Authors Appearing

Sandy Asher- Bestselling Lancaster-based author Sandy Asher’s first book for young readers, “Summer Begins”, was published in 1980. Since then, she’s written 25 more. Her latest picture books are all about Froggie and Rabbit,,Too Many Frogs!, What a Party!, and Here Comes Gosling! Sandy Asher has also edited five anthologies, including, DUDE! Stories and Stuff for Boys, co-edited with David L. Harrison.  Her latest anthology is WRITING IT RIGHT: How Successful Children’s Authors Perfect and Sell Their Stories.

Jodi Cardin-Lancaster author of Bernice's Bad Hair Days, a book to raise funds and awareness for Locks of Love

Lisa Greenwald is the author of the new middle grade favorite My Life in Pink & Green. She works in the library at the Birch Wathen Lenox School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She is also a recent graduate of the New School’s MFA program in writing for children.  Her debut novel for young reader was in IndieNext Pick and is much beloved by independent bookstores across the country.

Jenny Han
Jenny Han is the author of teen novels “Shug” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty”. She received her BA at UNC-Chapel Hill and her MFA in Writing for Children at the New School in New York City. She works part-time at the Calhoun School library on the Upper West Side. She is currently working on the sequel to “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and a new middle grade chapter book called “Clara Lee, Dream Genius in Training” to be published by Little, Brown in 2010.

 

Lee Harper
Picture book author and award-winning illustrator Lee Harper’s debut in children’s book illustrating, “Woolbur" by Leslie Helakoski, was released in January 2008. It was selected as a Book Sense Pick, nominated for the Great Lakes Book Award, Nebraska Golden Sower Award, South Carolina Picture Book Award, Florida Reading Association Honor Book, North Carolina Children’s Book Award, Washington Children’s Choice Award, and the New Hampshire Ladybug Award for picture book of the year. “Woolbur” is currently on its eighth printing. Lee’s first book as author and illustrator “SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!!”, and his second book as illustrator, “Turkey Trouble” by Wendi Silvano are scheduled for October release. Currently, he is illustrating a story by Walter Dean Myers entitled “Looking for the Easy Life.” Mr. Harper resides in Doylestown, PA.

Caroline Hickey
Caroline Hickey writes both middle grade and teen novels, including “Cassie Was Here” and “Isabelle's Boyfriend”. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the New School in New York City and has worked as a writing mentor for at-risk girls. Caroline currently lives in Washington, DC with her husband and young daughter.

 

Beth Kephart
Beth Kephart is an award-winning teen author and a National Book Award finalist for “A Slant of the Sun: One Child’s Courage” about raising her son with autism. Her novels “Undercover” and “”House of Dance” were both included on the Kirkus Best Young Adult Books of the Year list and “Nothing But Ghosts” received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. Kephart is also a published poet and nonfiction writer. Among her nonfiction works is “Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River”. In addition to her writing career, she is the strategic planning and writing partner of a boutique communications firm. Kephart is teaching the advanced nonfiction workshop at the University of Pennsylvania this fall and resides in Devon, PA.

A.S. King is the author of the unique pirate novel “Dust of 100 Dogs”, an IndieNext pick. After nearly a decade in rural Ireland teaching literacy, writing novels, and breeding rare poultry, King returned to Pennsylvania to become a full-time author. Her next teen novel “Ignore Vera Dietz” will be published in 2010. Her short fiction has appeared in Washington Square, Contrary, Quality Fiction, FRiGG, Literary Mama and Underground Voices. Excerpts from her novel, “Why People Take Pictures”, have been featured on The Huffington Post and iVillage, and her short story “Monica Never Shuts Up” has been nominated for Best New American Voices 2010. Ms. King resides in Reading, PA.

Marie Lamba is author of the humorous young adult novel What I Meant… (Random House Books for Young Readers), which Publisher’s Weekly has dubbed “an impressive debut.” She also recently completed writing Over My Head, a YA novel about a biracial teen’s awkward yet gutsy search for true love. Marie’s third YA novel, entitled Drawn, is about a teen artist who moves to England in pursuit of “normal,” only to find she’s unwillingly channeling one very hot ghost. In addition to her fiction writing, Marie has written and published more than 100 articles, including features in national magazines such as Garden Design, Your Home, and Sports International. Her most recent piece, “Plotting a Novel Group,” appears in the February 2008 issue of Writer's Digest. Marie’s essay, “The View from the Outside,” is published in the anthology Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, May 2009). She holds a BA in English and in Literary Art (an individualized major combining writing and fine art) from the University of Pennsylvania, and resides in Doylestown, PA.
 
Faith Reese Martin is a thirty-year veteran of the Pennsylvania elementary school system. She taught fourth and fifth graders in Lampeter-Strasburg School District. Faith holds a B.S. degree in elementary education from Mansfield University and a Master’s degree in elementary education from Millersville University.  Faith lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with her husband, Robert, and their two dogs, Lady, and Oliver. The JMP History Mystery Detective Agency series, Book 1 Lost and Found Colony, is her first novel for young adults. Conestoga Courage is its companion book. Book 3 in the series, Pirate Problems, was released in spring of 2009.

Ken Munro wrote his first Sammy and Brian Mystery, The Quilted Message, after an Amish quilt was stolen from his daughter and son-in-law's country store. The shop in Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania, then became the home of character, Sammy Wilson. The success of the The Quilted Message prompted him to continue the adventures of Sammy and Brian as a series, which has grown to 19 books. Ken is a retired elementary school teacher and now author. He lives with his wife in the beautiful countryside of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He has also written another book geared towards teachers, entitled You Don't Have To Yell .

MattPhelan a native of Philadelphia has been illustrating children’s books since 2004.  He was the illustrator for the 2007 Newbery Medal Winner The Higher Power of Lucky. Mr. Phelan has recently had his first graphic novel published. The Storm in the Barn tells the story of eleven-year-old Jack Clark as he faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, and a little sister with an eye for trouble; set in 1930’s Kansas.  It has garnered rave reviews in Booklist ("Phelan turns every panel of this little masterpiece into a spare and melancholy window into another era..."), Kirkus ("This is not to be missed."), and School Library Journal ("A complex but accessible and fascinating book.").

Mara Rockliff 's picture book “The Busiest Street in Town”, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy, is being released in October. She is also the author of the first four books in a new chapter book series “The Milo & Jazz Mysteries”, illustrated by Amy Wummer. Ms. Rockliff also writes under the pen names Nan Walker, Eleanor May, and Lewis B. Montgomery. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Highlights for Children and Plays: The Drama Magazine for Young People

 

Siobhan Vivian
Siobhan Vivian is the author of the young adult novels “Same Difference” and “A Little Friendly Advice. She received her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School University. She has also written for The Disney Channel, edited several New York Times best-selling novels, and currently teaches creative writing at The University of Pittsburgh. 

 

Author, artist, illustrator and animator Eric Wight has begun a new graphic novel series for kids, starting with this summer’s release of “Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom”. He is perhaps best known as the “ghost artist” for television character Seth Cohen on the TV Fox series “The OC”. Wight is the author of the, “My Dead Girlfriend”, illustrator of the comic book adaptation of Michael Chabon‘s Pulitzer Prize winning novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay”, and creator of “Atomic County”. He was the recipient of the 2004 Russ Manning Award. Wight also worked as an animator for Warner Bros., including work on such cartoons as “Superman: The Animated Series” and “Batman Beyond”. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts and lives in Eastern Pennsylvania.   He is currently working on his new graphic novel series for kids, which started with the summer release of Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom

 

Julie Peterson - Panel Moderator:
Julie Peterson has always loved books and reading. About two years ago, she decided to start a book blog called Booking Mama (http://bookingmama.blogspot.com) where she “shares her ideas on books, book clubs, and occasionally some other things.” Her website features all types of books including contemporary fiction, historical fiction, chick lit, memoirs, young adult, middle grade and picture books. In addition, Julie writes book reviews, hosts author guest spots, and conducts online author interviews. Recently her reviews have been quoted on book jackets, as well in advertisement in the New York Times Book Review. Julie has been happily married to her college sweetheart for over 16 years, and she is currently a stay-at-home mom of two -- a ten-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son.