Paula Chase-Hyman doesn’t mind being known as a Jane of all trades, Queen of none. But a single theme has followed throughout her career in communications—keeping her finger on the pulse of teen culture. From starting her own mentoring group at Annapolis Senior High School in ‘94 to coaching her Green Hornet cheerleaders to Grand Champion (ahem, twice), Chase-Hyman refuses to squash her inner teen diva. Luckily, her long memory for all things young led to a career writing young adult novels.

Paula’s debut novel, So Not the Drama, was published in March 2007. Don’t Get it Twisted, the second novel in the Del Rio Clique Series, will be available in December 2007.

Visit Paula at http://www.paulachasehyman.com/.

Varian Johnson is the author of two novels, including the Essence Magazine Bestseller, A Red Polka Dot In A World Full of Plaid. He was born and raised in Florence, South Carolina, and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BS in Civil Engineering. Varian now lives in Austin, TX with his wife, Crystal, and is currently pursuing an MFA for Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College. His next novel, My Life as a Rhombus, will be available in January 2008.

Learn more about Varian at http://www.varianjohnson.com/.

Don Tate is the award-winning illustrator of more than 25 trade and educational books for children. With a bold, dynamic style, Don’s oil and acrylic paintings bring to life the pages of the children’s books he illustrates.

Sure as Sunrise: Stories of Bruh Rabbit and his Walkin’ Talkin’ Friends (Houghton Mifflin, 2004) received starred reviews from Booklist Magazine as well as School Library Journal. It also made the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, 2006 - 2007.

Don has three picture books on the horizon: I Am My Grandpa’s Enkelin (Paraclete Press), Zoom: A Book of Things That Go (HarperCollins), and Little Ron on a Big Mission (Dutton).

As a first-time author, Don is the recipient of Lee & Low Books New Voices Honor. His book, It Jes Happened, will publish with Lee & Low Books in the fall of 2009.

Visit Don at http://www.dontate.com/.

Kelly Starling Lyons is a children’s book author and freelance writer whose mission is to transform moments, memories and history into stories of discovery. Her books include One Million Men and Me, a picture book with illustrator Peter Ambush that explores the Million Man March through the eyes of a little girl who was there with her daddy, and chapter book, NEATE: Eddie’s Ordeal. She has two forthcoming picture books with G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.

Kelly’s articles and essays have appeared in many publications including Ebony magazine, The News & Observer, The Christian Science Monitor and books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. A native of Pittsburgh, Kelly lives in North Carolina where she facilitates a book club for African-American girls. [Photo Credit: Zack E. Hamlett, III]

Learn more about Kelly at http://www.kellystarlinglyons.com.

Carla Sarratt loves books like most women love shoes.  In fact, she has more books than shoes.  Books make her happy and as a high school English teacher, it bothered her to hear many of her students put down books and reading.  But with a little finessing, Carla was able to introduce her students to several books that caused her students to blossom into readers.  It made her proud to have students ask her to recommend books for them to read.   Drawing upon her adventures as a high school student and teacher, Carla began writing Freshman Focus which she self-published in 2007.  Freshman Focus is the story of four high school freshmen navigating the ups and downs of high school in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The sequel Just Be will be published in 2008. 

Visit Carla at http://www.carlasarratt.com.