Young Adult

OLIVIA ABTAHI grew up in the DC area, devouring books and hiding in empty classrooms during school to finish them. Her debut novel, PERFECTLY PARVIN, was published in 2021 by Penguin Random House Putnam Books For Young Readers, receiving the SCBWI Golden Kite Honor, and YALSA Odyssey Honor, and numerous starred reviews. Her sophomore novel, AZAR ON FIRE, was published in August 2022. Her middle grade debut, ROSTAM AND THE RED DWARF is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in 2025, along with her Picture Book debut from Kokila in the same year. She currently lives in Colorado with her husband and children. https://www.oliviaabtahi.com/

CLAIRE AHN is a Korean author from Seoul, Korea that moved to New York at age eighteen to attend NYU. She writes stories about transcultural experiences that reveal how every life is intertwined with so many others that precede or succeed their own. Claire firmly believes that no one is a self-made person, that we are all influenced by the vast cultures that surround us, all transformed by individual stories and beliefs and traditions within our homes, and that entering adulthood is the beginning steps of a lifelong journey of melding everything we're taught to everything we're learning. She feels YA is the sweet spot of discovering what it means to be fully human, fully imperfect yet fully embracing and hopes her first book, I GUESS I LIVE HERE NOW, and her future ones will help take readers on that journey, if even one step in that direction.

JILL ALEXANDER taught high school English and Spanish before becoming a writer full-time. She is the author of THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY, and most recently PARADISE, a YA novel, in which a fifteen-year-old drummer's world is turned upside down when an accordion-playing bad boy nails the audition to be frontman of her band and challenges all of her beliefs and her boundaries, while she also tries to keep her rockin' life a secret from her overbearing and disapproving mother.

CLAIRE M. ANDREWS received her B.A. in Social Sciences from University of Alaska Southeast. She was raised in both Alaska and Scotland, but currently lives in Vermont; when not writing, she can usually be found outside swimming, skiing or hiking across the state’s famous green mountains. Driven by her fascination with Greek history and mythology, she has sought to breathe new life to the forgotten and often underappreciated Greek myths. She is the author of the DAUGHTER OF SPARTA trilogy.

JOËLLE ANTHONY is a writer of young adult fiction and the author of RESTORING HARMONY and THE RIGHT AND THE REAL. Under the pseudonym, J.M. KELLY, she published the YA novel, SPEED OF LIFE, about twin sisters trying to find their own identity after one has a baby and the other is accepted to a college. She also teaches writing workshops for both young writers and adults.
joelleanthony.com

KIM ANTIEAU received her M.L.S. degree from the University of Arizona in 1987, and she has both B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from Eastern University. She is the author of three novels and more than 20 stories, including the recent COYOTE COWGIRL. She is the author of two critically-acclaimed young adult novels, MERCY, UNBOUND and BROKEN MOON. She is currently at work on another book for teens, RUBY'S IMAGINE, about a young girl's adventure in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

JAKE MAIA ARLOW is a podcast producer and the author of the queer middle-grade novel ALMOST FLYING, as well as the forthcoming YA novel WINTER BREAK. She lives with her girlfriend and cat in a plant-filled apartment, and can frequently be found wandering the streets of various cities with an iced coffee. https://www.jakewhosagirl.com 

KATIE ASHLEY is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author. She has penned eighteen titles from Contemporary Romance to New and Young Adult. She loves writing strong, sassy women who love taming the bad boys. While initially an Indie author, she also has a traditionally published series, Vicious Cycle, with Penguin. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her daughter, Olivia, and her two very spoiled dogs. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo. With a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in Adolescent English Education, she spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English until she left to write full time in December 2012.
www.katieashleybooks.blogspot.com

BRODI ASHTON received her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Utah and a M.A. in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She is the author of YA novel EVERNEATH, which follows Nikki as she is given six months to be with her family and boyfriend before she’s taken away to the immortal world of Everneath, and its sequels EVERBOUND, the novella NEVERFALL, and EVERTRUE. Her newest YA novels are DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY and MY LADY JANE, with MY PLAIN JANE and MY CALAMITY JANE to follow.
Brodiashton.blogspot.com

CHARLOTTE LILLIE BALOGH is the author of the forthcoming YA thriller KILL THE LAX BRO, in which an all-American lacrosse player is mysteriously kicked off his team, leading to deadly consequences as he seeks revenge with the help of the high school it girls, each with their own secret movites. When she’s not writing, CLB coaches women’s crew at RowLA and serves as a creative writing mentor with WriteGirl, working with young women and gender-expansive youth to help create the world’s next generation of real-life superheroes. https://www.charlottelillie.com/about

EMMA BERNAY, who also writes under the name EMMA CARLSON BERNE, has written a number of books, both fiction and nonfiction, for children and young adults. She has worked on projects with American Girl Publishing, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, Sterling Publishing, Capstone, Rosen, MTV Books, and Alloy Entertainment, among others. She is the author of the YA thrillers STILL WATERS and NEVER LET YOU GO. Her most recent book is ROSE SPOKE OUT: THE STORY OF ROSE SCHNEIDERMAN, a nonfiction picture book about a young Jewish immigrant from Poland who galvanized support for better working conditions in the early 1900s. emmacarlsonberne.com

JESSICA MARY BEST is a multi-award-winning freelance writer/editor, an amateur singer/songwriter and a well-intentioned ball of pure quivering anxiety. She is the author of the young adult novels STARS, HIDE YOUR FIRES and the forthcoming YOU PIERCE MY HERAT, a sapphic dystopian romance about two teen girls who defy an algorithm that dictates your soulmate. She is based out of Columbus, Ohio. https://jessicamarybest.com  

LIVIA BLACKBURNE is a New York Times bestselling author who wrote her first novel while researching the neuroscience of reading at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Her books include MIDNIGHT THIEF; ROSEMARKED; FEATHER AND FLAME; CLEMENTINE AND DANNY SAVE THE WORLD (AND EACH OTHER), as well as the picture book I DREAM OF POPO, which received three starred reviews and was on numerous Best of Year lists. She is Chinese American and lives in southern California with her husband and daughter. https://liviablackburne.com/

BRYAN BLISS is the author of THOUGHTS & PRAYERS, MEET ME HERE, NO PARKING AT THE END TIMES, WE’LL FLY AWAY, which was longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and THOUGHTS & PRAYERS. His newest novel, DISPATCHES FROM PARTS UNKNOWN, is a thought-provoking, one-of-a-kind novel about how to tread the line between moving on and holding on. Bryan holds master’s degrees in theology and fiction and—shockingly—found a professional job that allows him to use both of those degrees. His political philosophy degree, however, is still underutilized. His nonfiction has been published in Image Journal, along with various other newspapers, magazines, and blogs. He lives in Saint Paul with his wife and two children, both of whom wish he wrote books about dragons. Or wizards. http://bryanbliss.com/

KATE BOORMAN has a Master of Arts from the University of Alberta. She was born in Nepal and now lives in Edmonton, Alberta. She is the author of the young adult novels WINTERKILL and its sequels DARKTHAW and HEARTFIRE, as well as the psychological thrillers WHAT WE BURIED and INTO THE SUBLIME. Her newest book, THE HEATHENS AND THE DRAGON, is a middle grade medieval adventure starring two orphans, a troubadour with dancing feet, and an irascible pet chicken. kateaboorman.com  

TANYA BOTEJU is an English teacher and writer living on unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (Vancouver, Canada). She believes feminism, diversity, committed educators, sassy students, and hot mugs of tea will save the day. Tanya may have been a drag king in her well-spent youth and knows that the queer community is full of magic and wonder, a subject lovingly explored in her debut KINGS, QUEENS AND IN-BETWEENS and her second novel BRUISED. https://tanyaboteju.com/

Z BREWER is the author (writing under the name Heather Brewer) of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling series The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, about a half-boy, half-vampire, and its spin-off series, The Slayer Chronicles, as well as the YA fantasy, SOULBOUND. Z’s other novels include CEMETERY BOYS, THE BLOOD BETWEEN US, MADNESS, and INTO THE REAL. Z’s newest book is THE CHRONICLES OF VIKTOR VALENTINE, a middle grade novel set in the same world as the Vladimir Tod series, about a perfectly average boy who uncovers a supernatural secret about his family that could put his whole town in grave danger—if it doesn’t make him die of embarrassment first. Z is also a tireless anti-bullying advocate and lecturer. http://zbrewerbooks.com/bio/ 

STEVE BREZENOFF is the author of young adult novels THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF -1; BROOKLYN, BURNING; and GUY IN REAL LIFE, the modern love story of two teens, their obsession with role-playing games, and their desperate need for real interaction. Steve has also written many chapter books for young readers. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and their two children. stevebrezenoff.com

JESSICA BRODY worked for MGM Studios as manager of acquisitions and business development before becoming an internationally best-selling author of more than fifteen novels for teens, tweens, and adults including THE GEOGRAPHY OF LOST THINGS; THE CHAOS OF STANDING STILL; A WEEK OF MONDAYS; and BETTER YOU THAN ME.  She’s also the author of the Descendants: School of Secrets series, based on the hit Disney Channel original movie, Descendants. Her books have been translated and published in over 23 countries. She travels the country teaching Save the Cat! workshops to novelists and has penned the bestselling writing guides SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL and SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A YA NOVEL.

ERIK J. BROWN is a writer based in Philadelphia, PA. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Film and Media Arts with an emphasis in Writing for Media. When not writing, he enjoys traveling (pre-pandemic), collecting disco compilations on vinyl, remodeling his haunted house with his husband, and embarking on the relentless quest of appeasing his Shiba Inu, Charlie. In 2021 he was selected as a Lambda Literary Emerging Writers Fellow. His debut novel, ALL THAT’S LEFT IN THE WORLD, was a YALSA 2023 Best Fiction for Young Adult selection, was named to the 2023 Rainbow Book List, was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, and won the UK reader’s choice Books Are My Bag award. His second young adult novel, LOSE YOU TO FIND ME, is a romantic, heartfelt, and hilarious queer coming-of-age story about a server at a retirement community restaurant who finds himself required to the new hire, who happens to be an old crush of his. His newest book, THE ONLY LIGHT LEFT BURNING, is the much-anticipated sequel to ALL THAT’S LEFT IN THE WORLD. https://www.erikjbrown.com/about-erikjbrown

TODD DAVID BROWN is the author of ENTRIES FROM A HOT PINK NOTEBOOK, a superb first novel about a gay high school kid coming of age in a blue-collar town in Maine.

KYM BRUNNER is the author of the paranormal YA Bonnie-and-Clyde thriller WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE and FLIP THE BIRD.

HEATHER BUCHTA is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, where she majored in Communication and learning how to pay bills. Today, she enjoys obstacle course racing, rock climbing, and snowboarding in warm weather. She lives Manhattan-Beach-adjacent in the not as sexy Lawndale, where she dotes on her dog and writes stories from her indoor porch. She is the author of the young adult novels BEYOND THE BREAK and, most recently, CHASING AFTER KNIGHT, a funny and romantic novel about a girl trying to make amends with a former best friend, who is now an A-list movie star. https://www.heatherbuchta.com

DEB CALETTI is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over sixteen books for adults and young adults, including HONEY, BABY, SWEETHEART, a finalist for the National Book Award; A HEART IN A BODY IN THE WORLD, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; GIRL, UNFRAMED, which received seven starred reviews; THE EPIC STORY OF EVERY LIVING THING, which was named a best book of the year by Amazon, Kirkus, Booklist, BookPage, and the Bank Street College of Education, and received five starred reviews; and PLAN A, which was named a YALSA 2024 Best Book for Young Adults Top Ten Selection, was named a best book of the year by School Library Journal, Kirkus, Amazon, and Bank Street College of Education, and received for starred reviews. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She is also the author of the Tales of Triumph and Disaster series for middle grade readers. Her new young adult novel, TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY, is about a girl living a lie in order to find the truth about herself and her family. http://debcaletti.com   

PREETI CHHIBBER has spent her life being a fan of being a fan. Hailing from Florida, she spent a decade working in children's publishing in New York before leaving to pursue writing full time. She's written for SYFY, BookRiot, BookRiot Comics, The Nerds of Color, and The Mary Sue, among others. Her short story, "Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers" was published in the anthology A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS, and she also contributed to the anthology STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS: STORIES OF LIGHT AND DARK. She is the author of SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME: PETER AND NED’S ULTIMATE TRAVEL JOURNAL; STAR WARS: A JEDI, YOU WILL BE; the MARVEL: AVENGERS ASSEMBLY middle grade comic series; SPIDER-MAN’S BAD CONNECTION; and SPIDER-MAN’S SOCIAL DILEMMA. Her latest book and debut young adult novel is PAYAL MEHTA’S ROMANCE REVENGE PLOT, a laugh-out-loud romance that introduces perfectly imperfect Payal Mehta, whose plan to get her longtime crush to finally notice her is destined for success, but only if she ignores her budding feelings for her archnemesis… https://www.preetichhibber.com/  

TRACY CLARK was the recipient of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Work in Progress Grant and a two-time participant in the prestigious Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program. Her debut YA novel, SCINTILLATE, is a metaphysical romance and is followed by two sequels: DEVIATE and ILLUMINATE. Her latest YA novel is MIRAGE.
tracyclark.org

JAY COLES is a young adult and middle grade writer, a composer with ASCAP, and a professional musician residing in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a graduate of Vincennes University and Ball State University and holds degrees in English and Liberal Arts. He is the author of the acclaimed TYLER JOHNSON WAS HERE and THINGS WE COULDN’T SAY. His third novel is OUTER BANKS: DEAD BREAK, an action-packed YA novel based on the hit Netflix show, Outer Banks. His latest novel is YOUR FINAL MOMENTS, about 17-year-old Hakeem Hawkins, who is struggling to stick to his sobriety after the unexpected death of his best friend, when he meets a girl at his NA meeting who encourages him to investigate all the secrets that are spilling out about his not-as-straightforward-as-it-seems death. His short stories appear in the anthologies BLACK ENOUGH, edited by Ibi Zoboi, HUNGRY HEARTS, edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Richmond, and BLACK BOY JOY, edited by Kwame Mbalia. jaycoleswrites.com 

JENN COOKSEY is the author of the bestselling Grab Your Pole series, a 6-book, contemporary, mature young adult series chronicling the high school years of a teenage girl, her friends, and her sister., The first book in the series is SHARK BAIT.
jenncooksey.blogspot.com

LAURA CREEDLE lives in Austin, TX, and writes about her experiences as an ADHD writer at www.lauracreedle.com. THE LOVE LETTERS OF ABELARD AND LILY is her debut novel.

KIRSTIN CRONN-MILLS is the author of the young adult novels THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME AND THE HILLS DON’T MIND, a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award for Young People’s Literature; BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN, the winner of ALA’s Stonewall Award and IPPY’s silver medal for Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Trans Fiction; ORIGINAL FAKE, a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award for Young Adult Literature and a Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year selection; and her most recent novel, WRECK. She is also the author of multiple nonfiction books for middle and high school libraries, including COLLAPSE! THE SCIENCE OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FAILURES; TRANSGENDER LIVES: COMPLEX STORIES, COMPLEX VOICES; LGBTQ+ ATHLETES CLAIM THE FIELD: STRIVING FOR EQUALITY, which was an ALA Rainbow List selection and a Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year selection; and GENDER INEQUALITY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: FROM TITLE IX TO WORLD TITLES. Her latest novel for young adult readers, RULES FOR CAMOUFLAGE, is about a neurodivergent teen who channels her inner octopus to find her way through the intensity of school, friendship, and first love. Kirstin lives in southern Minnesota with her family. https://kirstincronn-mills.com

C. DAVIS-ARAUX is a New York-born, Tennessee-raised Young Adult author, cat parent, and fishkeeping enthusiast. Currently residing in the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri, they specialize in horror and several shades of fantasy. In their spare time, they can be found playing video games, asking absurd questions on Twitter, and preaching the gospel of BTS. They co-founded marginsbox, a diversity-celebrating subscription book box, with Adrianne White in 2019. Their editorial debut, ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES, will be published with Inkyard Press in 2022. caradavisaraux.com

NYRAE DAWN is the author of the wildly successful New Adult series The Games, which began with CHARADE. She is also the author of numerous popular YA books including WHAT A BOY WANTS and, with Jolene Perry, DIZZY and OUT OF PLAY. Some of her more recent titles include SEARCHING FOR BEAUTIFUL and RUSH. nyraedawn.com

MASON DEAVER is an award-winning and bestselling author of books like I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST, which was named an NPR Concierge Pick and a Junior Library Guild selection; and their novel THE GHOSTS WE KEEP. They contributed an essay to THE (OTHER) F WORD: A CELEBRATION OF THE FAT & FIERCE, edited by Angie Manfredi. Their horror debut is ANOTHER NAME FOR THE DEVIL, released in 2021. Their 2022 YA romance debut is THE FEELING OF FALLING IN LOVE, and they are also writing several science fiction and fantasy short stories which will be included in anthologies. The YA romance OKAY, CUPID is their latest novel. Their adult romance debut will be THE BUILD-A-BOYFRIEND PROJECT. Born and raised in a small North Carolina town, on the rare occasion they aren't writing, they usually fill their time by watching horror movies, or worsening their bad posture by playing too many video games.

FALLON DeMORNAY is a YA Fantasy/Adult Contemporary author known for writing powerful girls smashing the patriarchy, often with swords, or stilettos. https://www.fallondemornay.com/

ANANYA DEVARAJAN is an undergraduate at the University of California, Irvine. Her debut novel, KISMAT CONNECTION, is slated for publication in Summer 2023 by Inkyard Press. Her love for storytelling began on Wattpad, where she grew her audience as a Featured Author, and she later went on to win first place in TeenPit 2019. Now, Ananya writes young adult romances featuring dynamic Indian teenagers, lighthearted drama, and swoon-worthy banter. In her free time, she can be found watching her favorite Bollywood movies or studying for yet another Organic Chemistry exam. Although she’s lived everywhere from the Deep South to New England, she considers the West Coast her forever home.

S.L. DUNCAN is an attorney by day, writer by night. He is the author of the YA trilogy THE REVELATION SAGA. He lives in Birmingham, AL.

ANNE ELIOT is the author of the How I Fall two-book series and the bestselling, young adult romances, ALMOST and UNMAKING HUNTER KENNEDY. She's devoted to stories about teens who live outside the ordinary but who also get to find sweet first kisses and first loves.
www.anneeliot.com

SARA WILSON ETIENNE lives in Seattle with her husband and two dogs. Sara’s debut novel is THE HARBINGER, which follows a teenage girl who has visions of the future and is sent against her will to the prison-like Holbrook Academy to be cured. Sara recently published her second novel, a fantasy for young adults, LOTUS AND THORN, about a young woman navigating through a plague-torn world.
sarawilsonetienne.com

DR. CRYSTAL MARIE FLEMING is Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at SUNY Stony Brook. She is an award-winning writer, speaker and educator committed to empowering individuals and communities with the conceptual tools needed to understand, confront and challenge white supremacy. Her first book RESURRECTING SLAVERY: RACIAL LEGACIES AND WHITE SUPREMACY IN FRANCE uses critical race theory to significantly advance scholarship on racism in France and Europe. Her second book, HOW TO BE LESS STUPID ABOUT RACE, is a unique and irreverent take on everything that's wrong with our “national conversation about race,” and what to do about it. Her new book for young readers, RISE UP!: HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST WHITE SUPREMACY, received four starred reviews and was named a School Library Journal Best Book of 2021, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2021, and a Booklist Editor’s Choice winner. http://www.crystalfleming.com/

K.R. GADDY lives and writes in Baltimore, MD. She is the author of FLOWERS IN THE GUTTER: THE TRUE STORY OF THE EDELWEISS PIRATES.

ERIC GANSWORTH Sˑha-weñ na-saeˀ, (Onondaga, Eel Clan) is a writer and visual artist, who was born and raised at the Tuscarora Nation. His books include the novels MENDING SKINS (Pen Oakland Award) and EXTRA INDIANS (American Book Award, NAISA Book of the Year); the young adult novels: GIVE ME SOME TRUTH and IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE and the collection of poems and painting A HALF-LIFE OF CARDIO-PULMONARY FUNCTION. His latest, a memoir in verse, APPLE: SKIN TO THE CORE is a Printz Honor book and longlisted for the National Book Award. He is a Professor of English and Lowery Writer-in-Residence at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. In 2016, he was an NEH Distinguished Visiting Professor at Colgate University. He was selected for inclusion in LIT CITY, a public arts project featuring banners of 15 writers celebrating Buffalo’s Literary Legacy. His work has been supported by the National Book Critics Circle, the Lannan Foundation, the Saltonstall Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Arne Nixon Center, the Virginia Piper Center, and The Seaside Institute among other institutions. His work has appeared in POETRY, The Kenyon Review, The Cream City Review, The Boston Review, Provincetown Arts, Shenandoah, Third Coast, Many Mountains Moving among other journals and has been widely anthologized. https://www.ericgansworth.com/

ABBI GLINES is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous YA and New Adult series, including THE VINCENT BOYS and THE VINCENT BROTHERS, the paranormal Existence series, and the contemporary romance series Sea Breeze (which starts with BREATHE) and Rosemary Beach (which begins with FALLEN TOO FAR). A brand new YA series, The Field Party is forthcoming from Simon Pulse.www.abbiglines.com

MONICA GOMEZ-HIRA is the daughter of Colombian immigrant parents, the wife of an Indian immigrant, the mother of a half Latina/half Indian daughter, and the quintessential Jersey girl who loves her salsa as much as her Springsteen. After getting her BA in English at Wellesley College, Monica spent most of her professional life surrounded by books, and the people who love them. She began her career working for literary agencies, moved to publicity and editorial at Simon & Schuster and Random House, and most recently was a Children's Lead at Barnes & Noble. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, MN. ONCE UPON A QUINCEAÑERA is her first novel.

HOLLY GREEN lives in Austin and is a graduate of the Writing for Children and Young Adults program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a member of SCBWI and The Writers’ League of Texas. Her debut YA novel, IN THE SAME BOAT, is a romance set on a 260 mile Texas canoe race that was named a best book of the year by the Bank Street College of Education. 

BETHANY GRIFFIN is the author of the young adult duology, THE MASQUE OF RED DEATH and DANCE OF THE RED DEATH, re-imaginings of the Poe story of the same name. She is also the author of the YA novel HANDCUFFS, and her most recent book is THE FALL. Bethany lives in Kentucky, where she teaches high school English.
bethanygriffin.com

A.J. HARTLEY is the Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also a screenwriter, theatre director and dramaturg. Despite his background in academia, he is a prolific commercial fiction writer, and his first novel, an international thriller entitled THE MASK OF ATREUS, was sold in over 12 countries, and became a USA Today bestseller. He is also the author of ON THE FIFTH DAY, which hit the New York Times bestseller list, WHAT TIME DEVOURS, and the SEKRET MACHINES and CATHEDRALS OF GLASS trilogies with Tom DeLonge. He is also the author of two fantasy novels, ACT OF WILL and WILL POWER, were published as hardcover originals and ACT OF WILL received a starred PW review. He is the author of a 3-book middle grade series, DARWEN ARKWRIGHT. His first YA is STEEPLEJACK, a rich atmospheric novel about a young girl who climbs the tall towers in a land resembling Victorian Africa, which will be followed by two more novels in the series. http://ajhartley.net/

AARON HARTZLER is an actor, writer, essayist, and stand-up comic. Aaron is the author of the YA memoir RAPTURE PRACTICE, about growing up in a fundamentalist Christian home while questioning one’s faith and sexuality. His most recent novel, WHAT WE SAW, follows the chilling reaction of a small town after a group of teenagers commit a crime. Aaron is currently at work on a another YA novel, TWITCH.
aaronhartzler.com

KIKA HATZOPOULOU is the bestselling author of THREADS THAT BIND and its sequel, HEARTS THAT CUT, a fantasy noir about a descendant of the Greek Fates who must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city. THREADS THAT BIND was selected as the Barnes & Noble June 2023 YA book club pick, was the featured book of the month by both OwlCrate and Fairyloot book boxes, and was named a best book of the year by School Library Journal. Her forthcoming young adult novel, MOTH DARK, crosses worlds and defies timelines, following a girl obsessed with creatures that crawl out of the darkness, the heir to the dark world she falls in love with, and their fight for peace—and for each other. Kika is a native Greek and current Londoner and holds an MFA in writing for children from the New School. https://kikahatzopoulou.com 

JEAN HAUS is the author of the bestselling, originally self-published novel IN THE BAND, book one in the Luminescent Juliet series, about a girl who has only ever played in her high school marching band who becomes a rock goddess as the drummer for a local group.  She is also the author of a number of self-published young adult and paranormal novels and novellas. 
jeanhaus.com

MARK HENRY has survived earthquakes, typhoons, and two volcanic eruptions. Surprisingly still alive, he is also the author of the over-the-top and hysterical zombie comedy HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAMNED and its sequels, ROAD TRIP OF THE LIVING DEAD and BATTLE OF THE NETWORK ZOMBIES. His first book for young adults, set in Purgatory, is VELVETEEN.
markhenry.us

ZACH HINES is a novelist and screenwriter. Originally from West Virginia, he was based in Hong Kong, where for over ten years he worked as a journalist. He now lives in Los Angeles. NINE is his debut novel.

KIM HOLDEN is the New Adult and YA author of ALL OF IT and BRIGHT SIDE. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and son.

COLLEEN HOOVER is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of SLAMMED, which incorporates visceral slam poetry into a story about a high school student who falls in love with the one guy who is off-limits. Her most recent work includes CONFESS, which is currently in production with Awestruck and will be premiering as a series on go90, UGLY LOVE,  NOVEMBER 9, and IT ENDS WITH US. She is currently at work on two forthcoming novels. Hoover lives in Texas with her husband and three boys and is always hard at work on more New Adult romances.

JUNE HUR (허주은) is a bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of YA historicals, including THE SILENCE OF BONES, THE FOREST OF STOLEN GIRLS, THE RED PALACE, and A CRANE AMONG WOLVES. Born in South Korea, June spent her formative years in the USA, Canada, and South Korea before studying History and Literature at the University of Toronto, and working at the city’s public library. Her work has been featured in Forbes, NPR, The New York Times, CBC, and KBS. June resides in Toronto with her family and can be spotted writing in coffee shops.

KOSOKO JACKSON is a social media manager, writer, and Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing graduate, living in the NY Metro Area. He is a USA Today bestseller and Lambda Literary Award winning author of books for young adult and adult audiences across genres from speculative fiction to romance. https://kosokojackson.com/

CANDICE JALILI is an Iranian American writer whose work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, The Cut, Rolling Stone, Elite Daily, and more. She is the author of JUST SEND THE TEXT: An Expert’s Guide to Letting Go of the Stress and Anxiety of Modern Dating, and most recently of Finding Famous: A Mashad Family Novel, which is her YA debut. Candice lives in New York City with her husband, where she is a convenient walk away from her cousins and childhood best friend. www.CandiceJalili.com.

LYDIA KANG made her debut with the speculative YA science-fiction book CONTROL, which she followed with a sequel, CATALYST, both published by Dial Books for Young Readers. Her next YA novel, THE NOVEMBER GIRL, will be published in 2017 by Entangled, and she is collaborating with Nate Pedersen on QUACKERY for Workman, also set for 2017 release. She is a practicing physician in addition to being a novelist.

J.M. KELLY is the author of the forthcoming YA novel SPEED OF LIFE, about twin sisters trying to find their own identity after one has a baby and the other is accepted to a college. She is also an actor and arts publicist, born and raised in Portland, Oregon.

MIRANDA KENNEALLY grew up in Tennessee dreaming of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!) or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. She is the author of COMING UP FOR AIR, DEFENDING TAYLOR; BREATHE, ANNIE, BREATHE; RACING SAVANNAH; THINGS I CAN’T FORGET; STEALING PARKER; CATCHING JORDAN; FOUR DAYS OF YOU AND ME; and the forthcoming THE PICK-UP.

A.S. KING is an award-winning and critically acclaimed author of young adult and middle grade fiction, hailed by the New York Times as “one of the best YA writers working today.” She is the only two-time winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, and she was the recipient of the 2022 Margaret A. Edwards Award, which recognizes an author and their “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.” Her novels include her debut, THE DUST OF 100 DOGS, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and Indie Next pick; PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and an Edgar Award Nominee; EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS, which received six starred reviews; ASK THE PASSENGERS, winner of the LA Times Book Prize; REALITY BOY, recipient of five starred reviews; GLORY O’BRIEN’S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE, which was on the Best Book of 2014 lists from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, School Library Journal, BookPage, Boston Globe, and the New York Public Library; I CRAWL THROUGH IT, another six-starred reviewed YA novel; STILL LIFE WITH TORNADO, a New York Times Notable Book and recipient of five starred reviews; DIG, which received the 2020 Michael L. Printz Award and was an LA Times Book Prize finalist; and SWITCH, which was a YALSA 2022 Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Under her full name, Amy Sarig King, she has written the critically acclaimed middle grade novels ME AND MARVIN GARDENS, an Indie Next pick and 2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Master List selection; THE YEAR WE FELL FROM SPACE, a Horn Book Fanfare pick and Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 2019 Blue Ribbon selection; and ATTACK OF THE BLACK RECTANGLES, the recipient of five starred reviews and an instant ABA Indie bestseller. She is the editor of THE COLLECTORS: STORIES, which received the 2024 Michael L. Printz Award. Her most recent novel is PICK THE LOCK, which was the recipient of four starred reviews and was name a best book of 2024 by NPR, Boston Globe, the Chicago Public Library, Amazon, Shelf Awareness, and Horn Book. as-king.com   

MATTHEW J. KIRBY is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of the middle grade novels THE CLOCKWORK THREE, ICEFALL, THE LOST KINGDOM, INFINITY RING BOOK 5: CAVE OF WONDERS, and THE QUANTUM LEAGUE series, the DARK GRAVITY SEQUENCE, the Assassin’s Creed series LAST DESCENDANTS, and DIABLO: BOOK OF LORATH, a tie-in to Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo franchise. He was named a Publisher’s Weekly Flying Start, he has won the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, the PEN Center USA award for Children’s Literature, and the Judy Lopez Memorial Award, and has been named to the New York Public Library’s 100 Books for Reading and Sharing, and the ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults lists. He is also a school psychologist, and currently lives in Idaho with his wife and three step-kids. His latest book is STAR SPLITTER, is a 2024 Edgar Allen Poe Award nominee, was named to the 2024 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults list, and was named a best book of the year by Kirkus and the Chicago Public Library. The young adult novel follows a teen who has crash-landed on a desolate planet lightyears from Earth who must unravel the mystery of the bloody destruction all around her—and the questionable intentions of a familiar stranger. http://matthewjkirby.com/kirbside/

STEPHANIE KUEHN is the author of the 2014 William C. Morris Award-winning CHARM & STRANGE, about a boy with a dark secret who has perfected shutting people out, until the truth of who he really is comes to light as he forms an unexpected friendship with a girl with secrets of her own. Her second novel is the critically-acclaimed COMPLICIT, a YA psychological thriller about a boy who’s forced to deal with his past when his troubled sister comes back to town. She has also authored four other critically acclaimed YA novels, DELICATE MONSTERS, THE SMALLER EVIL, WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU, and WE WEREN’T LOOKING TO BE FOUND. Her most recent books, BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS I’LL BE GONE and CARRY MY SECRET TO YOUR GRAVE, are the first in a Murder, She Wrote spin-off series about a mystery-solving teen who is the great-niece of the show’s protagonist. stephaniekuehn.com

REMY LAI writes and draws stories for kids. She lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she can often be found exploring the woods near her home with her two dogs, Poop-Roller and Bossy Boots. https://remylai.com/

VICTORIA LAURIE is a professional psychic intuitive who lives in Michigan. She is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, the Psychic Eye mysteries about professional intuitive Abby Cooper in which she has already published more than fifteen novels, and the Ghost Hunter series about beloved character M. J. Holliday. She has also penned a spin-off, the Life Coach Mysteries, which kicked off with COACHED TO DEATH . She is the author of the fantasy novel A SPELL TO UNBIND. And for children, she wrote a historical fantasy series for a middle grade audience, THE ORACLES OF DELPHI KEEP and the YA thrillers WHEN and FOREVER, AGAIN. https://www.victorialaurie.com/ 

LOAN LE is the author of A PHƠ LOVE STORY, a YA rom-com that earned praise from NPR, POPSUGAR, Bustle, and Buzzfeed. She holds an MFA degree in fiction from Fairfield University, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree. A Pushcart Prize-nominated writer, Loan has had her short stories appear in CRAFT Literary, Mud Season Review, and more. She is an editor at Atria Books, a Simon & Schuster adult imprint. When she's not writing young adult novels, she's writing ghostly, dark adult fiction, watching slow-burn K-Dramas, and listening to BTS. Visit her website at writerloanle.com and find her on Twitter @loanloan and Instagram @loanloanle.

MEG LEDER is a book editor for a major New York publisher. She and her writing partner, Rachel Kempster, are the authors of THE HAPPY BOOK, THE SECRET ME BOOK, THE YOU AND ME BOOK, and BIG ME, LITTLE YOU. She is also the author of the YA novels MUSEUM OF HEARTBREAK, about a teen who creates her own mini-museum to deal with all the heartbreaks of love, friendship, and growing up; and LETTING GO OF GRAVITY, about a girl who grapples with her anxiety about the future and struggles to reconnect with her twin brother, who is recovering from cancer. https://www.megleder.com

FONDA LEE is a winner of the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, and a five-time winner of the Aurora Award (Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award), as well as a multiple finalist for the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Oregon Book Award. Her sci-fi and fantasy work includes books for the YA and adult audiences. https://www.fondalee.com/

GUS LEE is the author of CHINA BOY, which Penguin is re-issuing upon its 30th anniversary; he and Oscar-winning screenwriter Ron Bass have just completed a CHINA BOY screenplay. Gus wrote its sequel, HONOR AND DUTY, as well as TIGER’S TAIL, which recounts his adventures with North Koreans on the DMZ and NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, his most difficult criminal jury trial as a deputy DA. He is the author of CHASING HEPBURN, a memoir of his parents’ tumultuous relationship during the Chinese Revolution and COURAGE: THE BACKBONE OF LEADERSHIP, which describes how courage brings success in the business world. He wrote the memoir WITH SCHWARZKOPF: LIFE LESSONS OF THE BEAR, which affectionately chronicles his relationship as a young West Point cadet and later, as a fellow business executive, with mentor and lifelong friend, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. Gus’s forthcoming book, THE COURAGE PLAYBOOK: LEADING ORGANIZATIONS AND YOUR LIFE is a practical, step-by-step approach to overcoming fear and finding your courage to effectively lead the self and inspire others.

MALINDA LO is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of several young adult novels, including ASH, HUNTRESS, ADAPTATION, INHERITANCE, A LINE IN THE DARK, and LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB, which was the winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the 2022 Michael L. Printz Honor, the 2022 Stonewall Book Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and the 2022 Walter Award Honor; a finalist for the 2022 Los Angeles Times Book Prize; was named a best book of 2021 by Publishers Weekly, NPR, the New York Public Library, the Chicago Public Library, as well as many, many others; and received eight starred reviews. Her debut novel ASH, a lesbian retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and was a Kirkus Best Book for Children and Teens. She has been a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Malinda’s short fiction and nonfiction has been published by The New York Times, NPR, Autostraddle, The Horn Book, and multiple anthologies. Her newest novel, A SCATTER OF LIGHT, was an instant New York Times bestseller and ABA Indie bestseller and a Kids’ Indie Next List selection. Malinda lives in Massachusetts with her partner and their dog. www.malindalo.com

LESLIE LUTZ’s poetry and short fiction have appeared in various journals, including Typishly, Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, Raintown Review, and Orca. Her debut young adult thriller, FRACTURED TIDE, was voted “Best of 2020” by Suspense Magazine and was a Junior Library Guild pick. Her latest young adult book, SWEETEST DARKNESS, is a supernatural horror novel about a teenage psychic who is drawn deep into the honeycomb of an abandoned hotel—and into a cat-and-mouse game with a predatory entity. When she's not writing, you can find Leslie hanging out at the DFW Writers Workshop, diving at Wheeler Branch, or climbing the cliffs at Mineral Wells State Park. 

DEBORAH LYTTON is a writer, singer, an attorney and an actress who had a recurring role as Melissa Anderson on Days of Our Lives. She has appeared in many television shows and films, and has written articles for magazines including Fit Pregnancy. She is the author of the middle grade novel, JANE IN BLOOM, the young adult romantic drama SILENCE, and an upcoming middle grade series THE FICTIONAL AND SOMETIMES FABULOUS WORLD OF RUBY STARR.
www.deborahlytton.com

CASSIE MAE is the author of several YA and New Adult series and novels including REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, HOW TO DATE A NERD and SWITCHED. A self-declared nerd, she likes to write about the offbeat, quirky characters that live within all of us. Cassie Mae’s forthcoming projects include the ALL ABOUT LOVE series, the MONEY BAGS series, and the SINGLED OUT series, about single dads who find love at the most unexpected time.
cassiemaeauthor.wordpress.com

J. ALBERT MANN is a disability activist, an award-winning poet and the author of eight published novels for children. She has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and is the Partner Liaison for the WNDB Internship Grant Committee. Her book of young adult nonfiction, SHIFT HAPPENS: THE HISTORY OF LABOR IN THE UNITED STATES, tells the story of the U.S. working class in the vein of Jason Reynolds’s Stamped and Melanie Crowder’s Audacity. The book is a smart, funny, and engaging look at the history of the worker actions that brought us weekends, pay equality, desegregation, an end to child labor, and so much more. http://jalbertmann.com    

DANIEL MARKS writes young adult horror and fantasy, spends way too much time glued to the internet, and collects books obsessively. His debut novel for teens, VELVETEEN, is forthcoming.
www.danielmarks.us

JOY McCULLOUGH won the Washington State and Pacific Northwest book awards for her YA debut, BLOOD WATER PAINT, as well as honors including the National Book Award longlist, finalist for the ALA Morris Award, a Publishers Weekly Flying Start and four starred reviews. She has since written picture books and young adult and middle grade novels that have been Junior Library Guild Selections, Indie Next Selections, finalists for the Washington State Book Award, and a New York Times bestseller. She is also a playwright and is currently Resident Playwright at Seattle Public Theater. https://joymccullough.com/

NICOLE McINNES is the author of the contemporary young adult novel BRIANNA ON THE BRINK. Called “an author to watch” by Kirkus Reviews, Nicole is also a speaker and teacher living in northern Arizona. www.nicolemcinnes.com

Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them) writes magical realism and fairy tales that are as queer, Latine, and nonbinary as they are. Their books include THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS, a 2016 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist; 2017 Stonewall Honor Book WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS, which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Young People's Literature and was the winner of the James Tiptree Jr. Award; WILD BEAUTY, a Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist best book of 2017; BLANCA & ROJA, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice; MISS METEOR (co-authored with Tehlor Kay Mejia); DARK AND DEEPEST RED, a Winter 2020 Indie Next List selection; THE MIRROR SEASON, which has recently received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and School Library Journal; LAKELORE, which has received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Shelf Awareness; SELF-MADE BOYS: A GREAT GATSBY REMIX, which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature; and VENOM & VOW, co-authored with Elliott McLemore. Most recently, they contributed to the 2023 Printz-winning anthology THE COLLECTORS: STORIES, edited by A.S. King. Their newest young adult novel is FLAWLESS GIRLS, a tense and evocative novel about a girl who enrolls in a prominent finishing school to discover what happened to her sister, who vanished upon returning, disturbingly changed, from the school. Also forthcoming is THE INFLUENCERS, Anna-Marie’s debut adult novel about two generations of a social media influencer family whose many secrets lurking behind the Instagram veneer come to light when the matriarch’s home mysteriously burns down with her murdered husband inside. http://author.annamariemclemore.com/p/welcome.html

LISA MCMANN is the author of the New York Times bestselling Wake trilogy and the stand-alone YA novels CRYER’S CROSS and DEAD TO YOU. Lisa’s other works include the fantastical Unwanteds series and its spin-off series, The Unwanteds Quests; the Visions series, which follows a girl experiencing terrifying premonitions of an accident; the Going Wild series, about an advanced technology that allows kids to harness the powers of animals; THE TRAP DOOR, the third book in the bestselling multi-author, multi-platform time-travel adventure Infinity Ring series; and CLARICE THE BRAVE, an epic adventure story about mice siblings separated during a mutiny as sea. Her newest series for middle grade readers, The Forgotten Five, begins with MAP OF FLAMES, which debuted on the New York Times bestseller list, and continues with THE INVISIBLE SPY, REBEL UNDERCOVER, DANGEROUS ALLIES, and OPERATION CHAOS. It tells the story of five kids with supernatural abilities searching for the truth about their parents in a world where being supernatural is a crime. lisamcmann.com 

KELLY MCWILLIAMS is a biracial writer in Seattle, where she lives with her family. Previously she has worked as a staff writer at Romper, the millennial parenting site, where she reported on women’s health. In 2004, as a 15-year old, she published DOORMAT (Random House, 2004), a Junior Library Guild selection, and headed to Walnut Hill School for the Arts to finish high school among raucous theater majors. As an undergraduate at Brown University, she studied feminist literary criticism and began writing nonfiction. She is the author of AGNES AND THE END OF THE WORLD, which benefitted from a We Need Diverse Books mentorship, received three starred reviews, and was named a best book of the year by both Kirkus and Bank Street, and of MIRROR GIRLS, which received three starred reviews and was selected as a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Her newest novel, YOUR PLANTATION PROM IS NOT OKAY, is a sharp-witted, timely novel that explores cancel culture, anger, and grief, and challenges the romanticization of America's racist past with humor and heart. She is also the co-author, with her mother Jewell Parker Rhodes, of SOUL STEP, a picture book illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu about the joy and history of step dancing.. https://www.kellymcwilliamsauthor.com

RICHELLE MEAD is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Vampire Academy series. That series includes VAMPIRE ACADEMY; FROSTBITE; SHADOW KISS; BLOOD PROMISE; SPIRIT BOUND; and LAST SACRIFICE. BLOODLINES launched the bestselling spin-off of the Vampire Academy series. It was followed by THE GOLDEN LILY; THE INDIGO SPELL; THE FIERY HEART; and THE INDIGO SPELL; and THE RUBY CIRCLE. Her first novel, SUCCUBUS BLUES, featured a modern-day succubus living in Seattle who prefers her normal life to the alluring, shape-shifting life of legend and myth. The series continued with SUCCUBUS ON TOP; SUCCUBUS HEAT; SUCCUBUS DREAMS; SUCCUBUS HEAT; SUCCUBUS SHADOWS; and SUCCUBUS REVEALED. She is also the author of STORM BORN about a contemporary shaman who travels between worlds to save a kidnapped child. That series continued with THORN QUEEN; IRON CROWNED; and SHADOW HEIR.  Her adult series, The Age of X, includes GAMEBOARD OF THE GODS and THE IMMORTAL CROWN. Her first ever standalone novel was the YA fantasy SOUNDLESS. And her latest series include THE GLITTERING COURT, MIDNIGHT JEWEL, and THE ENDLESS SEA. www.richellemead.com

TEHLOR KAY MEJIA is a bestselling and award-winning author of novels for children, teens, and adults. Their debut young adult novel, WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE. Tehlor’s debut middle grade novel, PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS, was published by the Rick Riordan Presents imprint at Disney/Hyperion. It received four starred reviews, and was named Amazon’s best book of 2020 in the 9-12 age range. Their highly anticipated adult debut, SAMMY ESPINOZA’S LAST REVIEW, is a romcom that also published to multiple starred reviews. They continue to publish titles for all age ranges. https://www.tehlorkaymejia.com/

 CARRIE MESROBIAN is a writing teacher at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Her debut novel, SEX & VIOLENCE, was a 2014 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist and Cybils Best Young Adult Fiction finalist. She is also the author of YA novels PRETTY GOOD WHITE BOY, CUT BOTH WAYS, and JUST A GIRL, all of which received starred reviews. Her new young adult novel, THE WHITSUN DAUGHTERS, is a story of three girls in a small Midwestern town. carriemesrobian.com

JANELLE MILANES is a writer of YA and a teenager at heart living in Brooklyn, NY. Her debut novel is KNOWING VICTORIA.

JENNA MILLER writes young adult books about fat, queer, nerdy girls who deserve to be seen and have their voices heard. When she’s not obsessing over words, she can be found making charcuterie boards, befriending people online, cross stitching, or adventuring in the Minneapolis area. Jenna’s debut novel, OUT OF CHARACTER, follows Cass Williams, who escapes the stressors of the real world by roleplaying online in secret—but after falling for her roleplay bestie, she must decide if she can be honest about her double life. https://www.jennamillerwrites.com

SAUNDRA MITCHELL is a long-time screenwriter and author whose young adult debut was the gothic SHADOWED SUMMER.  In YA, she is the author of THE VESPERTINE, THE SPRINGSWEET, and THE ELEMENTALS; and MISTWALKER. In middle grade, she co-authored the two horror comedies in the CAMP MURDERFACE series. Saundra has edited a trilogy of young adult anthologies about queer youth in the past, present, and future titled, respectively, ALL OUT, OUT NOW, and OUT THERE. As Jessa Holbrooke, she is the author of the serialized novel WHILE YOU’RE AWAY. Her first two nonfiction titles launched the They Did What?! Series—50 UNBELIEVABLE WOMEN AND THEIR FASCINATING AND TRUE STORIES and 50 IMPRESSIVE KIDS AND THEIR AMAZING AND TRUE STORIES. www.saundramitchell.com 

CAM MONTGOMERY is a YA author, teacher, and classical dancer based in Seattle. They are the author of HOME AND AWAY and BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY and a co-editor of the anthology, ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES. https://www.candicemontgomery.com/

MAR ROMASCO-MOORE is the author of the novels DEADSTREAM, I AM THE GHOST IN YOUR HOUSE, KRAZYLAND, and SOME KIND OF ANIMAL, as well as the multimedia flash fiction collection GHOSTOGRAPHS. They teach writing at Columbus College of Art and Design. https://marromascomoore.com/

FREEMAN NG is a former Google software engineer who’s now writing full time. His debut, BRIDGE ACROSS THE SKY, is a verse novel exploring the history of Angel Island. www.AuthorFreeman.com

ANTHONY OLIVEIRA is a writer, pop culture critic, and PhD living in Toronto. He can be found on Twitter at @meakoopa, where he tweets about the arts, politics, and LGBT culture, or on his podcast, The Devil’s Party, which explores the classics of Christian literature from a queer scholarly perspective. He is a five-time nominee and three-time winner of the National Magazine Awards—awarded gold once for his short story “Dayspring” (Best Fiction 2020), and twice for his work "Death in the Village" (Best Essay and Best Long-Form Feature 2019), which chronicles the aftermath of the Bruce McArthur murders. He is a writer of comics whose work has appeared in Marvel’s Young Avengers, X-Men, and Captain Marvel series and the ongoing inifinity comic series Avengers Academy. His work for Marvel has won a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Comic Book.  He also wrote for Steven Universe: Fusion Frenzy #1, and the Shout Out Queer Anthology. His first full-length graphic novel is APOCRYPHA, pitched as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Paradise Lost, in which a teen guided by an angel and another possessed by a demon find themselves at the center of a terrible cosmic war—and their own confusing queer awakenings. His debut prose novel is the 2024 Writers Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize-winning DAYSPRING, a hybrid work weaving stories of queer love, grief, destruction, and survival into a narrative unmoored in time that reexamines Biblical characters even as it casts its eye on contemporary life. www.anthonyoliveira.com  

CLARE OSONGCO is the author of MIDNIGHTS WITH YOU (Fall 2024, Disney-Hyperion). She likes to write about diaspora feelings and complicated relationships. https://www.clareosongco.com/

ANTONIO PAGLIARULO is the author of the gritty young adult novel A DIFFERENT KIND OF HEAT, as well as The Celebutantes series, which includes ON THE AVENUE, IN THE CLUB and TO THE PENTHOUSE. He is at work on several new young adult novels. Under the pseudonym Anthony Paige he wrote ROCKING THE GODDESS, which explores the widespread practice of Wicca on college campuses, and AMERICAN WITCH, about the history of witchcraft in America.

EMILY X.R. PAN currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, but was originally born in the Midwestern United States to immigrant parents from Taiwan. She received her MFA in fiction from the NYU Creative Writing Program, where she was a Goldwater Fellow. She is the founding editor-in-chief of Bodega Magazine, a 2017 Artist-in-Residence at Djerassi, and a 2019 Artist-in-Residency at Caldera. Her New York Times bestselling debut YA novel, THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER, about a girl who enters a fantastical world to unlock the secrets of her family’s history, was an APALA Honor Award winner, a Walter Honor Award winner, an L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, an Indies Introduce debut pick for Winter/Spring 2018, a Kids’ Indie Next List pick, and the recipient of six starred reviews. Emily is also the co-creator of the foreshadowYA.com digital platform and the print anthology FORESHADOW: STORIES TO CELEBRATE THE MAGIC OF READING & WRITING YA. Her latest book for YA readers, AN ARROW TO THE MOON, is a magical novel that combines Romeo and Juliet with Chinese mythology. It was a Kids’ Indie Next List pick, an instant IndieBound bestseller, and the recipient of three starred reviews. exrpan.com 

DIANA PETERFREUND has published eight novels for adults and teens, including the four-book Secret Society Girl series, the Killer Unicorn series: RAMPANT, ASCENDENT, and ERRANT. Her other series, Stars, includes FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS, a post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and ACROSS A STAR SWEPT SEA, a romantic science-fiction retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Her lastest work is a series of middle grade adventure novels, the first of which is OMEGA CITY; the second book in the series is in the works.

MARCY BELLER PAUL is a graduate of Harvard University and lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children. Her debut YA novel, UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING, is about an intoxicating and toxic relationship between friends.
marcybellerpaul.com

ASHLEY HOPE PÉREZ grew up in Texas and is the author of three award-winning novels for young adults, including OUT OF DARKNESS, which received a Printz Honor and the Tomás Rivera Book Award—and was one of the top ten most banned books of 2021. Ashley is a former high school teacher and an assistant professor of world literatures at The Ohio State University. In 2023, Ashley was a part of PEN America’s lawsuit against Escambia County, Florida. She is the editor of the forthcoming YA anthology BANNED TOGETHER: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights, which spotlights the transformative power of books while equipping tens to fight for the freedom to read, featuring the voices of 15 diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators. She lives in Columbus with her two sons; find her online at www.ashleyperez.com. 

JOLENE PERRY is the author of numerous books in the Young Adult and New Adult categories, as well as the Next Door Boys LDS trilogy. Her YA books include DIZZY and OUT OF PLAY, written with Nyrae Dawn; MY HEART FOR YOURS, written with Steph Campbell; and NIGHT SKY. Her NA titles include 10 WEEKS, written with Janna Watts, and several titles written as Mia Josephs. Her latest books include THE SUMMER I FOUND YOU and STRONGER THAN YOU KNOW.
www.jolenebperry.com

AMY PLUM is an art historian by training and multiple hat-wearer in actuality (translator, university English teacher, writer). Amy spends her time in Paris, France, trying to figure out the motherhood thing while raising two children. She is the author of the DIE FOR ME series, a wonderfully inventive paranormal romantic thriller that centers around an American teenage girl who moves to France and falls in love with a dark and mysterious revenant named Vincent. She is also the author of the duology AFTER THE END and UNTIL THE BEGINNING, the first of which received a starred Publisher’s Weekly review. Her next duology is the YA horror DREAMFALL.
www.amyplumbooks.com

DAN POBLOCKI is the author of many books for young people, including GHOST HUNTER’S DAUGHTER, THE GHOST OF GRAYLOCK, THE HAUNTING OF GABRIEL ASHE, THE HOUSE ON STONE’S THROW ISLAND, THE BOOK OF BAD THINGS, and the SHADOW HOUSE series. His stories have thrilled and chilled readers all over the world. In the US, they have been named to the Best Books for Young Adults list by the American Library Association, and have been honored by the Junior Library Guild. His latest books for young readers are TALES TO KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT, a spectacularly creepy collection of interconnected stories that is sure to keep readers up way past their bedtime, and its sequel, MORE TALES TO KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT. Dan lives in an old house where he tries very hard to ignore the things that go bump in the night. http://www.danpoblocki.com 

GAE POLISNER is the author of the award-winning YA THE PULL OF GRAVITY, THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO, THE MEMORY OF THINGS, IN SIGHT OF STARS, and JACK KEROUAC IS DEAD TO ME. In collaboration with Nora Raleigh Baskin, she is the author of the middle grade novels SEVEN CLUES TO HOME and CONSIDER THE OCTOPUS. https://www.gaepolisner.com/

 ANNA PRIEMAZA is a young adult author, lawyer, and university instructor in Edmonton, Alberta, where she lives with her husband. Her debut novel, KAT AND MEG CONQUER THE WORLD is about two teens who meet working on a science fair project and form the first real friendship either has ever had by bonding over panic attacks, ADHD, and their mutual obsession with a YouTube star whose channel is dedicated to their favorite video game. Her second book is FAN THE FAME, a feminist YA take on fandom, accountability, and doing the right thing—even when it hurts. Her first speculative YA is 2021’s THE FORGOTTEN MEMORIES OF VERA GLASS: when people she loves—and all memory of them—start disappearing from teen Vera's life, leaving behind only a haunting sorrow, she and her best friend set out to solve a mystery they can't remember. annapriemaza.com

AMY REED was born and raised in and around Seattle, where she attended a total of eight schools by the time she was eighteen. She eventually graduated from film school, promptly decided she wanted nothing to do with filmmaking, returned to her original and impractical love of writing, and earned her MFA from New College of California. She is the author of the YA novels BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN, CRAZY, OVER YOU, DAMAGED, INVINCIBLE, UNFORGIVABLE, THE NOWHERE GIRLS, and THE BOY AND GIRL WHO BROKE THE WORLD, and her work is included in the anthology OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES. Her upcoming book for teens, TELL ME MY NAME, is an enthralling, mind-altering novel about the cost of being a girl in a world that takes so much, and the enormity of what is gained when we take it back. After thirteen years in the San Francisco Bay Area, she now resides in the mountains of western North Carolina with her daughter and dog. https://www.amyreedfiction.com/

MACKENZIE REED is the author of young adult fiction, including her debut thriller THE ROSEWOOD HUNT, about a group of teens who must form a reluctant alliance and follow clues and riddles to a missing fortune. She cultivated her love of storytelling at Nazareth College, where she graduated with a BA in Communication and Media and shifted her focus from songwriting to novel writing. A native and resident of Rochester, New York, she loves going for brainstorming walks when the weather’s behaving and spending time with her family. In the sparse moments she’s not writing or daydreaming about her next book, she’s usually winging her eyeliner and hunting for the best slice of pizza in town. www.mackenziemreed.com 

CAROLINE TUNG RICHMOND is a young adult author whose work often combines alternate history and magic. She is the author of THE ONLY THING TO FEAR, THE DARKEST HOUR, LIVE IN INFAMY, and THE GREAT DESTROYERS. She is co-editor of the anthology HUNGRY HEARTS and co-author of the novel GREAT OR NOTHING. https://www.carolinetrichmond.com/

ERICA RIDLEY is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of witty, feel-good historical romance novels, including the WILD WYNCHESTERS series. Other works include the DUKES OF WAR, ROGUES TO RICHES, and THE 12 DUKES OF CHRISTMAS, which feature roguish peers and dashing war heroes amid the splendor and madness of Regency England. She is also the author, with Eloisa James, Christi Caldwell, and Janna MacGregor, of MISTLETOE CHRISTMAS, an anthology of four original stories telling a hilarious tale of a Christmas house party serving up love and scandal in equal measure. She is currently at work on her first two YA novels: THE PROTÉGÉ, a thrilling historical novel set in Victorian France, and AS YOU WISH, a YA historical horror novel on the Isle of Skye. When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest. www.ericaridley.com 

ANICA MROSE RISSI grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. After college, she moved to New York City, where she worked as a cheesemonger and book editor. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats cheese with her friends in Princeton, New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Arugula. As a former editor turned full-time writer, Anica has spoken with kids and adults across the country about all stages of the writing process, from ideas and drafting to revisions and beyond. She is the author of the Anna, Banana chapter-book series; the picture books WATCH OUT FOR WOLF!, THE TEACHER’S PET, and LOVE, SOPHIA ON THE MOON; the middle grade scary story collection HIDE AND DON’T SEEK; and the YA novels ALWAYS FOREVER MAYBE and NOBODY KNOWS BUT YOU. Her essays have been published by The Writer magazine and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Her newest book, WISHING SEASON, is a middle grade novel about a girl grappling with the recent loss of her twin brother. http://www.anicarissi.com

MICHELLE ROWEN is the bestselling and award-winning author of over two dozen novels. She has written for Penguin, Grand Central, Harlequin, Dorchester, and Bloomsbury. A former president of Toronto Romance Writers, Michelle lives in Mississauga, Ontario, where she refills her creative well by watching trashy reality TV and drinking a lot of delicious coffee. Under the pseudonym Morgan Rhodes, she is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult, high fantasy Falling Kingdoms series. https://www.michellerowen.com/

EDEN ROYCE is a Geechee from Charleston, South Carolina, now living in the Garden of England with her husband and cat. Her work has appeared in various print and online publications, and she is a recipient of the Speculative Literature Foundation’s Diverse Worlds grant, a Walter Award Honoree, and a Shirley Jackson Award finalist. She writes for children and adults, and her titles include ROOT MAGIC, CONJURE ISLAND, THE CREEPENING OF DOGWOOD HOUSE, PSYCHOPOMP & CIRCUMSTANCE, and THE HAINT-BLUE HEART. https://edenroyce.com/

SETH RUDETSKY is the popular Sirius radio host and Broadway showman whose first novel BROADWAY NIGHTS was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He is the author of the YA novels MY AWESOME/AWFUL POPULARITY PLAN and THE RISE AND FALL OF A THEATER GEEK. This year he will be appearing on Broadway in a show he has also written, DISASTER!, a spoof of such 1970s Hollywood disaster epics as THE TOWERING INFERNO, EARTHQUAKE, and THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE.

SUZANNE SELFORS is a native of the Pacific Northwest and holds a master’s degree in Communications from the University of Washington. Her books include the oddly delightful middle grade novels TO CATCH A MERMAID, FORTUNE’S MAGIC FARM, WISH UPON A SLEEPOVER, BRAVER: A WOMBAT’S TALE, co-authored with Walker Ranson, and RATTY. Her young adult novels SAVING JULIET, COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL, MAD LOVE, and THE SWEETEST SPELL, are known for their comedy, romance, and heart. She is the author of the Imaginary Veterinary series, the Ever After High (A School Story) series, the Wedgie & Gizmo series, the Smells Like Dog series, and most recently the Willow’s Woods series, beginning with SAM SQUIRREL, which follows the great-granddaughter of Mother Nature as she teams up with a squirrel to start the spring season. https://www.suzanneselfors.com 

TESS SHARPE grew up in rural northern California. She lives deep in the backwoods with a pack of dogs and a growing colony of formerly feral cats. She is the author of BARBED WIRE HEART, the critically acclaimed YA novels FAR FROM YOU and THE GIRLS I’VE BEEN, the Jurassic World prequel, THE EVOLUTION OF CLAIRE and the Captain Marvel novel LIBERATION RUN. She is also the co-editor of TOIL & TROUBLE, a feminist anthology about witches, with Jessica Spotswood. Her short fiction has been featured in ALL OUT, an anthology edited by Saundra Mitchell. https://www.tess-sharpe.com/

LAURA SILVERMAN is an author and freelance editor who splits her time between Atlanta and New York. She is the author of GIRL OUT OF WATER, YOU ASKED FOR PERFECT, and RECOMMENDED FOR YOU and has an MFA in Writing for Children from the New School. https://www.laurasilvermanwrites.com/

LAUREN SPIELLER is an author and literary agent who lives in Washington, DC with her husband. When she isn’t writing, she can be found drinking lattes, pining for every dog she sees, or visiting her native California. She is the author of YOUR DESTINATION IS ON THE LEFT and SHE’S THE WORST. You can also visit her website at www.laurenspieller.com

ANDREW SMITH is the author of GHOST MEDICINE, IN THE PATH OF FALLING OBJECTS, THE MARBURY LENS, STICK, and WINGER, all of which have been on YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list. Other works include STAND-OFF, a sequel to WINGER; PASSENGER, the sequel to MARBURY LENS; 100 SIDEWAYS MILES, which was long listed for the National Book Award; GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, a 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book, Winner of the 2014 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction, a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize, and a Best Book of the Year at Kirkus and School Library Journal; THE ALEX CROW, recipient of five starred reviews and named one of the best YA novels of the year by Kirkus; and RABBIT & ROBOT, recipient of multiple starred reviews, about a boy who’s stranded on the Tennessee—his father’s lunar-cruise utopia—with insane robots. Most recently, he is the author of the middle grade novel THE SIZE OF THE TRUTH and its sequel, BYE-BYE, BLUE CREEK, about a boy preparing to leave home for the first time—until monsters move in next door. www.authorandrewsmith.com

 EMILY WING SMITH is a writer of young adult fiction, with a BA in English from Brigham Young University and an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College. The winner of the David O. McKay essay contest, Emily’s work has been published in writing anthologies and has also appeared in popular magazines for children and young adults. THE WAY HE LIVED is her debut novel, and her sophomore novel is BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE. Her latest is a memoir for young adults, ALL BETTER NOW.
emilywingsmith.com

ERIN SODERBERG DOWNING writes novels for kids and teens. Under Erin Downing, she published her debut middle grade novel, BEST FRIENDS FOREVER (OR UNTIL SOMEONE BETTER COMES ALONG), about a mean girl trying to change her reputation. Her other books include, FOR SOCCER-CRAZY GIRLS ONLY, NONE OF THE REGULAR RULES, MOON SHADOW, CONTROLLED BURN, and the series SpacePop, The Quirks, Puppy Pirates, and The Great Peach Experiment. Her latest book for young readers is JUST KEEP WALKING , a story of resilience and the healing and restorative power of wilderness and nature. https://www.erinsoderberg.com

JESSICA SHEA SPOTSWOOD is a DC-based dramaturgy student turned YA author. She is the author of The Cahill Witch Chronicles, which includes BORN WICKED, STAR CURSED, and SISTERS FATE along with WILD SWANS and THE LAST SUMMER OF THE GARRETT GIRLS. She edited the acclaimed anthologies A TYRANNY OF PETTICOATS and THE RADICAL ELEMENT and co-edited, with Tess Sharpe, TOIL AND TROUBLE.
www.jessicaspotswood.com

ANGIE STANTON is the author of the bestselling Young Adult contemporary romance novels DREAM CHASER and LOVE ‘EM OR LEAVE ‘EM. She is also the author of SNOWED OVER, a Christmas novella, and the Jamieson Collection series including ROCK AND A HARD PLACE and SNAPSHOT.  Her ROYALLY LOST is a YA romance about Becca, who wants nothing more than to go home from the European vacation her father has dragged her on to play happy family, till she meets Nikolai, the Crown Prince of a small country who has run off to find a way out of embracing the future his parents have mapped out for him.
www.angiestanton.com

AARON STARMER is the author of DWEEB, THE ONLY ONES, MEME, SPONTANEOUS—made into a feature film—and the acclaimed Riverman series. He is also the author of the Locker 37 series for young readers, about a school locker that provides solutions to any problem, and A MILLION VIEWS, a heartfelt story about a boy who just wants to make a video and get a million views—but he doesn’t count on needing friends to get there. His newest series for young readers is MATH MYSTERIES, page-turning mysteries brimming with lighthearted intrigue and essential middle-grade math skills. Aaron lives with his family in Vermont. aaronstarmer.com 

RAY STOEVE is the author of the young adult novel BETWEEN PERFECT AND REAL, which was a 2021 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Their second YA novel is 2022’s ARDEN GREY. They also contributed to the young adult anthology Take The Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance. They received a 2016-2017 Made at Hugo House Fellowship and created the YA/MG Trans and Nonbinary Voices Masterlist, a database that tracks all books in those age categories written by trans authors about trans characters. In the past, they attended the inaugural 2019 Tin House YA Workshop as well as the 2020 Tin House Summer Workshop for adult fiction. Their essays and journalism have appeared in Autostraddle and YES! Magazine, and they were a Spring 2022 Digital Resident in nonfiction with The Seventh Wave. Their next novel will be THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY. When they’re not writing, they can be found gardening, making art in other mediums, or hiking their beloved Pacific Northwest. You can find them online at raystoeve.com, and on Instagram and TikTok as @raystoeve.

NOVA REN SUMA is the author of A ROOM AWAY FROM WOLVES and the #1 New York Times bestselling THE WALLS AROUND US, both finalists for an Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She also wrote the novels IMAGINARY GIRL, 17 & GONE, and FADE OUT (a YA repackaging of her middle grade novel DANI NOIR). Nova is also the co-creator of the foreshadowya.com digital platform and the print anthology FORESHADOW: STORIES TO CELEBRATE THE MAGIC OF READING & WRITING YA. She has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and Vermont College of Fine Arts. She grew up in the Hudson Valley, spent most of her adult life in New York City, and now lives in Philadelphia, where she is at work on her next novel for young adults. novaren.com

ROBIN TALLEY is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels for teen readers: PULP, OUR OWN PRIVATE UNIVERSE, AS I DESCENDED, WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND, and LIES WE TELL OURSELVES, the winner of the inaugural Amnesty CILIP Honour and short-listed for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Her short stories have appeared in the young adult collections Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft, All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages, A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers and Other Badass Girls, and Feral Youth. Robin lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife and their daughter. She enjoys reading about queer characters, analyzing Disney movies, and chocolate. You can find her at www.robintalley.com.

CHRIS TEBBETTS is the author and co-author of many books for young readers. His 2019 titles include the YA novel, ME, MYSELF, AND HIM as well as MIDDLE SCHOOL: BORN TO ROCK, which is part of the #1 New York Times bestselling Middle School series he writes with James Patterson. Other titles include the bestselling STRANDED series with Jeff Probst; the young adult novel M OR F? with Lisa Papademetriou; and THE VIKING series.  His work has received children’s choice awards in Oregon and Hawaii, as well a Sunshine State Young Readers Award nomination, and a nod on the New York Public Library’s annual list of Books For the Teen Age. You can find him online at christebbetts.com and @christebbetts. WEBSITE: christebbetts.com

CRISTIN TERRILL is the author of HERE LIES DANIEL TATE and ALL OUR YESTERDAYS, winner of the International Thriller Writers’ Award for Best Young Adult Novel, a YALSA pick for best young adult fiction, and one of Kirkus’ Best of 2013. Her next book is the forthcoming YA Sci-Fi THE STARS BETWEEN US. She runs Wordsmith Workshops, which hosts retreats and online learning for new and aspiring authors, and is the business manager for The Author Village. https://www.cristinterrill.com/

ADRIENNE TOOLEY was born and raised in the desert suburbs of Southern California. She grew up in the theater, telling other people’s stories, until she decided it might be just as much fun to write her own. She is the author of the YA fantasy SWEET & BITTER MAGIC and the forthcoming SOFI AND THE BONE SONG. http://www.adriennetooley.com/

DIANA URBAN writes twisty thrillers for teens. When she's not torturing fictional characters, she's a marketing manager at BookBub. She is the author of ALL YOUR TWISTED SECRETS and the forthcoming THESE DEADLY GAMES. https://dianaurban.com/

MOSES OSE UTOMI is a Nigerian American fantasy writer, martial artist, and nomad currently based out of California. He writes for YA and adult audiences, has an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College, and has had work published with Tor and Fantasy Magazine, among others. When he isn’t reading or writing, he’s indulging his restlessness by traveling about, making progress on his martial arts journey, or doing karaoke—with or without a backing track. Visit him on Instagram @ProfSeaquill and TikTok @MosesOseUtomi

ALLISON VAN DIEPEN is the author of many novels for teens, including ON THE EDGE, LIGHT OF DAY and RUNT THE RISK. Her novels have been named ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers and New York City Public Library Books for the Teen Age.

SARA WALTERS works as an advocate for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence in central Pennsylvania. Previously, she worked as a reproductive rights advocate and a college instructor. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of South Florida, and studied children's and young adult literature while earning her doctorate in education at the University of Tennessee. She believes in the power of storytelling as a voice for survivors, and aims to give space to the stories too often silenced. 

JENNI L. WALSH is an author who has spent the past decade enticing readers as an award-winning advertising copywriter. Her passion lies in transporting readers to another world, be it in historical or contemporary settings. BECOMING BONNIE is her debut novel, telling the untold story of how Bonnelyn Parker becomes half of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde duo during the Roaring 20s, which will be followed by its sequel SIDE BY SIDE. She is author authoring two books in a middle grade series called SHE DARED, which will profile strong and brave young women, including surfer Bethany Hamilton and activist Malala Yousafzai.jennilwalsh.com

MICHAEL WATERS has written for The Atlantic, The New Yorker, WIRED, Vox, The New York Times, and other publications, and is a recipient of the Martin Duberman Visiting Fellowship at the New York Public Library. His debut book of nonfiction, THE OTHER OLYMPIANS: FASCISM, QUEERNESS, AND THE MAKING OF MODERN SPORTS, is the story of the early trans athletes and Olympic bureaucrats who lit the flame for today’s culture wars. https://www.michaelwaters.com/about

ISMÉE WILLIAMS is an award-winning author of books about multicultural characters that pack an emotional punch. She is a co-founder of the non-profit Latinx Kidlit Book Festival whose mission is to uplift Latinx voices while bringing these diverse stories to all students and educators in order to increase representation, empathy and connection. Ismée also serves on the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund. Ismée is a pediatric cardiologist and scientific researcher who practiced and taught at Columbia University Medical Center for 15 years. She currently sees patients at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx. Her books include WATER IN MAY; THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD; the anthology BOUNDLESS; and ABUELO, THE SEA, AND ME. https://www.ismeewilliams.com/

NICOLE WILLIAMS’ USA Today bestseller CRASH and the enormously successful follow-ups CLASH and CRUSH were originally a self-published New Adult series about Lucy, a Julliard-bound ballet dancer, and Jude, the troublemaker with the dark past. Williams is also the author of the USA Today and New York Times bestselling series that began with LOST AND FOUND, the Eternal Eden novels and novellas, and the series Great Exploitations. Her first YA series is Bet You Can’t.

SAMANTHA YOUNG is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the sizzling contemporary romances in the ON DUBLIN STREET, HERO, HART’S BOARDWALK, and PLAY ON series, as well as the standalone FIGHT OR FLIGHT. Previous books include young adult paranormal and fantasy series, such as THE TALE OF LUNARMORTE trilogy, as well as a New Adult duology, INTO THE DEEP and OUT OF THE SHALLOWS. She also writes fantasy under S. Young and contemporary YA, including THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US and THE FRAGILE ORDINARY. She is the author of 2021’s MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU, a romantic comedy in which a Shakespeare fan questioning what she truly wants out of life moves to a quirky seaside town in Northern England to run a small bookshop, finds inspiration in the books she sells, and ends up falling in love despite herself with an irresistibly charming local farmer. This is followed by 2022’s A COSMIC KIND OF LOVE, about a party planner who falls for an astronaut via the video letters he sends home from the international space station. authorsamanthayoung.com

SARA ZARR is the critically-acclaimed author of the National Book Award Finalist STORY OF A GIRL, a moving first novel that deals with forgiveness and redemption; SWEETHEARTS, about the power of memory, the bond of friendship, and the quiet resilience of our childhood hearts; WHAT WE LOST (first published as ONCE WAS LOST), which examines the coexistence of affliction and hope; HOW TO SAVE A LIFE, a beautifully told story of two lives intersecting, unexpectedly, and what it means to be a family; THE LUCY VARIATIONS, about a girl’s struggle to reclaim her love of music and herself; ROOMIES, which she co-authored with Tara Altebrando; GEM & DIXIE, about the unshakeable bond of sisterhood; GOODBYE FROM NOWHERE, about the courage it takes to see those we love for who they are; and her debut middle grade novel A SONG CALLED HOME, about the small moments that show us who we are, and how family is not just something you’re part of, but something you make. She is also the author of the nonfiction book COURAGEOUS CREATIVITY: ADVICE AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE CREATIVE LIFE. Sara’s newest book is KYRA, JUST FOR TODAY, a deeply personal story about a young girl, her alcoholic mother, and the hope that ties them together. sarazarr.com