J. Elle
J. Elle is an African-American author of young adult fiction, middle-grade fiction, and adult nonfiction, best known for her New York Times bestselling debut, Wings of Ebony. Elle has a Bachelor’s of journalism and an M.A. in educational administration. She’s lived all over, from coast to coast which she credits as inspiration for her writing. When she’s not writing, the former Texas educator can be found mentoring aspiring authors, binging reality TV, loving on her three littles, or cooking up something true to her Southern roots.
Liara Tamani
Liara Tamani lives in Houston, Texas. She holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BA from Duke University. She is the author of the acclaimed young adult novels Calling My Name, a 2018 PEN America Literary Award Finalist and SCBWI Golden Kite Finalist, and All the Things We Never Knew, a 2020 Kirkus Best YA Book of the Year. Her third novel, What She Missed, is forthcoming May 2023. Before becoming a writer, she attended Harvard Law School and worked as a marketing coordinator for the Houston Rockets & Comets, production assistant for Girlfriends (TV show), home accessories designer, floral designer, and yoga and dance teacher.
Adam Cesare
Adam Cesare is a New Yorker who lives in Philadelphia. His books include Clown in a Cornfield, Video Night, The Summer Job, and Zero Lives Remaining. He’s an avid fan of horror cinema and runs Project: Black T-Shirt, a YouTube review show where he takes horror films and pairs them with reading suggestions.
Ashley Schumacher
Ashley is the author of Amelia Unabridged and Full Flight and has a degree in creative writing from the University of North Texas. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s either singing Disney songs, finding new and exciting ways to pester her family, or trying to find her inside voice, which has been sadly missing since birth. She lives in a small town north of Dallas with her husband, son, and more books than is strictly necessary.
Daka Hermon
Daka Hermon was born in Tennessee and spent her childhood huddled under a blanket with a flashlight, reading and writing fairy-tale and fantasy stories. She graduated from Agnes Scott College with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature/Creative Writing. She loves sweet tea, chocolate, cupcakes, and collecting superhero toys and paraphernalia. She is currently a staff writer on Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends on Disney Junior.
Heather M. Herrman
Heather Herrman is the author of the Junior Library Guild selected Young Adult Novel, The Corpse Queen, and the adult horror novel, Consumption. A forthcoming YA novel by Heather will be available from Nancy Paulsen Books in Fall 2022.
Heather holds an MFA from New Mexico State University. Her fiction has earned the Frank Waters Prize, an Individual Artist Grant from the Nebraska Arts Council, and a scholarship to the Prague Summer Program for Writers.
Heather Buchta
Heather Buchta graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in communications, but she'll tell you the real B.A. in college is learning how to pay bills. After receiving her National Certificate in Youth Ministry Studies from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, she directed youth ministry programs and confirmation classes for both Catholic and Protestant churches. In addition, she taught high school English for a decade in South Central LA. Today, she is a part-time youth pastor for The Rock Covenant Church. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, obstacle-course racing, rock climbing, and snowboarding. She lives in Los Angeles, where she dotes on her dog and writes stories from her indoor porch. Beyond the Break is her first novel.
Books
Website
@heatherbuchta
Jessica S. Olson
Jessica S. Olson claims New Hampshire as her home but has somehow found herself in Texas, where she spends most of her time singing praises to the inventor of the air conditioner. When she's not hiding from the heat, she's corralling her four wild—but adorable—children, dreaming up stories about kissing and murder and magic, and eating peanut butter by the spoonful straight from the jar. She earned a bachelor’s in English with minors in editing and French, which essentially means she spent all of her university time reading and eating French pastries. She is the author of Sing Me Forgotten and A Forgery of Roses.
Marie Sontag
Marie Sontag brings history to life, one adventure at a time. Her middle grade and YA historical novels place fictional teens alongside historical figures as they face challenges similar to those faced by today’s youth.
With a BA in social science, a minor in music, an MA, and a Ph.D. in education, Dr. Sontag says teaching middle school for over 15 years has kept her young.
Miracle Austin
Miracle works in the social work world by day and in the writer's world at night. To date, she has created over 70 diverse, free-verse poems and 20 short stories. Horror and suspense are her primary genres of choice, confessing that watching "Squirm" and "Carrie" as a pre-teen, ignited her interest in horror and suspense. Miracle resides in Texas with her family.
Misako Rocks!
Misako is a Japanese manga artist and manga teacher currently living in New Jersey. At age 19, she won a scholarship to come to America as an exchange student. Her first break came when The Onion decided to use her illustrations for their “Savage Love” column. Her autobiographical comic, Rock and Roll Love, was featured in the Best Teens Book List by NYPL. Her new manga graphic novel, Bounce Back was featured on the list of 2021 BEST GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR CHILDREN by the American Library Association.
Misako has taught manga drawing classes at The Metropolitan Museum, The Chapin School, and The Hewitt School in Manhattan, along with her private online lessons.
Robin Roe
Robin Roe has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, and a master’s from Harvard. Her debut novel, A List of Cages, was named one of the Best Books of the Year by Goodreads, EpicReads, The Texas Library Association, and Buzzfeed. Robin Roe counseled adolescents in Boston before she moved to Dallas to run a mentoring program for at-risk teens. She is now a full-time author.
Sandra Fernandez Rhoads
Sandra is the award-winning young adult fantasy author of the Colliding Line Series: Mortal Sight and Realms of Light. She was born in Queens, New York, to Cuban-Colombian parents but grew up in Texas with a love for classical art and literature, specifically Renaissance artists and Late Romantic poets. She attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned a degree in English. and then went on to earn an MA in her seventeenth-century crush, John Milton. Past experience also includes a background in acting and directing, as well as script writing for stage and short films.
Books
Website
@sfrhoadsauthor