REBECCA J. ALLEN grew up with her nose stuck in magical stories like A Wrinkle in Time and The Hobbit. Now, she writes middle grade stories that blend mystery and adventure and young adult stories with kickbutt heroines. Her latest novels, Cole Champion Is Not Super and Cole Champion Takes on the Villains are STEM superhero adventures. She’s also the author of Showtime Sabotage & Math Test Mischief, middle grade mysteries published under the pseudonym Verity Weaver by Jolly Fish Press. You can find Rebecca on her website or on Twitter and Instagram as @RebeccaJ_Allen.
Author JULIE ARTZ writes stories for children that feature the natural world, folklore, mythology, history, and all that is magical about those things. Her short story, “The Wending Way,” appeared in Beyond the Latch and Lever, a speculative anthology for emerging authors with ties to the Pacific Northwest. In addition to contributing to The Winged Pen and Middle Grade at Heart, she works as an editor and Author Accelerator-certified fiction and nonfiction book coach and mentors in Pitch Wars and Teen Pit. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
When HALLI GOMEZ was young, she planned three careers: law enforcement, teacher, and writer. For 17 years she worked as an intelligence analyst for police departments in Florida and North Carolina. Now, as a fourth degree black belt in taekwondo, she teaches martial arts and is inspired by her students’ stories and dedication. She also writes for children and young adults because those voices flow through her brain. Halli is published in Police Chiefmagazine and won third place in two SCBWI Carolinas Writing Contests. Halli was born in New York, but grew up in Florida until chased out by hurricanes and now lives equidistant between the beaches and mountains of North Carolina. She is represented by Deborah Warren of East West Literary. You can find Halli on Twitter and at halligomez.com
KARIN LEFRANC is the author of the monstrously delicious picture book I WANT TO EAT YOUR BOOKS and is hard at work on a middle grade novel about a timid girl who must find the courage to go back in time to save her ancestor, the mighty warrior Beowulf. You can find her on Twitter.
RICHELLE MORGAN writes, works, plays and drinks too much coffee in Portland, Oregon, often in the company of her husband and their three spirited children. When not writing fiction for young adults and children, she pens fundraising letters and other marketing copy for progressive nonprofit organizations. Richelle keeps an occasional blog about nonprofit marketing and communication. She has also written feature articles for The Oregonian, and her short fiction has appeared in Voicecatcher. You can find her on Twitter.