Authors & Illustrators

Ella Grace Foutz earned her bachelor of arts in liberal arts from Southern Virginia University and now resides in northern Ohio. Lullabies for the Insomniacs is her debut book.

Raised in the Boogie Down Bronx, NoNieqa Ramos is an educator and literary activist. Their work includes the young adult novels The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary and The Truth Is, as well as the picture book Hair Story. They believe Halloween is a lifestyle, not a holiday. If you’re in Virginia, you might catch NoNieqa getting…

Marcia Argueta Mickelson was born in Guatemala and immigrated to the United States as an infant. She attended high school in New Jersey and then graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in American Studies. She is the author of six novels including Star Shining Brightly, The Huaca, and Where I Belong, and she…

Lupe Ruiz-Flores is the author of six bilingual picture books. She is a former Regional Advisor for the Southwest Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and until recently its newsletter editor. Lupe has won the SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grant, the SCBWI/Amazon Work-in-Progress Grant, and the SCBWI Martha Weston Award. She is…

Jona Manow originally comes from the theatre stage: after studying German language and literature with a focus on theatre and film in Hamburg, he worked as an assistant director on various projects and finally spent four seasons as a permanent member of the theatre company at Theater Regensburg. He has been a freelance theatre director…

Shelley Hanmo is a self-taught freelance illustrator and paper artist based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She specializes in creating children’s book cut paper illustrations and editorial designs.

Elizabeth Everett spent 16 years as a classroom teacher before venturing into writing. She currently lives in Colorado with her family where they love spending time outdoors.

Josee Bisaillon grew up in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. Her illustrations are a mixture of collage, drawings, and digital montage, taking us into a richly detailed and multidimensional world.

Before pursuing her aspirations as a children’s literature author, Danna Zeiger was the biology professor and program director for Fisher College’s biology program, serving disadvantaged and first-in-the-family students from diverse backgrounds. While homeschooling her three spirited kids, Danna established a STEM accessibility and educational resource entitled DrZatHome. She a member of SCBWI and Storyteller Academy…

Jam Dong was born in Shanghai, China. She has an MA degree of moving image at University of Arts London and graduated from MFA Illustration Practice of Maryland Institute College of Art in 2021. She likes to use bright colors and simple shapes to build the imaginary world inside her mind. The beauty of nature…

Kelly Rice Schmitt is an author of STEAM children’s literature. She holds a B.B.A in Finance and Chinese from the University of Notre Dame and is an advocate for girls in STEM, business, and other fields with gender gaps. She can be found in North Carolina helping other traders grow their businesses, writing for children,…

Sophia Moog was born in Rotenburg in 2002. She developed a strong interest in art, design, and creativity at an early age. She loves nothing more than putting the stories in her head down on paper. She is currently studying at an art university in Rotterdam, organizing exhibitions, and enthusiastically illustrating a wide variety of…

Anastasia Braun was born in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, in 1985 and emigrated to Germany with her family as a child. To learn the new language, she often lost herself in children’s books, a passion that has stayed with her to this day. The trained graphic designer writes and illustrates children’s books—preferably in the…

The Kinderkunsthaus [Children’s Art House] is a non-profit organization in Munich. The focus of the creative workshop is on teaching aesthetic education and the joy of free artistic creation. In a relaxed atmosphere without pressure to perform, the Kinderkunsthaus offers children a safe space where they can experiment, develop, interact with others, and get creative…

Whether ballet, jazz dance, hip-hop or flamenco – Kristina Scharmacher-Schreiber’s feet have already been in a wide variety of dance shoes. She also studied German language and literature in Münster and Bergamo and then worked for many years for major opera houses and ballet companies. She has been writing children’s books since 2017. Her work…

Kai Schüttler studied Design in Münster, majoring in illustration. He works as a freelance illustrator doing children’s books and various other jobs as well. kaischuettler.com

Nikolaus Ober, born in 1974 in Amstetten, studied at the University of Teacher Education in Linz and at the SAE Vienna. In addition to his work as a teacher at a new secondary school, he is a freelance author of children’s books and fiction. He has also been active in the field of street photography…

Nina Ober, born in 1976 in Amstetten, studied graphic design at the University of Applied Arts. She lives as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer in Vienna and works mostly in the fields of fashion and art. ninaober.at    

Sabine Kranz studied visual communication in Kassel and Stuttgart and lives as an illustrator and author with her family in Frankfurt am Main. Her work is inspired by pop culture, French comics and the space age. The book “That wasn’t me! It was the pirates!” is inspired by her experiences with her daughter – and…

Jiemei Lin is an artist born in Hangzhou, China, currently living and working in the Inland Northwest, Washington State. Lin works with both digital media and traditional media to create paintings, murals, and illustrations. Her work includes The Rock in My Throat which was selected as a Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Honor Book in…