Sheth, Kashmira

Kashmira Sheth was born and raised in India and came to the United States to attend college.  After receiving her BS from the Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa and MS in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she worked for the Wisconsin Agriculture Department for 15 years. About twelve Read more…

Fischer, Maribeth

Maribeth Fischer’s first novel, The Language of Goodbye, was awarded Virginia Commonwealth University’s First Novel Award for 2002. Fischer’s second novel, The Life You Longed For, chosen as an April 2007 BookSense Notable Book, as well as a alternate book selection the Literary Guild, was cited by The Library Journal Read more…

Leick, Bonnie

Bonnie Leick (pronunciation:  like) grew up on a dairy farm in Central Wisconsin where as a child, she spent her summers picking rocks in the fields and baling hay.  Year-round she was a “Calf Care Specialist”; i.e., she fed calves.  Bonnie’s artwork has sometimes been defined as quirky and humorous.  Read more…

The Poetry People

THE POETRY PEOPLE first met as students of poetry, writing and workshopping at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha under the careful eye of Dr. Phil Zweifel.  In 1997, the classmates decided to share their work with others and formed as The Poetry People.  Their first public reading was hosted by Martha Merrell’s Bookstore Read more…

Baron, Kathi

Kathi is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. In addition to writing, she works part-time as an occupational therapist. In the past, she has worked with teens in crisis and has publications in a variety of occupational therapy journals and books. Read more…

Handeland, Lori

Lori Handeland has written nearly fifty novels, novellas and short stories in several genres–historical, contemporary, series and paranormal romance, as well as urban fantasy–for such publishers as: Dorchester, Kensington, Harlequin, St. Martin’s Press, Harper-Collins and Simon and Schuster. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Waldenbooks and Bookscan Bestselling Read more…

Piehl, Janet

Janet Piehl is a children’s librarian and author. A former editor of children’s books, she has written more than ten nonfiction books on topics ranging from Harry Houdini to chipmunks. She currently works at the Wilmette Public Library outside of Chicago.