Caren B. Stelson has worked as a teacher, educational consultant, and freelance writer. In 2013, the Sachiko manuscript won the SCBWI Anna Cross Giblin work-in-progress award. Because of Caren's friendship with Sachiko Yasui, she has become an active member of the Saint Paul-Nagasaki Sister City Committee as well as continuing to write and teach. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.