Joy McCullough writes books for kids and teens. Her debut young adult novel Blood Water Paint (Dutton/Penguin) was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and won the Washington State and Pacific Northwest Book Awards. Her next young adult novel, We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire, is coming from Dutton on Febuary 9, 2021. Her debut middle grade novel, A Field Guide to Getting Lost (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster), was a Junior Library Guild selection. Her picture book Harriet's Ruffled Feathers (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster) is coming in 2022. She studied theater at Northwestern University, lives in the Seattle area, and is human to Australian Shepherd Athena.

Sheyda Abvabi Best is an artist at a Kansas City-based studio, where she illustrates, designs product, and sculpts. She earned her BA in Illustration at Bethany College, and lives with her husband and very fluffy cat.