TAMORA PIERCE is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over eighteen novels set in the fantasy realm of Tortall. She first captured the imagination of readers with her debut novel, Alanna: The First Adventure. Since then, her bestselling and award-winning titles have pushed the boundaries of fantasy and young adult novels to introduce readers to a rich world populated by strong, believable heroines. Her books have been translated into many languages, and some are available on audio from Listening Library and Full Cast Audio. In 2013, she won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.” Pierce lives in Syracuse, New York, with her husband, Tim, and their cats, birds, and occasional rescued wildlife. Visit her at TamoraPierce.com and follow her on Twitter at @TamoraPierce.


JULIE HOLDERMAN writes stuff and loves cats. A once-upon-a-time graduate of the Alpha Workshop for Young Writers, she returned ten years later to serve as a staff member. She studied writing and history at Ithaca College and is eyeing an MA in history, in pursuit of a PhD. She works full-time as Tamora Pierce’s assistant while building her writing portfolio.

TIMOTHY LIEBE is the “Dreaded Spouse-Creature” and IT Guy for fantasy novelist Tamora Pierce, as well as her coauthor on the Marvel Comics White Tiger miniseries. He has written for National Public Radio, CNET, USA Network, and Pacifica Network and spent a decade as a consumer-electronics journalist and editor. An Army brat, Tim traveled the U.S. Midwest and Germany as a child.
 
MEGAN MESSINGER’s work has appeared in Cicada, Fantasy Magazine, and Electric Velocipede, as well as other publications, and received an honorable mention in Datlow, Link, and Grant’s 2007 Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. Megan discovered the books of Tamora Pierce, Bruce Coville, and Jane Yolen while home sick with the chicken pox in second grade—clearly the most fortuitous case of chicken pox ever. She lives with one foot in Tortall always; these days, the other foot and most of her vital organs are attending medical school in California.