2021 A3 Book Month Participants
Alice (she/her) is a recovering lawyer from the Canadian Rockies. She’s lived in Paris, Beijing, Stockholm, and Hong Kong, and now calls London, UK home. Most days you can find her at her writing desk with her Hong Kong rescue pooch by her feet and her elderly deaf, blind, and nap-enamored pug by her side.
SOUL AFFINITY is her Kickstarter crowd-funded debut novel.
Abigail Hing Wen is the New York Times Best Selling Author of Loveboat, Taipei, a romantic comedy following the journey of Ever Wong in her summer in Taipei. Loveboat, Taipei has been optioned for film by ACE Entertainment. Abigail holds a BA from Harvard, a JD from Columbia Law School, and an MFA from the Vermont School of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing stories or listening to her favorite scores, she is busy working in artificial intelligence in Silicon Valley, where she lives with her husband and two sons.
For more information: www.abigailhingwen.com
Adiba Jaigirdar is the author of The Henna Wars and Hani & Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating. A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher, she has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland. All of her writing is aided by tea, and a healthy dose of Janelle Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko. When not writing, she is probably ranting about the ills of colonialism, playing video games, or expanding her overflowing lipstick collection. She can be found at adibajaigirdar.com or @adiba_j on Twitter and @dibs_j on Instagram.
Aliette de Bodard writes speculative fiction: she has won three Nebula Awards, a Locus Award and four British Science Fiction Association Awards, and was a double Hugo finalist. Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by precolonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She lives in Paris.
Amy M. Le was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States in 1980 at the age of five with her mother and cousin. She graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Sociology and worked in the technology and telecommunications sector for twenty years. After her mother’s death in February 2017, Amy left her corporate job to write her debut novel SNOW IN VIETNAM as a tribute to her mother’s heroic decision to flee Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. Amy calls the Pacific Northwest and Oklahoma her home.
Andrea Wang is the award-winning author of picture books The Nian Monster (Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor) and Magic Ramen (Freeman Book Award Honor). She has two books releasing in 2021: Watercress (JLG Gold Standard Selection, starred reviews from BCCB, BookPage, Horn Book, Kirkus, PW, and SLJ); and The Many Meanings of Meilan, her debut middle grade novel. Her work explores culture, creative thinking, and identity. She is also the author of seven nonfiction titles for the library and school market. Andrea holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing for Young People. She lives in the Denver area with her family.
Axie Oh is a first-generation Korean American born in NYC and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California San Diego and holds an MFA in writing for young people from Lesley University. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea. She currently resides in Las Vegas, NV, with her puppy, Toro.
Benson Shum is a children’s book Author and Illustrator. He uses watercolor, ink and digital tools to create his illustrations. SLOTH WENT (2020) published with Bloomsbury, received a starred review from Booklist. His most recent book ALEX’S GOOD FORTUNE (2020) published with Penguin Workshop is available at your local bookstore. And ANZU THE GREAT KAIJU (Roaring Brook Press) coming fall 2021. Benson is also an Animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he was a part of such films as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Frozen 2, Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto.
Christina Soontornvat is the award-winning author of over a dozen books for children of all ages. Her picture books include The Ramble Shamble Children, illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Lauren Castillo, and Simon at the Art Museum, illustrated by Christine Davenier. She is the author of the beloved Diary of an Ice Princess chapter book series. Her recent works include the middle grade fantasy, A Wish in the Dark, which was named a 2021 Newbery Honor Book, and was chosen as Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post and School Library Journal, and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, which has received numerous nonfiction awards and was also named a 2021 Newbery Honor Book.
Cindy Pon is the author of Silver Phoenix (Greenwillow), which was named one of the Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth by the American Library Association’s Booklist and one of 2009′s best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA; Serpentine and Sacrifice (Month9Books), which were both Junior Library Guild selections and received starred reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus, respectively. WANT (Simon Pulse) and RUSE are near-future thrillers set in Taipei and Shanghai, both titles were also chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. WANT was an Andre Norton Award finalist given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. http://cindypon.com
Debbi Michiko Florence’s middle grade novel Keep It Together, Keiko Carter is about changing friendships and first crushes (and chocolate). The companion novel Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai will be published August 3, 2021. She is also the author of the Jasmine Toguchi chapter book series. A third-generation Japanese American, Debbi was born and raised in California. She is a former raptor rehabilitator, classroom teacher, and zoo educator, and now writes full-time in Connecticut. She loves passion fruit bubble tea and all chocolate, but favors dark, caramel and maple flavors, and no nuts.
Deeba Zargarpur is an Editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Salaam Reads, an imprint which aims to showcase Muslim characters as the heroes of their own stories. When she is not editing, she can be found spinning eerie tales in the middle of the night. Her debut YA novel, THE SONG WE LOST, releases in 2022 (FSG BYR). Follow her on Twitter and IG at @deebazargarpur.
Diana Ma writes YA and MG books and teaches at North Seattle College. She also has an MA in English with a Creative Writing focus from the University of Illinois, Chicago and a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington. Her debut novel, Heiress Apparently, is the first in an epic and romantic series. She is represented by Christa Heschke of McIntosh and Otis, and more information can be found about Diana on her website, Dianamaauthor.com.
Eric Nguyen earned an MFA in Creative Writing from McNeese State University in Louisiana. He has been awarded fellowships from Lambda Literary, VONA, and the Tin House Workshop. He is the editor in chief of diaCRITICS.org. He lives in Washington, DC. Things We Lost to the Water is his first novel.
Gail D. Villanueva is the author of Sugar And Spite (Scholastic, 2021). Her debut novel, My Fate According to the Butterfly (Scholastic, 2019), was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, an Amazon Best Book of the Month Editor’s Pick, and a NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Born and based in the Philippines, Gail’s daily routine includes running a web design company with her husband while trying to keep up with the shenanigans of their many pets—dogs, ducks, turtles, cats, and random birds they befriend in the backyard. Learn more at www.gaildvillanueva.com.
Heidi Heilig is the author of several acclaimed YA novels published at home and abroad, including THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE series and the Shadow Players Trilogy that begins with FOR A MUSE OF FIRE. She has also contributed to various anthologies including VAMPIRES NEVER GET OLD, UNBROKEN: 13 STORIES STARRING DISABLED TEENS, and (DON’T) CALL ME CRAZY. She is, in fact, crazy (bipolar) and she lives in Brooklyn with her family.
Ilene Wong, MD (also known as I.W. Gregorio) is a practicing urologist by day, masked avenging YA writer by night. She is author of THIS IS MY BRAIN IN LOVE, which was named an Amazon Best Young Adult Book, and awarded the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award by the American Library Association.
After getting her MD, she did her residency at Stanford, where she met the intersex patient who inspired her debut novel, None of the Above, which was a Lambda Literary Finalist, a Publishers Weekly Flying Start, and an ALA Rainbow List selection. She is proud to be a board member of interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, and is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. Her essays have been published in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Scientific American, among others. Find her online at www.iwgregorio.com and on Twitter/Instagram at @iwgregorio.
Janella Angeles is a Filipino-American writer and bestselling author of WHERE DREAMS DESCEND. Her writing journey began with many trips to the library and a whole lot of fanfiction. Since then, she’s never stopped looking for magic, and enjoys getting lost in any form of great storytelling. WHEN NIGHT BREAKS, the epic finale to her debut duology, will release in Fall 2021.
Jenny Bak is Executive Editor at Viking Children’s, where she edits middle grade and young adult novels by Nnedi Okorafor, Derrick Barnes, Sarah Kuhn, Kevin Sands, Robyn Schneider, and Sangu Mandanna, among others. Prior to Viking, she launched James Patterson’s children’s imprint as Editorial Director of JIMMY Patterson Books/Little, Brown where she acquired the #1 New York Times bestselling Stalking Jack the Ripper series, as well as the bestsellers How to Be a Supervillain, Swipe Right for Murder, and Girls of Paper and Fire.
Jessica Kim writes about Asian American girls finding their way in the world. Before she was an author, Jessica studied education at UC Berkeley and spent ten years teaching third, fourth, and fifth grades in public schools. Like Yumi, Jessica lives with her family in Southern California and can’t get enough Hot Cheetos, stand-up comedy, and Korean barbecue.
Joanna Ho is the New York Times bestselling author of Eyes that Kiss in the Corners. Her upcoming picture books include Playing at the Border: A Story of Yo-Yo Ma, Eyes that Speak to the Stars, and One Day; her debut YA novel, The Silence that Binds Us releases in 2022. She has a passion for anti-racism and equity work. She holds a BA in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s from the Principal Leadership Institute at Berkeley. She is the vice principal of a Bay Area high school, and she survives on homemade chocolate chip cookies, outdoor adventures, and dance parties with her kids.
Julie Abe writes magical adventures for readers of all ages, including the EVA EVERGREEN, SEMI-MAGICAL WITCH middle grade fantasy series and the young adult novel THE CHARMED LIST. Keep up Julie’s latest books and adventures on instagram.com/julieabebooks or sign up for her newsletter at julieabebooks.com/newsletter.
Julie C. Dao is the author of several acclaimed novels for teens and children, including FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS and BROKEN WISH, published by Disney Books. A proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York, she now lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes.
June CL Tan writes science fiction and fantasy inspired by her childhood in multicultural Singapore where she was raised on a diet of classic books and wuxia movies, caffeine and congee. When she is not writing, she can be found wandering the streets of New York City in search of everyday mysteries and miracles. Her fantasy novel Jade Fire Gold is forthcoming from HarperTeen and Hodder & Stoughton (UK).
Born in Daraga, Albay, K.S. Villoso writes speculative fiction with themes shaped by her childhood, with grim and grit inspired by both the streets of Manila, Philippines, and the wilds of British Columbia, Canada. She now lives in BC with a pack of dogs and humans. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days counting to when she can get lost in the mountains again.
Kat Cho is an international bestselling YA author who loves to incorporate her Korean heritage in her writing, especially if it involves describing food. She loves anything that encourages nerding out, including reading, K-dramas, K-pop and anime. She’s the author of Wicked Fox and Vicious Spirits (Putnam/Penguin).
Find her online at KatChoWrites.com
Kathleen Burkinshaw is a Japanese American author & daughter of a Hibakusha residing in Charlotte, NC. Her award-winning MG historical fiction novel, The Last Cherry Blossom, based on her mother’s life in Hiroshima during WWII, and witnessing atomic bombing at 12, is a UN Education Resource for Teachers & Students. She’s presented her mother’s experience in Hiroshima at: United Nations (NYC), UN virtual events for the 75th anniversary of atomic bombing, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum virtual event, teacher conferences, NHK World Japan, Asian American magazines, as well as to thousands of middle & high school students worldwide for over 10 years.
Katie Zhao is the author of the Chinese-inspired middle grade fantasy The Dragon Warrior and its sequel, The Fallen Hero. She’s also the author of the forthcoming Asian American young adult thriller How We Fall Apart and middle grade sci-fi Last Gamer Standing. Katie grew up in Michigan, where there was little for her to do besides bury her nose in a good book or a writing journal. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in English and a minor in political science; she also completed her master’s in accounting there. In her spare time, Katie enjoys reading, singing, dancing (badly), and checking out new Instagram-worthy restaurants. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York. www.katiezhao.com • @ktzhaoauthor
Keala Kendall (pronounced: kay-ah-luh) was born and raised in Hawaii, splitting her time between a remote Molokai farm and urban Oahu. She went to school for screenwriting and surprised everyone—herself included—when she finished a novel instead. After graduating, she married her best friend and now lives in Los Angeles writing mixed-race characters like herself. She is represented by Cortney Radocaj.
Kristen Mai Giang is a Chinese American author who immigrated from Vietnam when she was 18 months old. She writes books for children while producing kids interactive media for the likes of Disney and NBC Kids. She is currently developing an NSF-funded digital learning platform and has three more picture books on the way.
Kylie Lee Baker grew up in Boston and has since lived in Atlanta, Salamanca, and Seoul. Her work is informed by her heritage (Japanese, Chinese, & Irish) as well as her experiences living abroad as both a student and teacher. She has a BA in creative writing and Spanish from Emory University and is pursuing a master of library and information science degree at Simmons University. In her free time, she plays the cello, watches horror movies, and bakes too many cookies.
Linda Sue Park is the author of many books for young readers, including the 2002 Newbery Award winner, A Single Shard; the NY Times perpetual bestseller, A Long Walk to Water; and the APALA Honor title Prairie Lotus. She serves on the advisory boards of WNDB, SCBWI, and the Rabbit hOle national children’s literature museum project; she also created the website kiBooka.com, a listing of kids’ books by Korean Americans and Korean Diaspora.
Lydia is the author of the young adult novels TOXIC, THE NOVEMBER GIRL, CONTROL, and CATALYST. Her short stories can be found in the anthologies COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES and STAR WARS: FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. She also writes adult historical fiction including A BEAUTIFUL POISON, THE IMPOSSIBLE GIRL, and OPIUM AND ABSINTHE, as well as the nonfiction book QUACKERY: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything. She is a practicing physician at the University of Nebraska and lives with her family in Omaha.
Lyla Lee is the author of the Mindy Kim series as well as the YA novel, I’ll Be the One. Although she was born in a small town in South Korea, she’s since then lived in various parts of the United States, including California, Florida, and Texas. After working various jobs in Hollywood and studying Psychology and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, she now lives in Dallas, Texas. When she is not writing, she is teaching kids, petting cute dogs, and searching for the perfect bowl of shaved ice.
Makiia Lucier grew up on the Pacific island of Guam and holds degrees in journalism and library studies. She is the author of A Death-Struck Year, about the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, and the Isle of Blood and Stone duology, which was inspired by a love of the Indiana Jones movies and a lifelong fascination with old, old maps. Her books have appeared on many notable lists, including the Kids’ Indie Next, the American Booksellers Association’s ‘Best Books for Children’ and the American Library Association’s ‘Best Fiction for Young Adults.’ Year of the Reaper, her fourth book, will be published in November. She lives with her family in North Carolina.
Malinda Lo is the critically acclaimed author of several books, including the historical novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which received eight starred reviews. Her debut novel Ash, a lesbian retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and was a Kirkus Best Book for Children and Teens. She has been a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. She can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @malindalo, or at her website, malindalo.com.
Marie’s middle-grade novel, EVERLASTING NORA, released in 2018, has received two starred reviews, is a 2018 Book Expo of America Buzz Pick for Middle Grade, a School Library Journal Day of Dialogue Selection, a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Best Book of 2018 Selection in Middle Grade by Kirkus,. Her book has been nominated for the 2020 Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award Intermediate Category and the 2021 Grand Canyon Reader Award Intermediate Category. She was awarded the 2019 Excellence in a Work of Juvenile Fiction by the Children’s Literature Council of Southern California. Her book was included in the 2020 National Geographic Summer Learning Series.
Marie is also a clinical laboratory specialist and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, grown up kids and a hamster named Patches.
Mary Choy is the author of Healthcare Heroes: The Medical Careers Guide, an award-winning book to help teens find their best career path. After getting her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St. John’s University, she completed her residency and served as a professor at her alma mater. As a board-certified pharmacist and educator, she has held multiple roles in healthcare. She currently serves on the medical review board for Verywell Health. Mary lives in New York City with her husband and they have two wonderful kids who share her love of reading and traveling around the world. www.healthcareheroesbook.com • @drmarychoy
Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer and certified book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. Her debut novel, ARSENIC AND ADOBO, comes out May 4, 2021 with Berkley/Penguin Random House.
Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @MPMtheWriter
Or check out her website: www.miapmanansala.com
Mike Jung is the author of Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities, Unidentified Suburban Object, and The Boys in the Back Row, and contributed to the anthologies Dear Teen Me, Break These Rules, 59 Reasons to Write, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and The Hero Next Door. His books have been honored by the Bank Street College of Education, Children’s Book Council Reading Beyond List, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, Georgia State Book Awards, Iowa Children’s Choice Awards, Kansas State Reading Circle, National Parenting Publications Awards, Parents Choice Foundation, and Texas Bluebonnet Awards. Find Mike on Facebook, Twitter, or at www.mikejung.com.
Misa Sugiura’s ancestors include a poet, a priestess, a samurai, and a stowaway. She is the author of the award-winning It’s Not Like It’s A Secret, the highly acclaimed This Time Will Be Different, and a short story entitled “Where I’m From” in Come On In, a young adult anthology of stories about immigration. Her latest book, Love & Other Natural Disasters, will release on June 8, 2021, and is available for pre-order. Misa lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, with her husband, two sons, and three cats.
Mượn Thị Văn loves to read books of all shapes and sizes. She first began reading yellow-spined hardbacks about a certain girl detective before graduating to longer novels and then picture books (it’s true, she doesn’t remember reading picture books as a young child). So few books reflected her formative experiences, though, that she desired to bring new and different stories into the world — stories like Wishes.
Nancy Ohlin was born in Tokyo, Japan and divided her childhood between there and Ohio. She is the author of the YA novels B*Witch and its sequel Witch Rising (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, co-authored with Paige McKenzie); Consent; Beauty; and Always, Forever (all Simon Pulse) as well as the Blast Off! early-grade history series (Little Bee). She has collaborated with Quvenzhané Wallis, Chloe Lukasiak, and other celebrities, and has written or ghostwritten over a hundred books for children, teens, and adults. She lives in Ithaca, NY.
Nandini Bajpai grew up in New Delhi, India, one of four sisters and many cousins in a family that liked to read. She lived and worked in India, Australia, and the US, before settling in the Boston area with her husband, kids, and a fluctuating number and variety of pets. Although she’s been a bookseller, systems analyst, TEDx organizer, PTO Mom, animal foster and more, her first love is writing. Her books have been published in India and Australia. In the US she is the author of A MATCH MADE IN MEHENDI, and SISTER OF THE BOLLYWOOD BRIDE.
Naomi Kanakia is the author of two novels (Enter Title Here, Disney ’16) and We Are Totally Normal (HarperTeen, ’20). Additionally, her stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, F&SF, Gulf Coast, The Indiana Review, and West Branch, and her poetry has appeared in Soundings East, The American Journal of Poetry, and Vallum.
Padma Venkatraman is the award-winning author of The Bridge Home, A Time to Dance, Island’s End, and Climbing the Stairs, all of which were released to multiple starred reviews and have garnered numerous honors and awards. Her next novel, Born Behind Bars, is scheduled for release this fall, on Sept 7, 2021. She began Climbing the Stairs as a writer around 20 years ago and her debut novel, Climbing the Stairs, which is still in print, is a work of historical fiction.
Pearl Low is a Story Artist, comics artist, author and muralist based in Vancouver, BC. Most of her works are rooted in themes of self-love, acceptance and Chinese-Canadian and Caribbean-Canadian experiences. Low primarily works in animation for TV and Feature film, and has worked on projects such as Hair Love (Sony Pictures Animation), Canvas (now on Netflix) and Craig of the Creek (Cartoon Network). Currently Low is storyboarding at Cartoon Network and is working with Scholastic, adapting The Adventures of The Bailey School Kids into graphic novels, with the first book VAMPIRES DON’T WEAR POLKA DOTS coming out August 2021.
Rebecca Kuss (she/her) is a senior editor at Rick Riordan Presents/Disney Hyperion, specializing in middle grade and young adult fiction. Previously, she was an editor with HarperCollins and also worked as a Netflix’s book-to-film scout for their children’s division.
She was raised by a hard working immigrant mom in the icy suburbs of Wisconsin, where she spent hours finding cozy spots to read in her public library. With a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, where she studied issues of representation in children’s literature, she then came to New York City to champion stories that provide mirrors, windows, and doors for marginalized and underrepresented voices. Follow her on twitter @reebsthereader for daily thoughts on Claudia Kishi, the perfect french fry, and of course, books.
Saba Sulaiman is an agent at Talcott Notch Literary Services, an agency located in Connecticut. She holds a BA in Economics and Middle Eastern Studies from Wellesley College and an MA from the University of Chicago in modern Persian literature. Being an immigrant who is constantly negotiating her own identity and sense of belonging in a place she now calls “home,” she is committed to championing books by writers from marginalized communities with compelling stories to tell; stories that demonstrate a wide range of perspectives, and address urgent and often underexplored issues in fiction and non-fiction with veracity and heart.
Sabina Khan is the author of ZARA HOSSAIN IS HERE (Scholastic/ April 6, 2021) and THE LOVE & LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI (Scholastic, 2019). She is an educational consultant and a karaoke enthusiast. After living in Germany, Bangladesh, Macao, Illinois and Texas, she has finally settled down in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, with her husband, two daughters and the best puppy in the world.
Sangu Mandanna was four years old when an elephant chased her down a forest road and she promptly wrote her first story about it. Now the author of six books (and counting!), she lives in Norwich, a city in the east of England, with her husband, kids and two exceedingly unfriendly cats.
Sarah Kuhn is the author of the popular Heroine Complex novels—a series starring Asian American superheroines. She also wrote the beloved Japan-set romantic comedy I Love You So Mochi, the acclaimed graphic novel Shadow of the Batgirl, and the Star Wars audiobook original Doctor Aphra. Her newest novel, From Little Tokyo, With Love—a modern fairy tale with a half-Japanese heroine—is a Junior Library Guild selection and was chosen as Penguin Random House’s One World, One Book title of the year and featured in the New York Times’ YA Books to Add to Your Reading List.
Sona Charaipotra is author of the doc dramedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak and co-author of the YA dance duology Tiny Pretty Things, a 2020 Netflix original series. A former People reporter, she’s writes for publications like the NYTimes and Cosmopolitan, and co-founded CAKE Literary, a boutique book packager focused on delicious, diverse reads. She has a masters in screenwriting from NYU and MFA in fiction from New School. Next up: How Maya Got Fierce and Rumor Game. Find Sona on Twitter: @sona_c
Stacey Lee is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including UNDER A PAINTED SKY, OUTRUN THE MOON, winner of the 2017 Pen Center Award for Young Adult Fiction and the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association YA Book of the Year, THE SECRET OF A HEART NOTE, which sold in eight countries, and her most recent THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL, which received five starred reviews and which Booklist called “Spectacular.” Her books have been selected for the Amelia Bloomer list for feminist fiction, the as well as the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults List, and the New York Public Library’s Best Books for Teens. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults).
Stephan Lee is a journalist, author, and multi-fandom K-pop stan. He currently works as Senior Editor at Bustle after a five-year stretch covering books and movies at Entertainment Weekly. At EW, he traveled to Seoul for three weeks to write a feature about Korean entertainment’s world domination, interviewing K-pop idols, filmmakers, and drama writers. He earned an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School.
Swati Teerdhala is the author of The Tiger at Midnight series, which has appeared on both Barnes and Noble and Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Novels lists. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a BS in finance and BA in history, she tumbled into the marketing side of the technology industry. She’s passionate about many things, including how the right ratio of curd-to-crust in a lemon tart. She currently lives in New York City.
Tif Marcelo is a veteran US Army nurse and holds a BS in Nursing and a Master’s in public administration. She believes and writes about the strength of families, the endurance of friendship, heartfelt romances, and is inspired daily by her own military hero husband and four children. She hosts The Stories to Love Podcast, and is the USA Today bestselling author of In a Book Club Far Away, Once Upon a Sunset, The Key to Happily Ever After, and the Journey to the Heart series. Her website is www.TifMarcelo.com
Tracy Badua is a Filipino-American author of books full of humor, magic, and young people with sunny hearts in a sometimes stormy world. By day, she is an attorney who works in national housing policy and programs, and by night, she squeezes in writing, family time, pup pets, and bites of her secret candy stash. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, chatty toddler, and photogenic Maltese.
Van Hoang’s first name is pronounced like the “van” in “minivan.” Her last name is pronounced “hah-wawng.” She earned her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of New Mexico and her master’s in Library Information Science at San Jose State University. Girl Giant and the Monkey King was her debut novel. She was born in Vietnam, grew up in Orange County, California, and now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, kid, and two dogs.
Veera Hiranandani is the author of The Night Diary, which has received many awards including the 2019 Newbery Honor Award. She is also the author of The Whole Story of Half a Girl, which was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book and a South Asia Book Award Highly Commended selection, and the chapter book series, Phoebe G. Green. A former book editor at Simon & Schuster, she now teaches creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute. Her forthcoming novel, How To Find What You’re Not Looking For, releases in September 2021.
Wendy Shang is the author of several children’s books, including The Great Wall of Lucy Wu, winner of the Asian-Pacific American Librarians Association Children’s Literature Award. Kirkus gave her debut picture book, The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round, a starred review, calling it “An utterly charming Asian twist to a familiar tune.” Wendy also works as a writer/researcher for the Pretrial Justice Institute. When she is not working, Wendy enjoys reading, solving the New York Times Spelling Bee, and taking her energetic puppy to the dog park. She lives in Falls Church with her family.