JDLA represents over 200 clients; the following is a selected client list
Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell (elfontheshelf.com)
Mother and daughter team that have taken the world by storm with their #1 bestselling, award-winning ELF ON THE SHELF. The animated feature of ELF ON THE SHELF will premiere in November 2011 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia and will air on CBS on Friday, November 25th.
Susan Anderson (susanandersonphoto.com)
Susan Anderson is an internationally known photographer whose work has appeared at galleries in New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, and Amsterdam. Her book HIGH GLITZ (PowerHouse, 2009) portrays the bizarre, self-contained world of children’s beauty pageants. She is best known for her two bestselling books PORN FOR WOMEN and PORN FOR NEW MOMS, both published by Chronicle Books. Her most recent project is WELL BUILT, a series of books with helpful hints and hunks.
Michael Apostolina
Michael Apostolina is an ALA-nominated novelist. His first novel, HAZING MERI SUGARMAN, published by Simon & Schuster, was called “Memorable . . . surprisingly dark and witty” by Publishers Weekly. VOYA said “A rollicking blend of romance and revenge.” The Boston Globe’s Horn Book Magazine proclaimed HAZING MERI SUGARMAN and its sequels MERI STRIKES BACK and DARK CINDY “Near classic.” Formerly Vice-President in Charge of Creative Affairs at Miramax Films in NYC and London, Apostolina sold his original screenplay Planet Deb to New Line Cinema; his television pilot Thornhill Prep was commissioned by NBC Productions; and his screenplay Nevermore was sold to director/producer Steve Minor. Produced rewrite credits include Disney’s James and the Giant Peach, Miramax Films’ Scandal, and Warner Bros.’ Joe’s Apartment. In addition, Apostolina directed, co-wrote, and produced Kidnap Madonna’s Baby, which premiered at the Seattle Film Festival, with additional festival screenings, including the Berlin Film Festival, the Sao Paulo International Film Festival, and the Toronto Film Festival. The film was acquired for distribution by Shockwave. Apostolina has also written for Details magazine and Films in Review and has lectured on film and writing at NYU, Northwestern University, and Columbia College in Chicago.
Shari Arnold
An exciting new teen voice, Shari Arnold is the author of the heart-stopping thriller MYSTIQUE (Chronicle, 2012). She is currently working on the teen series KATE TRIUMPH, comprised of three fast-paced sci-fi thrillers. A graduate of the University of Utah, she has worked as a professional photographer. Arnold lives in Connecticut.
Anne Bowen (annebowenbooks.com)
Anne Bowen is the popular author of many picture books, including I KNOW AN OLD TEACHER (Lerner, 2008), WHAT YOUR TEACHER DOES (AFTER YOU LEAVE SCHOOL) (Lerner, 2006), I LOVED YOU BEFORE YOU WERE BORN (HarperCollins, 2004), and the forthcoming SCOOTER ON THE OUTSIDE (Holiday House). She is currently working on a delightful chapter book series about a construction worker and his tiny dog, called BIG BOB AND LITTLE BETTY. She lives in Utah.
Christine Brodien-Jones
Author of the wondrous fantasy novel for middle-grade readers, THE OWL KEEPER, Brodien-Jones’ second fantasy novel, THE SCORPIONS OF ZAHIR (Random House, 2012), and is working on her third, THE GLASS PUZZLE. She is also the author of THE DREAMKEEPERS (Macmillan, 1992), described by Publishers Weekly as a fantasy of “arresting imagery” set in Wales. She studied writing at Emerson College, Boston, and has been a journalist, editor, and teacher. She lives in Massachusetts and Maine.
Sylvia Browne (sylviabrowne.com)
Sylvia Browne is a world-renowned psychic and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over 60 books. In 2009 DeChiara negotiated a multimillion-dollar multi-book deal for Browne with HarperOne Publishers and also the creation of Ms. Browne’s own imprint, The Sylvia Browne Collection.
Harrison Cheung (bale-biography.com)
Harrison Cheung is an award-winning writer who has worked in Hollywood for over a decade as a personal publicist, manager, and marketer to many celebrities, including Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heather Langenkamp, Charlton Heston, and Gloria Steinem. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Harrison began his career pioneering Internet marketing in Toronto, Canada but soon moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. He is the author of THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF CHRISTIAN BALE, to be released by BenBella Books in 2012.
(jeannecooper.com)
Jeanne Cooper is an Emmy Award-winning actress best known for her portrayal of Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. Cooper began her career in the 1950s, appearing in films with the biggest stars of our time, including Maureen O’Hara, Glenn Ford, Tony Curtis, and Henry Fonda. She was a fixture on episodic television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Her memoir, NOT YOUNG, STILL RESTLESS, My Life So Far, will be released in 2012 by HarperCollins.
Jay Frasco is a Los Angeles-based novelist, screenwriter, and filmmaker who has worked with such movie companies as Bold Films, The Animation Company, and SyFy. He began in the film business as a production assistant on Back to the Future: The Ride and went on to direct his first film, Dirt Boy, in 2001. His thriller The Rising is targeted to be filmed in 2012, and he’s currently writing Puddle Jumpers, an animated movie and Garfield: Year of the Cat. His first novel, Lights Out, pits a twelve-year-old boy against a villain who claims to be an alien, and coming soon are A Crewel Halloween and The Enterprising Mind of Marcus McHenry. Jay grew up on Cape Cod and frequently tackles his fears by writing about things that scare him.
Jennifer Hamburg is an Emmy Award-winning writer whose debut picture book, A MOOSE THAT SAYS MOO, will be published by Farrar, Strauss & Giroux in 2012. As a children's television writer, Jennifer has written for Little Einsteins, Jack's Big Music Show, and Blues Room. She is currently the staff writer and story editor for the PBS hit series Super Why! Jennifer holds a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology from Columbia University's Teachers College, where she studied children's creative and cognitive development. Before her television career, Jennifer worked for several years teaching and writing theater for children. Her book Four Parody Plays was published by Meriwether Publishing in 2005.
Lindsay Harrison has logged more than thirty years as a screenwriter and an author in a career that’s been nothing if not varied:
• nine made-for-television movies, including Dead Husbands with John Ritter and Nicolette Sheridan; My Boyfriend’s Back with Judith Light, Jill Eikenberry, and Sandy Duncan; Turn Back the Clock with Connie Sellecca, David Dukes, Dina Merrill, and Gene Barry; and My Very Best Friend with Jill Eikenberry and Jaclyn Smith;
• two half-hour series;
• one feature film;
• more than twenty comedy and drama TV episodics, from Sela Ward and Swoozie Kurtz’s Sisters to Dick Van Dyke’s Diagnosis Murder to Faye Dunaway’s It Had To Be You; and seventeen books with world-renowned psychic Sylvia Browne, nine of which found their way to the New York Times bestseller list and two of which were #1 bestsellers.
Harrison's collaboration with soap legend Jeanne Cooper, NOT YOUNG STILL RESTLESS, My Life So Far, is forthcoming from HarperCollins in 2012.
Brent Hartinger (brenthartinger.com)
Brent Hartinger is a Lambda Award-winning YA novelist of eleven novels, the latest two (SHADOWWALKERS and THREE TRUTHS AND A LIE) upcoming from Flux Books.
Brent Hartinger has been writing books for fifteen years, but didn't sell any of them until the summer of 2001. Since then, he has sold nine novels. Seven are aimed at teenagers and adults, including GEOGRAPHY CLUB (HarperCollins, 2003); THE LAST CHANCE TEXACO (HarperCollins, 2004); a sequel to GEOGRAPHY CLUB called THE ORDER OF THE POISON OAK (HarperCollins, 2005); and GRAND & HUMBLE (HarperCollins, January 2006). Two more Young Adult novels are forthcoming from HarperCollins. Mr. Hartinger is also the author of TALES OF SLUMBERIA, a fantasy series aimed at readers ten and older; the first two books, DREAMQUEST and BRAINSTORM are forthcoming from Tor Books.
Mr. Hartinger's book honors include being named a Book Sense 76 Pick (three times), an IRA Notable Book, a Lambda Literary Award Finalist, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, a Booklist Top Ten First Young Adult Novel, an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, winner of the SCBWI/Judy Blume Grant for a Contemporary Young Adult Novel, and an Insight/Out (Bookspan) Book Club Main Selection.
Mr. Hartinger has contributed stories or essays to many current or upcoming anthologies, including Rush Hour edited by Michael Cart (Random House) and Young Warriors edited by Tamora Pierce and Josepha Sherman (Random House).
Also a playwright, Mr. Hartinger has seen his work produced at theaters across the country, including Off-Off Broadway at Wings Theatre in New York. His play version of his novel GEOGRAPHY CLUB premiered at Seattle's FringeACT Festival of New Plays in 2004.
Mr. Hartinger lives south of Seattle with another novelist, Michael Jensen, his partner since 1992. He has counseled dozens of teenagers, both as co-facilitator of Oasis, a 200-member gay teen support organization he helped found, and as a counselor at a group home for troubled young people.
He is currently spearheading The Real Story, an online and print safer sex campaign aimed at gay male teens and twentysomethings, which involves characters from Geography Club and other popular teen novels; the project will debut in 2005.
Mr. Hartinger speaks frequently on the subjects of writing, social tolerance, and personal motivation at schools, bookstores, conferences, churches, and civic groups; he appeared at 60 such events last year.
As a screenwriter, Mr. Hartinger has won many awards, including the $5000 Fort Lauderdale Film Festival Screenwriting in the Sun Award. He has several scripts under option and in the process of studio or network development, including the film version of GEOGRAPHY CLUB.
Daniel Hayes
Daniel Hayes’ acclaimed trio of Young Adult books about best friends Tyler and Lymie has established a tremendous following and earned the author two ALA Best Books for Young Adults commendations. His fourth book, FLYERS, which introduced a new cast of characters, was a nominee for an Edgar award by the Mystery Writers of America and was named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association; THE TROUBLE WITH LEMONS won Best Book for Young Adults citation, American Library Association, and International Reading Association Young Adults Choice; and NO EFFECT won Best Book for Young Adults citation, American Library Association.
Catherine Hickland (catherinehickland.com)
Author of THE 30-DAY HEARTBREAK CURE (Simon Spotlight), Catherine Hickland is a 26-year veteran of daytime television, a theatre actress, an entrepreneur, and a public speaker. She has played Lindsay Rappoport on ABC’s highly rated daytime drama One Life To Live for the past nine years. She also writes a monthly column in Soap Opera Digest and regularly sells her cosmetics line, Cat Cosmetics, on HSN. Cat is certified in Advanced Clinical Hynosis. She lives in New York and Los Angeles.
Author of the debut picture book DRUM CITY (Tricycle Press, 2010), which Booklist called a “great choice for active storytime” and of which Kirkus said “This one begs to be read aloud,” Guidone has an unusually well-attuned ear for beautiful language. Each of her many picture books is perfectly crafted, unique, and childlike. She lives in Connecticut.
Murtz Jaffer
A Canadian-based journalist, Jaffer is the webmaster and owner of Survivor-Central.com, which has a one-week average of more than 310,000 visitors. He has been interviewed by countless television shows, radio programs, newspapers, and magazines because of his status as a SURVIVOR expert; he knows all of the former contestants from the show personally. Currently working on SURVIVOR: THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE, the must-have guide for reality TV and/or SURVIVOR aficionados. It will summarize every show, offer tantalizing anecdotes about the contestants, and reveal behind-the-scenes snapshots. Further, it will divulge secrets from the underground world of reality TV such as sure-fire ways to win the game and how to tap into the final results months ahead of air time.
Bernie Keating
Emmy-winning writer Bernie Keating has written movies, television shows, and pilots for CBS, NBC, Fox, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Disney, and Sony television. He was first nominated for an Emmy for “Duckman” for Paramount Television. He won an Emmy for “The Muppets” – Henson’s foray into network television. His movie “Me and My Shadow” is in pre-production, and he is currently working on a comedy entitled “Jesus, Mary, Joseph and James” – the Bible told from the point of view of Jesus’ slacker-stoner-dude younger brother, James.
Author of the much-heralded debut novel, THE CLOCKWORK THREE (Scholastic, 2010), a Publisher’s Weekly “Flying Star” and the forthcoming ICEFALL (Scholastic, 2011), called “clear, lively, exciting, and unstoppable” by Ursula K. LeGruin, Matthew Kirby is one of the most exciting new talents to hit the children’s book world. His third novel, THE NATURALIST, is an American fantasy based on the real life naturalist Billy Bartram. He lives in Utah, where he works as a school psychologist.
Laurie Lawlor (laurielawlor.com)
Laurie Lawlor is the renowned author of middle-grade historical fiction, including TWO LOVES OF WILL SHAKESPEARE (Holiday House), ADDIE ACROSS THE PRAIRIE (Albert Whitman), a bestselling (half-million copies sold) movie tie-in retelling of LITTLE WOMEN, and two original series for Simon & Schuster entitled AMERICAN SISTERS and HEARTLAND. She is also the author of HELEN KELLER (Holiday House); MUDDY AS A DUCK PUDDLE, a charming picture book with regional phrases from all over the United States (Holiday House, 2010); and RACHEL CARSON AND HER BOOK THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (Holiday House, 2012), about the American classic SILENT SPRING.
Sonia Levitin (sonialevitin.com)
Sonia Levitin is the distinguished author of more than thirty books for young readers, including JOURNEY TO AMERICA (an ALA Notable Book), THE RETURN (winner of the National Jewish Book Award and Sidney Taylor Award), THE CURE, and ESCAPE FROM EGYPT (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and Booklist Editor’s Choice). She is currently working on a powerful young adult novel, INSCRIBED IN STONE, a story of ancient Babylon and faith, a sci-fi novel, FREEK, about artificial intelligence, and several picture books. Levitin lives and teaches writing in Los Angeles, California.
With an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her long-standing portrayal of Traci Abbott on CBS TV's The Young and the Restless, Beth has worked on the stage in over 80 productions and revues, ranging from Shakespeare to Rodgers and Hammerstein. Two years with the Lyric Opera Theater fleshed out her musical comedy experience, and a sign language production at Deaf West Theater of "Night, Mother" won her a role with Richard Dreyfus in the film "Mr. Holland's Opus." Other highlights of her career include working with Carol Burnett and Hal Holbrook in an ABC special production of Plaza Suite, an operatic singing episode of Love American Style with Tony Dow, and a daring appearance on Circus of the Stars atop giant Percheron circus horses doing balletic and aerobatic tricks and resin-back riding. Maitland is currently working on a series of books on quilting.
Priscilla Maltbie
Priscilla Maltbie is the author of the charming picture book biography PICASSO & MINOU (Charlesbridge) and two additional picture books with historical/cultural backgrounds, BAMBINO AND MR. TWAIN (Charlesbridge, 2012) and CLAUDE MONET: THE MAN WHO STOPPED THE TRAINS (Abrams, 2010). A frequent magazine contributor, she lives in Long Beach, California.
(marilyntaylormcdowell.com)
A former childrenís bookstore owner, McDowell has written an outstanding middle-grade novel about a strong girl whose only desire is to find her true home (CAROLINA HARMONY, Random House, 2009). Kirkus called it ìan impressive debut,î and it was selected as a Booklist ìTop 10 Historical Fiction for Youth 2009.î She is currently working on a novel entitled IN RACHAELíS HANDS, about Scottish settlers in early America. She lives in Vermont.
Jack Mendelsohn is a highly respected comedy writer and a seasoned veteran of the world of stand-up comedy, variety shows, and sitcoms. He has won Emmys as a writer of The Carol Burnett Show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and Three's Company, along with a number of popular TV series and Movies of the Week. Mendelsohn also co-wrote (with Erich Segal, the author of Love Story) the screenplay for The Beatles' animated feature, Yellow Submarine. Mendelsohn spent four years as Creative Director of Hanna-Barbera Studios, developing projects for both Saturday morning cartoons and prime-time, live-action sitcoms. In 2004, Mendelsohn was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Writers Guild of America for his work in both television and feature films. He is currently working on a biography of Pat Morita, with a foreword by Jerry Weintraub.
Adam Meyer
Adam Meyer is the author of THE LAST DOMINO (Putnam, 2005), an inside look at the events leading up to a high school shooting spree, which was nominated for Best Books for Young Adults and also was an ALA Teen Pick for Reluctant Readers. Meyer is also a television writer and screenwriter. He has written shows for many networks, including Fox, CBS, Discovery, Lifetime, and National Geographic, and wrote and directed an independent feature film. He studied English at the State University of New York at Albany and film at the American University. A native of New York, he now lives outside Washington, D.C.
Author of more than 40 books, including the bestselling HOW OLIVER OLSON CHANGED THE WORLD (FS&G, 2009), which won the Bulletin Blue Ribbon and was listed on the New York Public Library 100 Books. Mills is also the author of the Mason Dixon series published by Random House/Knopf, including PET DISASTERS (2011), FOURTH-GRADE DISASTERS (2011), and the forthcoming BASKETBALL DISASTERS (2012). She lives in Colorado, where she is a professor of philosophy.
Rosanne Parry (rosanneparry.com)
Parry’s HEART OF A SHEPHERD (Random House, 2009), praised by Kirkus as “an unassuming, transcendent joy,” has been adopted by numerous state reading lists and has been optioned for film. She is also the author of the board book DADDY’S HOME (Ideals/Candy Cane Press) and the forthcoming YA novel SECOND FIDDLE (Random House, 2011), in which a high school girl and her friends have a European adventure at the time of the fall of the Berlin wall. She lives with her family in Oregon.
(AKA K.C. McKinnon) (kcmckinnon.com)
One of those rare writers who, like Anne Tyler, can make a description of a refrigerator into an entertaining and insightful study of human nature... Pelletier’s quirky voice and highly original sense of humor keep readers enthralled.
–Annette Foglio, Entertainment Weekly.
The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Cathie Pelletier “burst onto the literary scene” with her acclaimed first novel, The Funeral Makers. Nine novels later, Pelletier is one of the country’s most respected authors, prompting The Washington Post to call her “an ambitious, fearless novelist.” In 1998, she made international literary news when Doubleday paid her a million-dollar advance for her novel Candles on Bay Street, the film of which, starring Alicia Silverstone, aired November, 2006 on CBS, by Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions.
Pelletier is the winner of the New England Book Award, among others, including the Tennessee Booksellers Award. She has published seven novels under her own name. As K. C. McKinnon, she has written Dancing at the Harvest Moon (in 18 languages and a CBS TV Movie starring Jacqueline Bisset, Valerie Harper and Eric Mabius of Ugly Betty) and Candles on Bay Street, published in 10 languages. Her novel, Running the Bulls, won the 2006 Paterson Prize for Fiction. Pelletier adapted her novel A Marriage Made at Woodstock for producer George Stevens Jr. She also adapted her first novel, The Funerals Makers, for director Doug Liman (Bourne Identity; Mr. & Mrs. Smith; Jumper). Her original screenplay The Luna Christmas has recently been optioned by actor Donald Sutherland.
Pelletier wrote The Christmas Note with Grand Ole Opry star Skeeter Davis. She has also written The Ragin’ Cajun, with fiddler Doug Kershaw.
Cathie has had her songs recorded by David Byrne (of the Talking Heads) the Texas Tornadoes, the Glaser Brothers, and others.
NOVELS:
*The Funeral Makers, Once Upon a Time on the Banks, The Weight of Winter, The Bubble Reputation, *A Marriage Made at Woodstock, Beaming Sonny Home, Running the Bulls. As K.C. McKinnon: Dancing at the Harvest Moon; Candles on Bay Street.
*New York Times Notable Books of the Year, 1986 &1991
POETRY:
Widow’s Walk, 1976
NON-FICTION: A Country Music Christmas; The Christmas Note (with Skeeter Davis)
MOST CURRENT: *Running the Bulls (Pelletier)
*Winner of the 2006 Paterson Prize for Fiction
WHAT THE CRITICS AND OTHER NOVELISTS SAY:
“Cathie Pelletier generates the sort of excitement that only writers working at the very top of their form can provide.” —Stephen King
“Pelletier accomplishes what every great novelist should.” —Fannie Flagg
“I compare it (The Funeral Makers) to Spoon River Anthology, which I consider the great American novel.” —Kurt Vonnegut
“One of our finest writers...Nobody walks the knife-edge of hilarity and heartbreak more confidently than Pelletier.”—Richard Russo, Empire Falls.
“A master juggler of literary tears and laughter... Cathie Pelletier is a national treasure...” —Wally Lamb, She’s Come Undone.
“A modern-day Jane Austen with a wild sense of humor.”—Howard Mosher
“An ambitious, fearless novelist. The Funeral Makers established Cathie Pelletier as one of the funniest novelists at work in this country today, but now she has clearly emerged as one of the very best.” —The Washington Post
“The most touching, funny and dryly astute characters to come along since the irresistible eccentrics of Eudora Welty...Pelletier is a writer of great craft.” —The Boston Globe
“Cathie Pelletier is absolutely, inherently funny, yet she can walk the tightrope between humor and grief without once losing her balance.”
—The Los Angeles Times
“A generous and genuine entertainment...funny and wrenching.”
—The New Yorker
“A fresh intelligent voice describing a hidden pocket of life that few people see...humorous and poignant...Pelletier’s characters have universal appeal.” —Boston Sunday Herald
“A bitingly funny and highly original novelist.”
—Vogue
“Cathie Pelletier’s got the formula right, combining warmth, humor and insight in roughly equal proportions.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Pelletier has demonstrated that she’s a master of the art.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Masterful work...subversive, humorous, and heartbreaking.
—Publisher’s Weekly
“A writer with a genius for vernacular.”
—Detroit Free Press
Pennell graduated from the University of Texas with degrees in German and Psychology. His debut novel is the delightfully quirky middle-grade fantasy WHISTLE ROOT (Houghton Mifflin, 2012). He lives with his family in Texas.
Playwright and actor Frank Polito is the author of BAND FAGS! (Kensington, 2008) and DRAMA QUEERS! (Kensington, 2009), which was a Lambda Award winner. He is currently working on DRAKE, a contemporary retelling of Dracula, and LOST IN THE 90’s, a contemporary, comic time-travel novel. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s MFA program in Dramatic Writing, Polito lives in New York City.
Margi Preus (margipreus.com)
Author of the Newbery Honor Medal-winning and New York Times bestselling middle-grade book HEART OF A SAMURAI (Abrams, 2010) about a young Japanese boy who is rescued by an American whaling ship, which received an unprecedented four starred reviews; three picture books: THE LEGEND OF THE LADY SLIPPER (Holt), “an appealing first picture book . . . with unusual simplicity and fluidity” (Publishers Weekly); THE PEACE BELL (Holt, 2008), and CELEBRITREES (Holt, 2011); and two adult books: A BOOK OF GRACE: WORDS TO BRING YOU PEACE (Sourcebooks, 2002) and SACRED WORDS: A COLLECTION OF PRAYERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD (Sourcebooks, 2002). Preus’ teen mystery, MURDER ON THE SHORES OF ENCHANTMENT, is forthcoming from Abrams. A playwright and artistic director of a comedy theater, Preus’ short fiction has appeared in magazines, journals, and anthologies. She teaches children’s literature at The College of St. Scholastica and lives in Minnesota.
Judith L. Roth
Judith L. Roth is the talented author of the picture book GOODNIGHT, DRAGONS, which will be published by Hyperion in 2012, and the forthcoming middle-grade novel-in-verse, SERENDIPIKITTY (Viking, 2013), about a motherless girl who must convince her father to adopt a kitten. She is also the author of the picture books CUPS HELD OUT (Herald Press, 2006) and JULIA’S HANDS (Herald Press, 2009). Her poetry has appeared in over a dozen magazines. She lives in Indiana.
(lindateitel.blogspot.com)
Linda Teitel, author of the enchanting ANGUS MACMOUSE BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE (Bloomsbury, 2010), graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (Art Education) and taught art in a small private school in New Hampshire for several years. She is currently working on the novel METROPOLITAN MAX, about a cat who goes to work with her owner, who is a janitor in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. She lives in Massachusetts.
Tiffani Amber Thiessen
As an actress, Tiffani Amber Thiessen has proven her talent from comedy to drama in a variety of film and television roles. From Woody Allen's comedy, "Hollywood Ending," to "Beverly Hills 90210," Thiessen's charisma has kept her career moving constantly forward and has gained her the adoration of millions internationally.
Raised in Long Beach, California, Thiessen began modeling at the age of eight and soon went on to star in the television series "Saved By the Bell" for five seasons. At the same time, she made her feature film debut in "Son In Law," opposite Pauly Shore. In 1993, she showed her range when Aaron Spelling cast her in "Beverly Hills 90210," where she portrayed multi-layered "Valerie Malone" for five seasons.
Her other feature film roles include the comedy "Ladies Man," the independent film "Speedway Junky," with Jesse Bradford, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Daryl Hannah, "Love Stinks," with Tyra Banks and French Stewart, and the horror/comedy spoof "Shriek! If You Knew What I Did Last Friday 13th" opposite Tom Arnold.
Noted turns in episodic television have included a three-arc appearance on NBC's "Just Shoot Me" with David Spade and most recently, a nine-episode guest-starring role on the same network's "Good Morning Miami." In 2003, she starred in the Fox series "Fast Lane" produced and directed by noted film director McG.
It was also in 2003 that Thiessen took a bold step in re-defining her career when she launched her very own Tit 4 Tat Productions. And in no time, she found herself producing and directing her first film project, "Just Pray." Such initiative represents professional milestones for the actress-turned-producer-turned-director. By incorporating her very own up-start production company, the veteran television and film actress has embarked on a journey of transformation and reinvention. Such evolutio n now includes the addition of PRODUCER and DIRECTOR credits to an industry-savvy resume.
Currently working on a series of children's picture books entitled FINS AND TALES.
Janet Trumble is the author of the gay teen novel DON’T LET ME GO (Kensington, 2011) and the forthcoming WHERE YOU ARE (Kensington). She has an M.A. in English from Sam Houston State University in Texas, has taught writing in both the university and public school system, and is currently a school librarian. She lives in Texas with her family.
Carol Lynch Williams (carollynchwilliams.com)
Carol Lynch Williams is the author of more than twenty books for young readers and the winner of the PEN Award for GLIMPSE (Simon & Schuster, 2010), the touching story of two devoted sisters who bond together after their mother prostitutes the younger girl. Williams is also the winner of Nebraska’s Golden Sower Award and multiple winner of the Utah Original Writing Competition. Her novel THE CHOSEN ONE (St. Martin’s, 2009) was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and Recommended by The New England Children’s Booksellers Association. Another novel, MILES FROM ORDINARY (St. Martin’s, 2011), is about a girl and her mother, who are visited by the dead girl’s grandfather. Carol has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College, where she helped develop the conference on Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers (www.foryoungreaders.com). She lives in Utah with her five daughters.
