Debbie Dadey grew up in Kentucky and now lives in a log cabin in Tennessee with her husband and a greyhound rescue. Her children live along the East Coast and continue to inspire her. A former first grade teacher and school librarian, she is the author and coauthor of 176 traditionally published books. Her first children’s book, Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots, coauthored with Marcia Thornton Jones, became The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series, with sales of over 43 million. Her newest series, Mermaid Tales, is a multicultural series from Simon and Schuster. An upcoming spin-off series is Mermaid Mini Tales. She also coauthored Writing for Kids: The Ultimate Guide, with Marcia Thornton Jones.



Marcia Thornton Jones is an award-winning author who has traditionally published 131 books for children, with sales totaling more than 43 million copies worldwide. Her works include Woodford Brave, Ratfink, and Champ. She coauthored the writing guides Writing for Kids: The Ultimate Guide and Story Sparkers with Debbie Dadey, as well as seven popular children’s series, including The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids and Keyholders. Marcia lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband, Steve, and two cats, where she continues to write, mentor writers, and teach writing classes. She is the coordinator of the Carnegie Center Author Academy, an intensive one-on-one writing program for adult writers working toward publication.



Pearl Low is an Afro-Asian artist based in Vancouver, Canada. Her works are rooted in themes of self-love, acceptance, and Chinese and Jamaican-Canadian experiences. She works in comics and animation and won an Oscar in 2020 for her work on the short film "Hair Love."