Linda Ashman worked for real estate and environmental organizations in New York City and Los Angeles before deciding to write children's books. Her 15 picture books include Babies on the Go, illustrated by Jane Dyer (included in "The Best Books of 2003" by both Parenting and Child Magazines), and The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide, illustrated by David Small (which Kirkus called "as pithy and clever as Ogden Nash at his best"). Other honors include two Oppenheim Awards, the IRA/CBC Children's Choice Award, and the Colorado Book Award.
Susan Burke is an Associate Editor at Atheneum Books for Young Readers. She received degrees in English and Art History in 2000 from Holy Cross. She currently acquires both fiction and nonfiction projects, ranging from picture books to middle grade works to teen novels. Past projects have received starred reviews and New York Times attention, been accepted into the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show, and been nominated for state awards and the Best Books for Young Adults list. Authors and illustrators Susan has worked with include Betsy James (Listening at the Gate), Ann Downer (The Dragon of Never-Was), Janet Lee Carey (The Beast of Noor, The Double Life of Zoe Flynn), Patrick Cave (Sharp North), David McPhail (Henry Bear’s Park, Henry Bear’s Christmas), Aaron Shepard (The King o’ the Cats), Wendy Halperin (The Peterkins’ Christmas, The Peterkins’ Thanksgiving), and Judy Waite (Shopaholic). She also has books coming out with Paul Volponi, Judi Barrett, Jonah Winter, Terry Widener, John Nickle, Kate Coombs, Catherine Gourley, Lynn Curlee, Gloria Skurzynski, Mary Lyons, Christina Askounis, Gary Clement, and Janet Ruth Young in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Susan currently lives in New York City and when's she's not looking for fresh, original voices, she can be found pondering what kind of dog she'd most like to have if her apartment was bigger. (Note: This bio was updated 7/23/06 to include authors and books on Susan's list. )
Barbara Ciletti is a 30- year veteran of the publishing industry, and has published and written numerous award winning titles. Her company, Odyssey Books (established 1991) houses a services division, with a reputation for quality production and marketing services to fellow publishers. In addition, the company also develops and publishes its own nonfiction and fiction titles for children ages 5-10. Titles under Odyssey tutelage have garnered awards from iParenting Media, National Association of Parenting Publications, The Children’s Book Council, Foreword Magazine, The International Reading Association and more.
Roberta "Bobbi" Collier-Morales has been an illustrator since 1980. She lived, worked and studied her craft in New York City for 16 years before moving to Colorado in 1991. She has illustrated for mass market, educational and trade book markets. Some of her books include Inside Out, Carnival, and Lonan and the Cloud Taker. She studied calligraphy at Parsons New School in New York City. She learned the craft of designing children's books while being in New York and has many other books in her bibliography.
Kathleen Duey has written over 50 books for kids. She is currently writing 3 titles for her Hoofbeats series at Penguin and the second book in a bleak and intricate YA trilogy for Atheneum. The Unicorn's Secret, a popular eight book sequence for 2-3rd graders brings 4-5 fan mail letters a day. She speaks nationwide and internationally.
Cathy Morrison graduated with a double major in Fine Arts and Education, and began working as an in-betweener in an animation studio in Dallas, TX. During that time, she took a leave of absence to attend the Parsons School of Design summer program in Paris, France. For the next twenty years she had a graphic design and illustration studio in Denver, Big Chief Graphics, and now specializes in children's book illustration. Books she has illustrated have won several awards, including the I-Parenting Media Award, Children's Book Sense 76-Recommended List, Forward Magazine's Awards for Book of the Year, Independent Publisher Magazine's Juvenile Fiction Award and Parent's Choice Designation as "Outstanding." Cathy is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and Picturebookartists.org.
Erin Murphy represents authors and author-illustrators of works for children and juveniles, focusing primarily on picture books and on novels for middle-graders and young adults. Her client list includes Susan Vaught, whose novel Stormwitch was on the shortlist for the first Andre Norton Award, the Nebula Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for YA novels, and won the first Carl Brandon Award for speculative fiction exploring issues of race or ethnicity; Janette Rallison, whose wholesome, funny teen chick-lit books have seen great success at Walker Books and the Scholastic Book Clubs and will soon also be published by Putnam; Robert Kinerk, whose picture books (released or forthcoming) have been illustrated by Steven Kellogg, Stephen Gammell, and Jim LeMarche; Elizabeth Bluemle, whose first picture book, My Father the Dog, is a Summer 2006 Book Sense Children's Pick; Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, author of more than 60 books for children; and Mary Blount Christian, winner of a special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Erin lives and works in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she was formerly editor-in-chief of Northland Publishing, a mid-sized publisher of nonfiction about the American West and its history and cultures. She is well-versed in the issues and players specific to regional and mid-sized publishing, although her agency sells nationally to companies of all sizes. Erin found that agenting is more like what she expected editing to be: Close communication with authors, and a collaborative development of their careers (and hers) over a long period of time.
Phyllis Perry has published 58 books for children and educators. She was a teacher, curriculum specialist, principal, and director of talented & gifted education for the Boulder Valley Schools before taking early retirement to devote full time to writing. She makes school visits and does artist-in-residence programs in schools throughout the state. Her most recent book is A Kid's Look At Colorado, a nonfiction history for grades 3 through 8. Among her writings are The Fribble Mouse Library Mystery series and The WHAM Agency Library Mystery series which combine fiction mysteries for elementary grade students with a separate teacher book of reproducible library research skills.
Cheryl Phelps has a BFA Graduate in Painting and Surface Design from the Memphis College of Art, Cheryl now lives in New York City, teaches as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Visual Arts and is a 20 year veteran of freelance and art licensing. In addition to the School of Visual Arts, Cheryl has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Kansas City Art Institute, KCAI¹s Exchange Program with Ozaka University, Marywood University , Watkins Institute and Fall 2006 for SCAD Savannah College of Art and Designs location in Atlanta. Spring 2007 she will be teaching a segment in the Illustration Grad Programs Art Business class at FIT. She has presented Licensing lectures at the ICON 4 Illustrators Conference in San Francisco, for the Society of Illustrators in LA, the Colorado Alliance of Illustrators in Denver, and the Graphic Artists Guild in NY. Her clients include: Hallmark, American Greetings, Gibson, Paramount, Portal, Marcel Schurman, Current, Mikasa China, Kodak, Target, Nordstroms, Keds, Benny & Smith- Crayola, Frances Meyer Inc., Shenny-Flomo Enterprises, Creative Expressions, Harcourt Brace, Ariel Publishing; etc. She has illustrated books that include I Like Colors by Dr. Barbara Swaby, Grandmothers- A Pop Up Book by Ariel Publishing distributed through Andrews McMeel, Happy 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday a series of 5 monumental birthday books by Ariel Publishing distributed by Andrews McMeel. Currently she is licensing her work along with developed lines Lola Girl, a teen/tween line of novelty products, Diva 2 Diva, a collection for Baby Boomer Divas and Mz Cheryl, a line that utilizes herself as a character. She has exhibited for 10 years at Surtex and for 3 years at the Licensing Shows in NYC. Cheryl works with a variety of creative image makers and conducts The Greeting Card, Licensing & Art Biz Workshop nationwide, does private Licensing coaching, consulting, portfolio and contract reviews. She is writing a book about the licensing and greeting card industry based on the storytelling content of her own workshops. http://www.cherylphelps.com/
Denise Vega is Co-Regional Advisor of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI. Her first children's novel, Click Here (to find out how I survived seventh grade), was released in Spring 2005. She has two multi-cultural toddler books coming out with Scholastic/Cartwheel and won the 2001 Lee & Low New Voices Honor Award for a multicultural picture book manuscript. Her picture book manuscript, Grandmother, Grandmother, Have the Angels Come? was acquired by Little, Brown in 2004 and she's had numerous stories, articles, poems and activities in magazines. Denise lives with her husband and three children in Denver and is currently working on her third novel. Visit her at www.denisevega.com.
Jennifer Wingertzahn is an editor with Clarion Books, an all children's imprint of the Houghton Mifflin Company. She was previously at the Delacorte and Doubleday imprints of Random House Children's Books and at HarperCollins Children's Books. Some of the recent books she has edited include Brother Juniper by Diane Gibfried, illustrated by Meilo So; What to Do? What to Do? by Toni Teevin, illustrated by Janet Pedersen; Welcome to Zanzibar Road written and illustrated by Niki Daly; Ahwoooooooo! by Yannick Murphy, illustrated by Claudio Muñoz; Where the Great Hawk Flies by Liza Ketchum; The Rhyming Season by Edward Averett.