit. Though her full-time occupation as evil tyrant/benevolent dictator (aka mom) takes most of her time, she sneaks in writing at night when her inner funny bone is fully unleashed. Her first middle grade novel, The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society, was released in April 2016 by Capstone Young Readers.
Clinton Kelly
Clinton is the co-host of The Chew on ABC Daytime and was the star of TLC’s What Not to Wear. He is also a spokesperson for Macy’s. He received a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and worked as an editor at several noted fashion publications, including Marie Claire, Mademoiselle, and DNR. Originally from Long Island, he now lives in New York City.
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Tara Kompare
Tara is a pharmacist and mother of two girls. Her children’s healthcare column, “Medicine Mom,” appears online and in select periodicals. She lives in Virginia with her family.
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Matthew Landis
Matthew Landis teaches 8th Grade American History outside Philadelphia, where he lives with his wife and children. While getting a Masters in History at Villanova, he decided to write history-laced YA fiction to further a life mission: convince middle schoolers that Social Studies is not the worst subject ever. Matthew hopes to achieve whatever level of literary success allows a writer to summer in Cape Town with his family and go on lots of safaris.
Elise MacAdam
Elise wrote for the Indie Etiquette column and the Indie Mother blog. Her writing and interviews can also be seen in Real Simple, the New York Daily News, BusinessWeek, Martha Steward Weddings, and more. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons.
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Audrey Mackaman
Audrey Mackaman is a copyeditor and graphic designer with a BA in English literature and creative writing from Beloit College. She has helped numerous aspiring and veteran authors publish their works, either through literary agents or self-publishing avenues.
Ben Mattlin
Ben is a contributing editor at Institutional Investor and Financial Adviser magazines, and an NPR commentator. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Self, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, WashingtonPost.com, and many other financial and general-interest publications and Web sites. Mattlin has appeared on ABC’s Prime Time Live, CNN, and E! Entertainment Network; been interviewed on NPR’s “Morning Edition”; KKFI and KPFK, Los Angeles; KSLC, Salt Lake City; and CKNW, Vancouver; and been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Penthouse, and USA Today. Born in New York City in 1962, Mattlin graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1984. He lives with his wife, two daughters, a cat, and a turtle in Los Angeles.
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Wendy McLeod-MacKnight
Wendy McLeod MacKnight grew up in a magical small town with a library card as her prized possession. Over the course of her professional life, she’s been responsible for early childhood and child welfare programming, and ended her public service career as head of the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Education. Then one day she woke up and decided it was time to pursue her life-long dream of writing books for children. It’s a Mystery, Pig-Face! is her debut novel and any resemblance to the author is purely intentional. Wendy lives in New Brunswick, Canada with her family, her garden, and a ne’er-do-well groundhog.
Visit Wendy at WendyMcLeodMacknight.com, follow her on twitter @wendymacknight and visit her on Facebook at WendyMcLeodMacKnightWrites!
Monsterville
Thirteen-year-old Lissa Black is miserable when her parents force her to move from New York City (the perfect home for an aspiring writer/director/actress) to Freeburg, Pennsylvania, nowhere capital of the world. There’s nothing to do there, except play her little sister Haylie’s favorite new game, Monsterville, and hang out with her new neighbor Adam.
But when a walk in the woods lands her face-to-face with a swamp monster hungry for brains and then a Sasquatch that moos, even Lissa can’t call her new home totally boring. With Adam’s help, she catches the culprit behind the drama: a shape-shifting goblin who’s fled from the monster world of Down Below. And what do you do with a creature that can be literally anything? Make monster movies, of course! Lissa is convinced that Blue will be the secret to her big break.
But when Haylie goes missing on Halloween, Lissa, Adam, and the monster must venture Down Below to stage a rescue—and face the real Monsterville, which is anything but a game.
Eileen Moskowitz-Palma
Eileen Moskowitz-Palma, a former elementary school teacher, has a dual B.A. in English and Elementary Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is also an alumna of Sarah Lawrence College’s The Writing Institute, where she teaches Novel Writing for Beginners and Intermediate Novel Writing. Eileen lives a vegan-ish lifestyle, unless you count an occasional bacon cheeseburger, and she is a half-marathoner who hopes to be brave enough to one day run the full. She lives in Westchester, NY with her Wire Fox Terrier Oscar, who is one snaggle-tooth away from being a doggy model, her college sweetheart Douglas, and their teen daughter Molly.
Spring Paul
Spring Paul is a nerd through and through, from her BS in Zoology and minor in Chemistry to her fascination with Sci-Fi/Fantasy. She believes in learning new things, and as a result is an amateur scuba diver, ballroom dancer, and seamstress. She is a PTA mom, and she runs most mornings because of her tendency to eat too many cookies. She loves her husband and her children fiercely, and she stubbornly refuses to narrow down her list of favorite books, even for the sake of this biography.
Andrea Pelleschi
Andrea has been editing and writing children’s books for over 15 years—everything from coloring and novelty books to picture books and textbooks. As a freelancer, Andrea has written numerous books in the educational market, and she is the author of The Carousel Ghost, a middle grade mystery. She has an MFA in creative writing and lives in Ohio with a gray cat named Ella.
Visit Andrea at www.andreapelleschi.com or follow here on Twitter at @AndreaPelleschi.
Amy Potts
Amy grew up in the suburbs of Chicago in a tiny house overflowing with animals and kids. When she needed some time to herself, she’d often escape to her room and dream up stories. Now that she’s an adult—numerically, at least—she writes her stories down, usually in the wee hours of the morning before heading off to her job as a middle school language arts teacher. Amy writes middle grade and young adult fiction.
Erin Price
After earning an MSW from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Erin Brubaker Price began her career in the nonprofit world. She wrote direct mail fundraising letters and grant applications before deciding that fiction would be way more fun. Nowadays, her writing contains far fewer charts, graphs, and statistics, and lots more robots, road trips, and archrivals. Erin is currently working on a middle grade story featuring a protagonist with life-threatening food allergies. She has been researching this book her entire life by periodically going into anaphylactic shock and living to tell the tale. Erin lives with her family in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she is a reluctant hiker, an adequate kayaker, and an expert marshmallow roaster.
Alex Richards
Alex Richards is a young adult writer with a BA in photography from Bard College. She loves making no-budget horror flicks, cooking, crafting, and exploring. In addition to her YA novel, Back Talk, Alex writes for Momtastic, and works with ASAP, a South African organization supporting rural communities of women caring for vulnerable children. Alex lives in Brooklyn with her husband and 2 children.
Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
Caitlen is the author of two books, Lady Vernon and Her Daughter, which she co-wrote with her mother, and Ordinary Magic. In her day job, she is an agent at The LKG Agency. She lives in New York City.
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Stefanie Sacks
Stefanie is a Culinary Nutritionist who works hands-on with individuals and groups in transition to a healthier way of eating. She has her Masters of Science in nutrition from Columbia University, is a Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Dietitian Nutritionist and is a graduate of The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. In 1999 she launched her private practice working one on one to help prevent illness and restore health through personalized nutrition therapy and culinary guidance. She recently joined forces with the United Nation’s Environmental Programme as an advisor on their global food waste campaign, Think. Eat. Save. Her weekly blog Stirring the Pot has expanded to radio on WPPB 88.3 FM, Hamptons NPR. Stefanie has contributed to three books including The Thriving Child by Erica Reid, Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr and Power Up by Dr. Woodson Merrell and Kathy Merrell. She is a sought after guest expert on local and national programs including PBS’s upcoming Food Forward, Dylan’s Lunchbox airing weekly on NYC Media TV, News 12 Long Island, Lunch NYC—Food for the Future, Discovery Health’s National Body Challenge and ABC News. She contributes to such print and online media ventures as Harper’s Bazaar, O Magazine and Teen Vogue, as well as The Huffington Post and Healthy Eats by The Food Network. Stefanie lives on the East End of Long Island with her husband, two very active young boys, and Blossom, the family dog.
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Ron Scott
Ron was a staff writer and editor for People, Time, Life, Sports Illustrated, and Money. His work has appeared in USA Today, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Boston Globe, Salt Lake Tribune, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Michelle Segar
Michelle is a University of Michigan behavioral sustainability and motivation scientist, the Associate Director of the Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center for Women and Girls, and a Health Policy Fellow at the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation. Widely quoted in the media, and consulted as an expert by major publications like The New York Times and government agencies like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, she is Chair of the National Physical Activity Plan’s Communication Committee. She has a PhD in Psychology (focused on goals and motivational processes) and Master’s Degrees in Health Behavior/Health Education (MPH) and in Kinesiology (MS) from the University of Michigan.
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Lauren Slayton
Lauren received her undergraduate degree from Tulane University, where she graduated cum laude with honors in Sociology. She completed her Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition at New York University. Lauren then worked at St Luke’s-Roosevelt obesity research unit and developed a nutrition program for the Equinox fitness clubs. In the fall of 2001 Lauren opened Foodtrainers, where she counsels clients on everything from weight loss to proper sports nutrition. She has written for and been quoted in articles for many websites, magazines and television programs, including: Allure, In Style, Cooking Light, Harper’s Bazaar, Self, Whole Living, WebMD, The New York Post, John Stewart’s Daily Show, ABC’s Eyewitness News, The Early Show, Fox News, Good Morning America and The Today Show. Lauren is an avid runner and skier and she lives in New York City with her husband, sons, and beloved Vitamix.
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Sarah Anne Sumpolec
Sarah is a second-grade teacher that has taught virtually, hybrid, and both at the same time so she no longer knows which direction is up. A life-long East Coast girl, she is moving to Southern California where she still feels very unsure what to do if there is an earthquake. But if you pause at the right moment during the reaping scene of The Hunger Games, you can spot her on screen – so she’s totally ready for Hollywood. She’s been married to Jeff, a licensed counselor, for 26 years. They have three daughters, six pets, and their dream is to compete on The Amazing Race. Not that they are in any kind of shape to do that.
Mike Thayer
Mike is the author of the award-winning middle grade series THE EPIC ADVENTURES OF THE TECHNO WIZARD. He is also a proud father, lucky husband, degreed engineer, viral blogger, budding podcaster, decent impressionist, dynamic narrator, lifelong gamer, inept hunter, erstwhile jock, and nerd.
He has cast a ring on the slopes of Mt. Doom, eaten a feast at the Green Dragon Inn, cemented Excalibur in a sandstone block, tasted butter beer at Diagon Alley, and built a secret door to his storage room.
Stefanie Wass
Stefanie writes middle grade fiction from her home in historic Hudson, Ohio. She is a Pitch Wars 2017 alum, a three-time Pitch Wars mentor, and a 2018 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award winner. Stefanie’s personal essays have appeared in the LA Times, Christian Science Monitor, Seattle Times, Cleveland Magazine, Akron Beacon Journal, This I Believe, Cup of Comfort, and 16 Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies.
Rick Wheeler
Rick Wheeler writes middle grade fiction. He lives in Northern California where he recently retired from a 27-year career in law enforcement. Tired of writing reports for judges and lawyers, he turned to writing fiction, which he enjoys writing much more than “just the facts.”
Rick has been married to his wife, Angela, for 27 years. Together they have three adult children and his redheaded wonderkid granddaughter. He hopes someday his grandchildren will write a school book report on one of his books. He is absolutely willing to help them cheat.
Mike Winchell
Mike Winchell is a teacher, author, editor, and all-around good guy. Known as “Winch” to his students, Mike teaches creative writing, film study, journalism, and Enriched English, and enjoys every minute with his students. Mike is the creator & editor of BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, a thematic anthology series that shows young readers how accomplished authors use their lives to inspire fiction. He’s also the author of the forthcoming middle-grade narrative nonfiction Gilded Age series. Now he is working on his first middle-grade fiction, THE RECKONING CREW. Mike lives with his wife and two kids in upstate New York.
Paul Yeager
Paul Yeager is a meteorologist, working at one time for Accuweather.com, as well as a freelance writer. As a child, he was annoyed when reading, writing, and arithmetic were referred to as the “Three Rs” and he hasn’t changed a bit over the years.
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