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Speakers
Mary Lee Donovan
 . . . is currently Executive Editor at Candlewick Press, where she just celebrated her thirteenth anniversary. Prior to that, she worked for seven years in the children's trade division at Houghton Mifflin Company. She earned an M.A. in children's literature from The Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College in 1986.
Alane Ferguson
 . . . attended the University of Utah and Westminster College where she studied journalism. Later, Alane became interested in writing for children, mostly to follow the example of her mother who had launched her own successful writing career years earlier. Her mother, Gloria Skurzynski, is the author of fifty books for children, while Alane is completing her twenty-sixth. Alane and her mother are currently co-authoring a series for National Geographic's Children's Book Division. Their novel, Wolf Stalker, was the first work of fiction National Geographic had published in its 109 year history; it was nominated for the 1998 Mystery Writer's of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award. A recipient of the 1990 Edgar Allan Poe award as well as the Belgium's Children's Choice Award for Show Me the Evidence, Alane was also nominated for an Edgar on her second young adult mystery, Overkill. She won the Children's Crown Classic Award for Cricket and the Crackerbox Kid, American Booksellers Association's "Pick of the List" for her picture book entitled That New Pet, and has been on numerous ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Young Adult Readers lists and Young Adults' Choice lists, as well as the 2002 Young Hoosier Book award.
Cecile Goyette
 . . . is currently Senior Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers. She began with Hyperion Books for Children and Disney Press and then joined Dial Books for Young Readers, a hardcover trade imprint within Penguin USA. Cecile is a generalist, editing books from all genres for kids 2 to 15 years of age. She enjoys working with both new and more seasoned authors. Cecile lives in New York City with “myself and pets.”
Ronnie Ann Herman
. . . former Art Director at Random House and Art Director, Associate Publisher at Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Books, started her successful agency five years ago. The first artists to join the Herman Agency were many of the wonderful artists she had worked with on the thousands of children's books she art directed during her 20 years as Art Director. Herman Agency now represents 33 artists, many of whom are author/artists, as well 10 authors. Ronnie is also the author of 8 children’s books, and writes under the name of R. A. Herman.
Jane Maday
 . . . is a former Hallmark greeting card artist who now supports herself through freelance illustration, licensing, and writing.  She has illustrated 30 children's books, and is working on her first adult book: an art instruction book for North Light. Her fine art has been licensed onto over 50 products, including stitchery kits, t-shirts, cards, rugs, pillows, even television commercials.

Julie Anne Peters

. . . is the acclaimed author of twelve books for young adults and children.  Her first young adult novel, Define " Normal ," won the California Young Reader Medal, the Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award, and the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, all voted on by young readers as their favorite book of the year.  Keeping You a Secret, a young adult lesbian love story, was selected by the American Library Association as a Stonewall Honor Book for 2004 and an Amelia Bloomer recommended feminist book for youth.  Borders Books and Music featured it in their Original Voices program and named it one of the five best books for young adults in 2003.  Ms. Peters’ YA novel, Luna, is described in a starred review from Kirkus as “Groundbreaking, finely tuned realism about a transsexual teen… The first of its kind — well done and essential for every library serving young adults.”  Far From Xanadu, a new young adult novel, will be published in the spring of 2005.  Julie Anne Peters is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Authors Guild, and the Colorado Authors’ League.
Denise Vega
 . . . has learned many of the ins and outs of the children's publishing world over the years. She is the author of two computer books for kids, several short stories and articles for publishers such as Highlights for Children, Discovery Channel School, and Meadowbrook Press. She was the Honor Winner in the 2001 Lee & Low New Voices Award for a multicultural picture book manuscript, and has two toddler books coming out from Cartwheel/Scholastic. Her first middle grade novel will be published by Little, Brown in Spring 2005, and she is currently finishing a second novel for Little, Brown. Find out more at www.denisevega.com.
Linda Arms White
 . . . is the author of eight published books. Her picture books, Too Many Pumpkins (Holiday House) and Comes a Wind (DK INK), have been recognized with awards such as: ABA Pick of the List Book, Children’s Choice Book, Troll Book Club selection, video and audio tapes by Live Oak Media, Amazon.com’s 10 most recommended Halloween Books three years in a row, NYPL’s Best 100 Books for Reading and Sharing, Blue Bonnet Award finalist, Colorado Book Award Finalist, Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Children’s book, Children’s Literature Choice featured book, 2001 World Book Encyclopedia Supplement feature, and two Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Awards. Another picture book entitled I Could Do That is scheduled for release by Farrar, Straus & Giroux next year.
Linda is past Regional Advisor of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI; part owner of the teaching workshop Children’s Authors’ Bootcamp, and frequent speaker and teacher to school and author groups.

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