ND Stevenson is the award-winning, bestselling author and illustrator of Nimona, The Fire Never Goes Out, and the upcoming Scarlet Morning, as well as the co-creator of Lumberjanes and the showrunner for the Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
Lee Wind writes the books (teen fiction, nonfiction for ages 11 and up, and picture books) that would have changed his life as a young Gay Jewish kid. His latest picture book inspired by history and social justice is Like That Eleanor illustrated by Kelly Mangan (Cardinal Rule Press). Foreword Reviews cheered, “This warm picture book provides a primer on allyship.” Lee received the 2025 BISG Industry Champion Award for co-founding We Are Stronger Than Censorship, a program that buys and donates two books to offset every one book challenge.
Dr. Audrey Barbakoff is an award-winning librarian whose childhood brimmed with Jewish stories and humor. She loves to make kids laugh by sharing her favorite old folktales in new ways. Despite holding a doctorate in education and a master’s degree in library and information science, she feels right at home in Chelm. Audrey lives in a creaky old farmhouse on Bainbridge Island, Washington, with her husband and son, a dog named after a children’s book character, and a flock of chickens led by Attila the Hen.
Dr. John Hutton is a pediatrician whose pioneering, MRI-based research has helped understand impacts of shared reading and screen time on skills, relationships and brain development in children, featured widely in outlets ranging from blogs to the Today Show. In addition to scientific articles, he has published over 50 children’s books, many with health and parenting themes, including screen time, interactive reading and how the heart and brain work. He works closely with national reading advocacy groups and is co-author of AAP Literacy Promotion guidelines. Pre-COVID, Dr. Hutton owned blue manatee children’s bookstore for almost 20 years.
Nicole Magistro is a leader in the book industry who specializes in entreprenuership and financial models for success in independent bookselling. Now an active advisor for start-ups around the country, Nicole owned and operated The Bookworm of Edwards for nearly two decades. She is the author of Read Island, winner of the Colorado Book Award for Children’s Literature and an IndieNext pick. Her forthcoming picture book will be published by Sourcebooks eXplore.
Christine Alemshah (she/her) is a biracial Filipina-American children’s author and classically trained vocalist; she is the author of Bea’s Balikbayan Box of Treasures. Christine writes children’s picture books championing innovation and celebrating multiculturalism, often with musical or percussive vibes. She hopes readers will see themselves in the stories she writes. Christine studied psychology and music, earning a bachelor of arts degree from Whittier College. When not writing, Christine enjoys singing karaoke and reading with her husband and two daughters under cozy blankets at their Lake Forest, California, home.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty acclaimed young adult novels, including The Inheritance Games, The Hawthorne Legacy, The Final Gambit, The Brothers Hawthorne, The Grandest Game, Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals, The Lovely and the Lost, and The Naturals series: The Naturals, Killer Instinct, All In, Bad Blood, and the novella, Twelve. Jen is also a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2012 and was a professor of psychology and professional writing at the University of Oklahoma for many years.
Andrea Beaty is the author of many beloved children’s books, including the bestselling Questioneers series; I Love You Like Yellow; Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau; and One Girl. She lives just outside Chicago.
Clelia Castro-Malaspina is the author of books for teens and children, including Your Freedom, Your Power: A Kid’s Guide to the First Amendment. Kirkus called this book “current, insightful and savvy,” and in its starred review, Booklist asserted that the book “empowers kids.” Clelia has been an attorney and a literary agent, and currently runs her children’s book editorial business, Mossy Pines Creative. She lives on Mercer Island Washington, an island suburb of Seattle, with her husband and two daughters.
Helena Haywoode Henry is a mom of three and a former attorney living in the Raleigh-Durham area. Helena graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and from NYU School of Law Last Chance Live! is her first novel. (Indies Introduce Author)
Brenda Maier is a writer, mother of five, public school teacher, and board member of OAGCT, the Oklahoma chapter of the National Association for Gifted Children. Among her books for young readers are The Little Red Fort and The Little Blue Bridge, both of which have been named to notable reading lists. She lives in Oklahoma with her family and enjoys visiting classrooms around the country to share her passion for reading and writing. See more about Brenda at BrendaMaier.com
Ruby Martinez is a Mexican American writer of primarily adult and YA fantasy. She stuffs her books full of magic, romance, and mental health rep. Like most authors, she puts her characters through the ringer, but her stories will always have happy endings. Her debut novel, An Embroidery of Souls, is scheduled to release with Knopf BFYR in fall, 2025. (Indies Introduce Author)
Sarah J. Mendonca is a Portuguese American author of magical books about misfits finding their own way in the world. Raised on her father's bedtime stories, Sarah started writing about monsters at age eight and hasn't stopped since. You can find her haunting dark forests, lurking in bookshops, or buried underneath her enormous tea collection. (Indies Introduce Author)
Susan Metallo is a neurodivergent author and youth services librarian. Reasons to Hate Me, her debut novel, won the SCBWI Work-in-Progress Award for Young Adult Fiction and the Seven Hills Literary Contest and was honored by Book Pipeline and the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards. She serves as regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in New Mexico. (Indies Introduce Author)
She is the New York Times- and USA Today-bestselling author of multiple books for teens, including the historical romantasy duology Witch and Hunter, cowritten with Beth Revis; as well as romances for adults, such as The Nightmare before Kissmas and Go Luck Yourself.
Cassandra Ramos-Gomez is a Mexican American writer focused on creating middle grade and young adult fiction that centers Latinx experiences. She has a master’s degree in education and an undergraduate degree in art history and has taught middle school language arts and social studies. She currently lives in Texas with her husband and two kids. Her hobbies include painting, collecting animal bones, and playing Minecraft with her kids. Lost on Doll Island is her middle-grade debut. (Indies Introduce Author)
Brad Riew is an MFA candidate in Fiction at New York University's creative writing program. He graduated from Harvard College in 2018 with a degree in Psychology, where he won the Ecker Short Story Prize. The Last Tiger, co-written with his younger sister Julia Riew, is his first novel. Brad lives in Brooklyn, New York. (Indies Introduce Author)
Julia Riew is a writer, librettist, and composer-lyricist best known for Shimcheong: A Folktale which is currently in development for the stage. In addition to the recipient of the 2022 Fred Ebb Award for Musical Theater Songwriting, Julia has been Playbill’s Featured Songwriter of the Month, a Woman to Watch on Broadway, and a Princess Grace Award Honoraria recipient. (Indies Introduce Author)
Marker Snyder is an illustrator, designer, and graphic artist currently based in Kingston, New York, where he lives in a rainbow house with his husband, two cats, and a very friendly turtle. Formerly a curator and exhibition designer in NYC, he now works primarily on developing illustrated projects for kids — from picture books through middle grade. Visit him online at www.drawingwithmarker.com.
Joanne Yi grew up in Orange County, California, and currently resides in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of California San Diego and holds an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking, horror films, Korean dramas, and spicy food. You can visit Joanne online at JoanneYi.com and on Instagram @WritingJoJo. (Indies Introduce Author)