Connie Colwell Miller is a writer, editor, and teacher who lives and works in Mankato, Minnesota. She studied writing at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and went on to earn her Masters in Fine Arts in creative writing at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she won an award for her poetry manuscript. She has written over 25 books for kids and published parenting essays and poetry online and in journals around the country. She spends her free time goofing around with her husband and three young, highly spirited children.
A former high school teacher with a background in biochemistry and more than 10 years of experience in cytogenetic laboratories, Kristi Lew specializes in taking complex scientific information and making it fun and interesting for scientists and non-scientists alike. She is the author of more than 20 science books for children and teachers.
Megan Cooley Peterson is a children's book author and editor. Her book How To Build Hair-Raising Haunted Houses (Capstone Press, 2011) was selected as a Book of Note by the TriState Young Adult Review Committee. Megan's love of animals began at an early age. Her childhood home was filled with animals, including two cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, a salamander, and four dogs. When not writing, Megan enjoys movies, books, and all things Halloween. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and daughter.
Chris lives in Danvers, Massachusetts, in the neighborhood where the Salem Witch Trials occurred. He lives there with his wife, daughter, son, and two cats, Molly and Murray, and enjoys spending time with his family. When Chris is not writing, he is busy teaching middle school students in Natick, Massachusetts, reading, playing guitar, or learning more about his favorite subject, American history.
Danielle currently lives in Michigan with her husband, three children, and golden retriever, Berry. Her favorite animals are horses and frogs. She loves to ride horses and wishes a horse would fit in her backyard. For Danielle, summer wouldn’t be summer without catching toads and frogs! When not hunting amphibians, Danielle plays her flute, coaches volleyball, photographs nature, and volunteers at her children’s schools.
Karen M. Leet loves to write—she knew by the time she turned 10 that she would be a writer! She has sold more than 600 stories and articles. When she's not writing, she loves to read, especially mysteries and adventure stories.
Karen lives in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky where there are horses, horses and more horses. She loves animals, even slimy and scaly ones, and has owned plenty of pets. Karen enjoys writing about disasters, terrible weather, and animals nobody likes. If it's gross and disgusting, she's fascinated by it!
Cheryl Blackford is an award-winning freelance technical writer. She was born in England and attended Durham University. She moved to the United States with her husband and two children and now lives in Minnesota. Cheryl won the 2009 Shabo award for one of her picture book stories. Her fiction picture book about a very hungry coyote will be published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press in 2015. Cheryl and her husband are the proud owners of a 1966 MG Midget sports car. Painted in British racing green, the MG has been restored to its original condition and almost never breaks down.
Hans Hetrick lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of "Play Baseball Like a Pro: Key Skills and Tips", "Hydroplanes", "Sport Bikes", and many other children's books. He is a published poet and writes about sports and music for The Sports Banks.net and Chicago Now. Hans is a proud member of the Chicago Hounds, which is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Baseball Association.
