The Walsh Brothers
Authors
The Walsh Brothers (Jim and John) are twins born in Cleveland and raised in the Sunshine State. They are nationally recognized child advocates and authors of The Ballad of Ronan, an urban fantasy comic published by Action Lab in 2020, and as a webcomic (The Stolen Child) in 2025. They are the creators of the Foster Children’s Project, a children’s law office in Palm Beach County, Florida that has been recognized by Congress with the Angels in Adoption award during the Obama administration; studied by the University of Chicago; named the best children’s office in the nation; and cited by the Federal Government when they decided to fund attorneys for children nationwide for the first time. They are founders of True North Child Advocates and co-hosts of the Children’s Law Podcast. Find out more about them at walshbrothersstudio.com.
What was your favorite book as a child?
The Lord of the Rings. One of the first books we read beyond comics. It’s the Beatles of fantasy fiction.
Who cool travel spots would you most highly recommend?
Ireland. It’s a quieter experience maybe than some places that would definitely be grander, like Paris or London. Dublin is a cool city but there are several places in Ireland where you can fly a falcon. It’s really not as expensive as it sounds and it is a once in a lifetime experience to have a falcon fly full speed towards you and land on your wrist. Few things can put you in touch with nature like that experience. Also, Ireland has the biggest scones you will ever find.
Creative Process:
We usually work in coffee shops. We talk out ideas and outline the plot. We usually go solo when we dialogue scenes and get back together and review what the other twin wrote.
Awards and honors:
Available for School Visits:
Location:
Delray Beach, FL
Specialties:
Published books:
The Stolen Child (Webtoon, 2025)
Forthcoming books:
Visit The Walsh Brothers at:
walshbrotherstudio.com
Instagram: the_walsh_brothers
Published Books
Peter T. Donahue
Authors
Peter T. Donahue is a graphic designer, educator, cartoonist, and color theorist with a passion for making color science accessible. His simple and creative explanations of color perception, mixing, and harmony have earned him millions of views on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Peter has consulted for major manufacturers, lectured for universities, and delivered keynotes on the intersection of design, education and color theory history. His work bridges historical systems with modern digital tools, helping designers refine their palettes with a deeper understanding of how color works.
Peter is an active member of the Inter-Society Color Council’s Color Literacy Project, an international team of scientists, educators, and artists developing free resources for meta-disciplinary color education. He is also a full-time art and design instructor at a private school.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Calvin and Hobbes was probably my favorite—we had all the books and I reread them multiple times. I loved the humor of course, but also Hobbes’ perspective on humanity, and Calvin’s limitless imagination.
What do you love to do for fun?
For fun, I collect occlupanids, better known as bread-bag clips. I’ve always been fascinated by little details hiding in everyday life. One day I discovered occlupanology was a thing—now I am always on the hunt for rare species!
Location:
Morris Plains, NJ
Visit Peter at:
Creative Process:
Much of my writing grows out of two lifelong fascinations: color, and the way people learn. During my twenty years as an English teacher, I was steeped in the idea that knowledge is socially constructed—that we make meaning together, through conversation and context. That way of thinking naturally seeped into my creative work. My science fiction novelette “Favorites from Here and Abroad” (Metaphorosis, 2019), for instance, explores what happens when a superintelligent AI is “adopted” by a family and asked to understand reality through human eyes.
In the last five years, I’ve turned that same curiosity toward color theory. I became intrigued not just by how colors mix on a palette, but by how our shared knowledge of color has been shaped by cultural and economic forces. Questions like “Why did Johannes Itten’s red-yellow-blue color wheel become the one every art student learns?” pulled me down rabbit holes of research. Because color science can turn highly technical very quickly, I’ve come to love the challenge of translating those complexities into stories that are clear, playful, and engaging for a broad audience.
Specialties:
Published books:
Forthcoming books:
Awards and honors:
Available for School Visits:
I haven’t done school/library visits as an author, but I have done color theory workshops. In my color theory workshops, I help students navigate color to better plan harmonies and predict paint mixtures.
C. G. Salamander
Authors
C. G. Salamander is a writer and graphic novelist who splits his time between Chennai, India and Groot-Ammers, The Netherlands. Working alongside co-creator Rajiv Eipe, he’s one half of the Maithili and the Minotaur series, the Lost Creatures Picture Book series, and the Nisha Small middle-grade novels. In addition to writing, he spends his time taking long walks in the Dutch countryside, gardening, or tinkering with recipes that don’t need tinkering. He also likes to cycle, travel the world, and was once bitten by a sea-turtle.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Tin Tin! Comics were hard to find in India in the 90s, but when I got my hands on my first Tin Tin, something clicked. I can still picture that Lama spitting on Captain Haddock, as well as hear his alliterating curses. Everything from the thin pencils, the pastel colors, the pages packed with panels, and the comic relief. It was masterful. I didn’t know it at the time, but it’d introduced me to my favourite literary format.
What cool travel spots would you most highly recommend?
I have a list! Vilnius in Lithuania is a woefully underrated city. There’s this secret beach called Vruja that I stumbled across in the Dalmatian coast (Croatia) – the water is VERY cold but hands down the prettiest coast I’ve visited. The Armenian church in Chennai because it’s an oasis of calm surrounded by chaos (I once worked as a tour guide and this is where I would take overstimulated tourists). Kampung Baru in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia – to see defiant (village) houses surrounded by skyscrapers (make sure you have the Nasi Lemak at Wanjo). The Molenlanden (translates to windmill land) it’s where I call home and it’s beautiful. The Gothenburg peninsular in Sweden, the South Island in New Zealand, Pittsburgh! I’m plagued by the thought of how short life is, in terms of the number of places I won’t get to see.
Available for School Visits:
In my presentations, I teach students how to convincingly build large fantastical worlds — drawing from myth, folktales and urban lore that’s indigenous to their geographies.
Creative Process:
I’m constantly bombarded with ideas, so it’s important not to note them down, no matter how interesting they may seem. I just let them slosh around in my mind, and if they’re truly memorable, I’ll start obsessing over them. What follows is a fair amount of research, and once that’s done, the characters, arc, plot, and title usually reveal themselves. Then it’s off to getting the first draft out, either in my notebook or on my computer. If I’m visited by a colossal thought—one with multiple arcs and a fair amount of world-building—I take my time and break it down to make it manageable. With our graphic novel series Maithili and the Minotaur (co-created with Rajiv Eipe), we split one big idea into three manageable arcs across seven books. When it comes to world-building, I’m always tempted to create a One Piece (Eiichiro Oda) sized world. But I find it more manageable to take a Discworld (Terry Pratchett) esque approach, where one big world serves as the backdrop for many stories. Makaras to Manticores: Around India in 100 Mythical Creatures (Hachette, 2023) catalogues mythical beings; The Lost Creatures picture book series (HarperCollins, 2025) gives each catalogued creature its own book; and finally, Maithili and the Minotaur (PRH, 2021–present) uses these creatures as part of the world-building. Ultimately, it all boils down to obsession. I can’t write if I’m not consumed by an idea. which is why, with commissions, the first thing I do is induce obsession through a lot of research.
Specialties:
Location:
Groot-Ammers, South Holland, Netherlands
Published books:
Maithili and the Minotaur: Web of Woe (Penguin, 2021)
Maithili and the Minotaur: Forest of Forgotten Fears (Penguin, 2022)
Nisha Small: The Knot of Gold (Duckbill Books PRH, 2022)
From Makaras to Manticores: Around India in 100 Beasts (Hachette, 2023)
Nisha Small: The Strand of Silver (Duckbill Books PRH, 2024)
Maithili and the Minotaur: Dolls of Despair (Penguin, 2024)
Tara’s Elephant 2nd Editon (Scholastic, 2025)
Song of the Asunam (Harper Collins, 2025)
Tiny Tale: Frank Goes to the Market 2nd Edition (Scholastic, 2025)
Tiny Tale: Amal Rides the Rails (Scholastic, 2025)
Astray in the Sundarbans (Room to Read, 2025)
Forthcoming books:
Maithili and the Minotaur: Isle of Insanity (Penguin, 2026)
Tiny Tale: Ajay’s Surprise (Scholastic, 2026)
Aalais Like the Hills (Harper Collins, 2026)
Awards and honors:
Bangalore Literature Prize (Children’s Fiction) – 2022
Parag Honour List – 2024
Visit C. G. at:
Published Books
Linda Booth Sweeney
Authors
I was born during an ice storm one New Year’s Eve. My siblings will never let me forget that my dad served burnt Spaghettios for dinner that night. As a kid, I always wanted to do anything the boys could do. I climbed trees (and have the scar to prove it). I played little league baseball. Dressed like a Minuteman, I was the first girl to march with the fife and drum corp. (Someday I’ll write a story about that).
Today I write fiction and non-fiction for kids, big and small. That means adults too! I’m also a complex systems expert and proud of it! Ms. Frizzle is my hero (see more below). My writing has appeared in numerous online platforms and magazines including PBS Learning Media and Highlights Magazine for Children. In addition to two rhyming picture books (published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers), and Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial (Cybil 2019 finalist, SLJ award- winner, 2020 Mass Book Award “Must Read), I’m the author of The Systems Thinking Playbook, The Climate Change Playbook, and When a Butterfly Sneezes: A guide for helping children explore interconnections in our world through favorite stories. My book of adapted folktales, Connected Wisdom: Living Stories about Living Systems, has been translated into ten languages and is currently being developed into an augmented reality app. I received my doctorate from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and I love hiking, playing the ukulele and fixing up my yellow 1974 Volkswagen Thing.
Art Process:
I keep notebooks everywhere. There’s one next to my bed. One in the kitchen. One in my pocketbook. One in the bathroom. And one in the glove compartment. You’ve heard of dream catchers? These are my idea catchers. I’ve learned to be ever-ready to stop and listen and take in the idea, or not. For me, I recognize a “good” idea, one I end up running with, because I usually have some physical reaction. I’m not sure I want to describe the quirky ways I react here but let’s just say, my kids think I’m a nut. They act embarrassed but secretly I think they’re proud. After all, I’m their nut.
The person I most want to meet?
Ms Frizzle, the crazy enthusiastic science teacher in the science series, The Magic School Bus. I am hands-down, a Ms. Frizzle fangirl.
OK. She’s a fictional science teacher, but she is my hero. I can’t get enough of how she owns her geeky enthusiasm for science. (I’m taking note). Then there’s the wacky print dresses, untamable curls, and that persuasive way she gets a whole class to go on crazy field trips! Unfortunately Joanna Cole, the author, of the Magic School Bus, passed away recently but I would love to meet Ms. Frizzle’s co-creator, illustrator Bruce Degan. Someday.
Specialties:
Available for School Visits:
Yes! I love to do school visits.
Here’s a description of one for my latest book, MONUMENT MAKER.
Know What You Love, Make What You Love: An In-person or Virtual Writing/Creative Workshop Inspired by Daniel Chester French, Sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial
Ages: Workshops: 8-12 | Read-Alongs: 2-5
I share a brief book talk, an inside look at the author’s process and hands-on writing/making activities, inspired by the award-winning picture book biography, MONUMENT MAKER. May have a guest visit by artist Shawn Fields. In-person workshops include a hands-on clay activity with workshop participants.
Awards and honors:
Cybil 2019 finalist, SLJ award- winner, 2020 Mass Book Award “Must Read”
Kirkus Starred Review 2024 – The Noisy Puddle
Kirkus Best of Picture Book 2024 list – The Noisy Puddle
Toronto Public Library 2024 First and Best Winner – The Noisy Puddle
Science Friday 2024 Best STEM Books for Kids – The Noisy Puddle
Evanston Public Library 2024 101 Great Books for Kids – The Noisy Puddle
Location:
Concord, MA
Published books:
Children’s:
– Do Bees Pee?, illustrated by Ariel Rutland (Harper Collins, 2026)
– The Noisy Puddle, illustrated by Miki Sato (OwlKids, 2024)
– Apart, Together, illustrated by Ariel Rutland (Harper Collins, 2023)
– Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial, illustrated by Shawn Fields (Tilbury House, 2019)
– When the Snow Falls, illustrated by Jana Christy (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2017)
– When the Wind Blows, illustrated by Jana Christy (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2015)
Adult:
– The Climate Change Playbook (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016)
– The Systems Thinking Playbook (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018)
– Connected Wisdom (SEED, 2011)
– When a Butterfly Sneezes: A Guide for Helping Children Explore Interconnections in our World Through Favorite Stories (Pegasus Communications, 2001)
Forthcoming books:
Visit Linda at:
Published Books
Briana Lawrence
Authors
Briana Lawrence has wanted to be a “WRITTER” since she was nine years old. Her fourth grade class laughed and wondered how one hoped to become a “writer” if they couldn’t even spell the word.
Years later (okay, like a decade and some change), Briana graduated from Iowa State University and moved to Minneapolis with her partner. Today, she is the Senior Features Editor at Crunchyroll where she works with an amazing team of writers to find ways to talk about how sports anime is good for your mental health (among other topics).
Briana has quite a few self-published works such as her Black, queer magical girl series magnifiqueNOIR. In 2024 she will be releasing two new books from two different publishers. In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure (Andrew McMeel Publishing) is her very first middle grade series. The Essential Manga Guide (Running Press, 2024) is a collection of essays that talk about the importance of manga and how you can find any kind of story you want within manga.
Briana lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her wife and three butthead cats. Here she enjoys exploring Hyrule, waiting for more information on Hades 2, and rewatching SK8 the Infinity for the hundredth time.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I don’t remember the name of it, but I do remember that it was a choose your own adventure style Super Mario Bros. book where you’d get to a certain point in the story, have to make a decision, and turn to the page that correlated with the decision you made. Besides that book, I remember reading a LOT of Sweet Valley High and The Baby-Sitter’s Club.
What is your favorite food?
Baked macaroni and cheese
What do you love to do for fun?
Yell at my TV when a video game gets too hard, lol!
What cool travel spots would you most highly recommend?
Las Vegas for the food and for the random discoveries you can find, like the quirky Omega Mart or the botanical gardens at The Bellagio.
Who or what inspires you the most, and why?
My older brother died when I was 13. Ever since then I find myself wondering what he’d think of me now, so I try and live in a way that he’d be proud of — or at the very least call me a dork about, lol.
Location:
St Paul, MN
You also love anime and video games. Do you have any specific memories from those two mediums that have helped you as a writer?
I’ll pick a game one and an anime one for this. I remember watching someone play the very first Legend of Zelda game and being in awe because it really did feel like you were going on an epic quest. I remember watching them travel around, have to find clues and things like that, and it was really cool seeing what kind of stories video games could tell. With anime, I remember watching Sailor Moon and how much it impacted me, because it was the first time I remember seeing an entire group of girls be the heroes of the story. I’d seen teams with girls/women involved, like Power Rangers and X-Men, but Sailor Moon was the first time it was ALL girls. Like… I didn’t know that was an option!
Art Process:
Without fail, there is always at least one cat in the area when I’m writing. Whether I’m in my office or in the living room with my laptop I’m guaranteed to see at least one of our three cats in the area.
I generally write to music, but something about the early mornings makes it easier to write in silence. When I’m writing a story I outline the whole thing first, from beginning to end, along with character descriptions and key scenes so I have some kind of guide to look back at. Car rides with my wife are very necessary so I can talk about what I’m planning while eating either ice cream or chicken nuggets.
Awards and honors:
Nothing yet!
Mediums:
Specialties:
Action-adventure, Anime, Cosplay, Fan fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Indie comics, LGBTQ+, Manga, Middle Grade, Picture books, Pop culture conventions, Slice-of-life, Video games, Writing, Young Adult
Forthcoming books:
Published books:
In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2024)
The Essential Manga Guide: 50 Series Every Manga Fan Should Know (Running Press, 2024)
Gamer Girls: Retro Rhythms (Andrews McMeel, 2024)
In Search of the Pinmaker: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure (Andrews McMeel, 2025)
Visit Briana at:
www.brishouldbewriting.com/
www.twitter.com/BrichibiTweets
www.instagram.com/brichibi
www.bsky.app/profile/brichibisky.bsky.social
Available for School Visits:
Occasionally I’ve done panels/presentations at schools about diversity in writing, but these were at colleges. I’ve also done conventions and events that let me have a table to sell my work.
I would definitely be up for more school/library visits and events where I could talk about diversity in writing, or in the case of the manga book, the kinds of stories that are available in that medium.
Published Books
Gibson Twist
Authors
Gibson Twist is a spicy bean from Atlantic Canada, currently living in St Louis, Missouri. His long-running 8-volume webcomic series Pictures of You received critical acclaim for its rich characters and honesty with sensitive subjects, reaching a diverse audience and continuing to make its cult following cry years after its conclusion. More recently, his graphic novel Queer Drunk Punk Romance, aimed at new adult audiences, has received glowing praise from queer and non-queer readers alike. He is currently working with his partner Rori on a graphic novel adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights for Andrews McMeel and History Comics: The Titanic for First Second Books, as well as other stories for gloomy teens of all ages and genders.
What do you love to do for fun?
I enjoy traveling without a map, landing somewhere new and exploring it until I figure out what makes it hum, or being run out of town.
What cool travel spots would you most highly recommend?
Times Square on New Year’s Eve and a drive through the Canadian Rockies can’t be beat, for the most different reasons possible.
Specialties:
Art Process:
Gibson thinks his ideas up in the shower and enters a warp spasm fugue state until the work is done, screaming the whole time, remembering nothing, and running from police.
Location:
St. Louis, MO
Mediums:
pen and ink
Forthcoming books:
Pictures of You Books 7-8 (self-published)
Wuthering Heights (Andrews McMeel, Fall 2025)
History Comics: The Titanic (First Second Books, Fall 2026)
Warriors: untitled (Harper Collins, 2027)
Warriors: untitled (Harper Collins, 2028)
Published books:
Pictures of You Books 1-6 currently in print
Books 1-8 published digitally, self-published.
Warriors: The New Prophecy (Harper Collins, 2026)
Visit Gibson at:
Published Books
Marissa Walsh
Authors
Marissa Walsh is the author of the sort-of memoir Girl With Glasses (Simon and Schuster) and the sort-of YA novel A Field Guide To High School (Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books); the co-author of the possible cult classic Tipsy In Madras: (Perigee/Penguin); and the editor of the YA anthologies Not Like I’m Jealous Or Anything (Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books) and Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
Her shorter work has been published in a random assortment of places: The Awl (RIP!); English Journal; Identity Theory; SMITH Magazine (not affiliated with the college!); INVISION Magazine, where she was a writer and the (eyeglass) frames reviewer for two years; and in her self-published print zine, Indignant Gingham.
She was an editor at Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books for many years, and also worked on the other side as a literary agent, and on the other, other side as a bookseller (at the amazing, but sadly defunct, Mobile Libris). She has also taught writing classes at Gotham Writers’ Workshop and North Shore Community College (MA), and organized book fairs, writers’ conferences and special events at the (former) Small Press Center/New York Center for Independent Publishing.
Marissa has read and hosted readings at various venues in New York City. She’s also worked in politics, and as a terrible (terrible!) waitress.
She currently serves on the board of My Brother’s Table, a soup kitchen in Lynn, Massachusetts.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I loved Charlotte’s Web and Anne of Green Gables; all of Judy Blume and M. E. Kerr; Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden and Encyclopedia Brown mysteries; Richard Scarry; and Pippi Longstocking!
What is your favorite food?
My favorite food is chocolate, but ice cream comes in a close second, and I ate a lot of ice cream (as research, of course) for One Scoop or Two!
Mediums:
Specialties:
Available for School Visits:
I love speaking to classes and student groups. I am currently developing a Make-Your-Own-Zine Workshop for ages 12 and up!
Art Process:
Forthcoming books:
One Scoop or Two? (And Other Ice Cream Questions), (Union Square & Co./Sterling, 2026)
Published books:
–Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? (editor, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin, 2008)
–A Field Guide to High School, (Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books, 2007)
–Girl with Glasses: My Optic History, (Simon Spotlight Entertainment/Simon and Schuster, 2006)
–Not Like I’m Jealous or Anything: The Jealousy Book (editor, Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books, 2006)
–Tipsy in Madras: A Complete Guide to 80s Preppy Drinking (co-authored, Perigee/Penguin, 2004)
Location:
Visit Marissa at:
Awards and honors:
A Field Guide to High School
· A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age 2008
Girl With Glasses: My Optic History
· A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age 2007
Not Like I’m Jealous or Anything: The Jealousy Book
· A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age 2007
Tipsy in Madras: A Complete Guide to 80s Preppy Drinking
· Boston Globe bestseller
Published Books
Desi St. Amant
Authors
Desi is a Latinx writer based in Southern California. As a child, she spent her free time climbing trees, chasing chickens, and exploring the lush foliage of her grandparents’ backyard while replaying scenes from her favorite movies. Today, she teaches high school English. As a member of SCBWI, she does monthly critiques with other experienced writers and shares exciting member news on their quarterly newsletter. She has had poems featured on Aaduna and Virgogrey Press. Currently, she writes middle-grade stories (fantasy and contemporary–sometimes a little of both).
When she isn’t writing or teaching, she is spending quality time with her family, playing board games, going on long runs, listening to podcasts, maintaining a residential beehive, and dancing traditional hula. Sometimes–if she’s lucky–she even gets sleep.
What do you love to do for fun?
I love hula dancing and making memes (it’s therapeutic).
What was your favorite book as a child?
I LOVED The Baby-sitter’s Club series and the Goosebumps series as a kid. Those books completely sucked me in and made me fall in love with reading.
Available for School Visits:
I love to visit schools and strive to make it as engaging as possible. Regardless of the book, I incorporate interactive components, such as honeycomb and beekeeping equipment for Three Bee Honey or a hula-dancing lesson for In the Middle of the Sea. I use multimedia (images and videos) of elements that inspired the story, have students play trivia games, and even lead writing exercises to help them find and develop their own stories.
Art Process:
I do a TON of brainstorming (and sometimes drafting) in a dedicated notebook for that story. Once I have an idea or concept, I create mind maps, lists, and freewrite to see what ideas come out in a short burst of time. As a parent and teacher, life is extremely busy, so every minute is precious. I have to steal time from the margins of my days (#momlife). For instance, when I garden or go on runs, I work through scenes in my head. While my kids are engaged in karate or baseball practice, I brainstorm chapters and draft dialogue. Finding a balance is a challenge, but if I am patient and steadfast, I can see some meaningful progress and growth.
One thing that is a must-have for getting into the “zone” is playing music while I write. I have to tune out all of the other background noise and let the music help me focus on the story. The selection depends on my mood or the mood of that scene in the story. If it is a happy/upbeat scene, instrumental Disney music is great. Other music I love to play in the background: LoFi HipHop Beats, any instrumental jazz (like John Coltrane), and Hawaiian music.
Location:
Visit Desi at:
Specialties:
Published Books:
Forthcoming Books:
Steve Metzger
Authors
Steve Metzger is the award-winning author of many children’s books, including Detective Blue (SLJ starred review) and Pluto Visits Earth (Children’s Choice Book Awards Nominee). The first book in his graphic-novel series, The Bumble Brothers (illustrated by Brian Schatell), was published in Fall 2022. While growing up, he enjoyed being silly, which sometimes got him in trouble at school. Now that he’s a grown-up, he (mostly) keeps out of trouble by writing silly books. Steve lives with his family in New York City.
What was your favorite book as a child?
When I was a young child, I loved The Red Carpet by Rex Parkin. It’s a wild, rhyming read-aloud about a carpet that keeps rolling…and rolling…and rolling all through the town…
Awards and honors:
The Way I Act: (Parenting Press) Winner of the Gold Award in the illustrated children’s book category of Book Design of the Publishers Association of the West; Approved for classroom use by the California Reading Association.
Detective Blue: (Scholastic) Starred Review (SLJ); Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Nominee; IRA-CBC Children’s Choice Nominee: Kansas Bill Martin Jr. Children’s Book Award Nominee; Colorado Children’s Book Nominee.
Pluto Visits Earth!: (Scholastic) ABC Best Books for Children catalog.
Yes, I Can Listen: (Chicago Review Press) Eureka! Honor Award from the California Reading Association.
Bank Street Alumni Association Award
Location:
What cool travel spots would you most highly recommend?
Nothing too exotic here: Jamaica, Venice, Paris, Florence, Yellowstone National Park, and the Grand Canyon.
Published Books:
We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt (Scholastic, 2005)
The Great Turkey Race (Scholastic, 2006)
The Mixed-Up Alphabet (Scholastic, 2007)
Skeleton Meets the Mummy (Scholastic, 2010)
The Way I Act (Parenting Press, 2011)
The Dancing Clock (Tiger Tales, 2011)
Detective Blue (Scholastic, 2011)
The Ice Cream King (Tiger Tales, 2011)
Pluto Visits Earth! (Scholastic, 2012)
The Turkey Train (Scholastic, 2012)
Lincoln and Grace: Why Abraham Lincoln Grew a Beard (Scholastic, 2013)
This Is the House that Monsters Built (Scholastic, 2016)
Toto’s Story (self-published chapter book, 2016)
Princess Kitty (HarperCollins, 2017)
Yes, I Can Listen! (Chicago Review Press, 2019)
Turn Off Your Silly Phone! (Koehler Books, 2020)
Thankful Animals, Thankful Me (Familius, 2022)
The Bumble Brothers: Crazy for Comics! (Reycraft, 2022)
The Bumble Brothers: The Not-So-Secret Clubhouse! (Reycraft, 2023)
The Bumble Brothers: Frabbit: Birth of a Superhero! (Reycraft, 2025)
Forthcoming Books:
Visit Steve at:
www.stevemetzgerbooks.com
www.facebook.com/stevemetzgerbooks
www.twitter.com/SMetzgerbooks
Goodreads: Steve Metzger
Available for School Visits:
My program (PreK – 5th Grade) features:
Award-winning picture books, including The Way I Act, Detective Blue, and Yes, I Can Listen!
Science connections are made with Pluto Visits Earth!
The power of writing is emphasized through Lincoln and Grace: Why Abraham Lincoln Grew a Beard.
The six traits of writing, especially “point of view,” is communicated through Toto’s Story: My Amazing Adventures with Dorothy in Oz.
An engaging PowerPoint presentation: the process of how a picture book is created–from idea to publication.
Published Books
Ed Masessa
Authors
Born in nineteen something, I am the second oldest of 10 children. I was raised in the small town of Middlesex, NJ and attended Rutgers University. As anyone who has met me can attest to, I live by the mantra “Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.” Formerly employed as a grease monkey, office cleaner, fast food manager, forklift operator, warehouse supervisor, sales rep, and automotive purchasing manager, I retired from Scholastic Book Fairs in 2016 where I was responsible for selecting many of the books that appeared on the fairs. While on the surface, it appears that I was unqualified for such a critical role, I earned my stripes through hard work and LOTS of reading – and I mean LOTS!
Twenty or so years ago, I turned to the wonderful memories of my childhood and began to write. My second book, The Wandmaker’s Guidebook, had a nine-week run on the NY Times Bestseller list, two weeks at #1! Now a full-time writer, I remain active in the Kidlit community by participating in library, reading, and writing conferences throughout the year, and by visiting schools to share my writing techniques with students. And I am an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard
Who are your favorite children’s authors?
Jack Gantos, Neal Shusterman, and Jennifer Holm
Available for School Visits:
I love doing school visits! I can do up to three presentations in the same day that include grades 1-2 for picture books and early readers and grades 3-6 for my writing process and novels. Presentations can be customized from 20-45 minutes and only a laptop with a projector is needed (plus a microphone for large audiences). Fees are highly flexible.
Visit Ed at:
Specialties:
Action-adventure, Board books, Fantasy, Humor, Indie comics, Manga, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Picture books, Sci-fi, Slice-of-life, Writing, Young Adult
Location:
Creative Process:
I need to write outdoors. There’s something about sitting in a park, or near a lake, or by the gently rolling waves of the Florida surf that allows my mind to wander and opens it to unconstrained thoughts. This is especially helpful since I am an extreme pantser – that is, I write by the seat of my pants. I find it impossible to create an outline other than a general synopsis of the beginning, middle, and end of a book. I am constantly amazed at what has taken shape on the page at the end of my writing block of time. I love when I can look at my words and say, “Wow! I never saw THAT coming!”
I also hand-write everything and every project has its own notebook. My first pass at revision is when I sit down to type what I’ve written into a word doc.
Awards and honors:
The Wandmaker’s Guidebook:
#1 NY Times bestseller for four weeks
ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
Wandmaker:
Parent’s Choice Award for “Fun Stuff”
Wandmaker’s Apprentice:
Florida Book Awards gold medal in the middle grade category
Scarecrow Magic:
starred review from PW
Published books:
Backpack Kitty Goes to Camp (Scholastic, 2005)
The Wandmaker’s Guidebook (Tangerine Press, 2006)
Time Traveler’s Journal (Scholastic, 2007)
Real Life Monsters (Canopy Books, 2009)
Travel-size Pups Around the World (Scholastic, 2012)
Mixed-up Pups (Scholastic, 2013)
Scarecrow Magic (Orchard Books, 2015)
Wandmaker (Scholastic, 2016)
Wandmaker’s Apprentice (Scholastic, 2017)
Pumpkin Magic (Scholastic, 2020)
There Was an Old Dog Who Needed a Nap (Newmark Learning/Reycraft, 2021)
Snowman’s Big Adventure (Newmark Learning/Reycraft, 2021)
Published Book
