Interview Tuesdays

Tom was born and raised in Southern New Jersey. Growing up in rural America, Tom has a deep sense of community - when our families, neighbors, farmers, local businesses, and organizations all work in concert to support one another, it strengthens us individually and collectively. Tom relishes opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with his local community. ​​As a gay dad and a father of BIPOC daughters, Tom is committe...

Lija Fisher is the author of funny adventure novels for kids that explore the world of cryptozoology, or the search for legendary animals that might be real. Her debut novel. THE CRYPTID CATCHER (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) received a starred review from Booklist and was a Junior Library Guild Selection. The sequel, THE CRYPTID KEEPER, was written while Lija was the Writer in Residence with Aspen Words and was a finalist for the C...

Isabelle Knight is the middle-grade fantasy author of the Enchantria series, which she began writing at age ten and published during her middle school years. A lifelong book and cat lover, she now resides somewhere in a book-filled apartment, surrounded by an unimaginable number of stuffed pandas and enough books to start her own bookstore. When she’s not writing about creepy shadows, daring heroines, and magical adventures, ...

After years of professional writing, private equity attorney Jeff Dorrill decided it was time to write something a little different. Switching gears from his experience writing law review articles, including over thirty-five pieces for publication in SMU Law Review, Baylor Law Review, and Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law, Jeff wanted to write something that would be read for fun.Growing up, Jeff combined the skills and l...

Haven Iverson is an author of children's literature living in Boulder, Colorado. She received her MFA as a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Austin. Slow Down, Tumbleweed (Sounds True, 2021) was her first published children’s book, and her next book, Into the Wilderness, which received a Kirkus starred review, is forthcoming from Macmillan in March 2026. Learn more at https://haveniverson.c...

Alexandra Diaz is the award winning children’s book author of The Only Road and its sequel, The Crossroads, and also Santiago’s Road Home and Farewell Cuba, mi isla. Along with her mother, she translated the four books into Spanish, El único destino, La encrucijada, La travesía de Santiago, and Hasta siempre Cuba, mi isla. The Only Road is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Pura Belpré Honor and Américas Aw...

Melissa Taylor is a mom of two girls, an education blogger & writer, a children’s book expert, a former award-winning bilingual teacher with an M.A. in Education, a former literacy trainer for teachers, and a passionate advocate for literacy, representation in children’s literature, and high-quality education. She has taught ESL, bilingual kindergarten, bilingual 4/5, 4th, and 5th grades, and coached teachers in K-1...

Claudia Rueda is a Colombian author and a New York Times Best Seller illustrator of over thirty picture books. Rueda's books have been published in the United States, Mexico, and Spain and have been translated into seventeen different languages. She’s a 2016 Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren Awards nominee. Claudia went to Law and Art school and worked as a political cartoonist in Colombia. She then studied Children...

Olivia Abtahi is a proud Iranian Argentinian American. Her debut novel, Perfectly Parvin, was published in 2021, receiving the SCBWI Golden Kite Honor, YALSA Odyssey Honor, and numerous starred reviews. Her sophomore novel, Azar on Fire, was published in August 2022 and is a SLJ pick. Olivia's third novel, Twin Flames, is a New Visions Award winner and published in August 2024. The Interpreter is her first picture book, receiving f...

Rebecca K. Morrison was born in Iran, immigrated to the United States in her teens, and now lives in the Washington, DC, area. In 2020, after practicing law for over two decades, Rebecca decided to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Newsweek, The Independent and HuffPost, among others. Her debut novel, The Blue Dress, based on her childhood as an Irani...

Amy Seto Forrester (she/her) is passionate about diverse, engaging books for developing readers. She draws on a decade of experience as a children’s librarian, a background in the performing arts, and a lifelong love of puzzles, mazes, and all forms of interactive learning. Amy served on the 2016 Geisel Award Committee. She has written pieces for Booklist, School Library Journal, and Calling Caldecott. She currently reviews f...

Nicholas Manning is an educator and writer passionate about nurturing emotional growth through literature. Drawing on twelve years of teaching middle school language arts and experience illustrating children's books, he now authors Angel Among Us. Inspired by his mother's passing and written for his twin sons, this book serves as a gentle, visually engaging resource to help children process loss and grief. Nicholas lives in Pittsbu...

Dan Gemeinhart lives in a small town smack dab in the middle of Washington state with his wife and three young daughters. He was lucky and grateful to be a teacher-librarian in an elementary school for thirteen years, where he got to share awesome books with awesome kids. He loves camping, cooking and traveling. He also plays guitar (badly) and reads (constantly). His house is always a mess. He is really pretty darn happy. 

Lea...

Kathy Kacer is a multiple award-winning author whose books have sold in over twenty countries and have been translated into many languages. Her novels are stories of hope, courage, and humanity in the face of overwhelming adversity.

These days, in addition to writing, she speaks to young people in schools and libraries around the world, about the importance of understanding the Holocaust and keeping its memory alive. She also speaks...

Donna Galanti wanted to be a writer ever since she attended an English school, housed in a magical castle, where her wild imagination was held back only by her itchy uniform (bowler hat and tie included!).

She is the author of middle-grade books with the Unicorn Island series, Joshua and the Lightning Road series, and Loon Cove Summer. She’s also the author of the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy for adults. She has lived i...

Mari Mancusi is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty sci-fi/fantasy books for kids, teens and adults and an Emmy award winning former TV news producer. Her series have been selected for major state reading lists as well as the Scholastic Book Fairs and have been honored by the American Library Association as “Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers." In addition to writing, Mari loves to travel...

Kathy Akopov Guillory grew up in the USSR and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was nine years old. She struggled to make friends at a new school in an entirely new country and leaned on her grandma, Baba Emma, for support, which inspired her book The Adventures of Belle Bear. By day, she is a marketing consultant who lives in Maine with her husband, Chris; daughters, Emma and Eleanor; and their two...