Karleen Bradford is the beloved, award-winning author of many novels. Though her first book was not published until she was forty, the same year she became a pilot and a scuba diver, Karleen cannot remember a time when she didn't write. In grade four her friends whispered desperately to one another, "Run! Hide! Karleen's written another play and she's going to make us act in it." Karleen grew up in Argentina, then lived all over South and Central America and Europe as the wife of a Foreign Service Officer. She now lives and writes in Owen Sound, Ontario, with her husband, Jim, and a gentle gia

CAROL MATAS is an internationally acclaimed author of more than 45 books for children and young adults. Her best-selling work has been translated into sixteen languages and has received over 100 awards and honors including the Sydney Taylor Award, the Geoffrey Bilson Award, the Silver Birch Award, and Canadian Jewish Book Award. She has twice been nominated for the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Kit Pearson is one of Canada’s best-loved historical writers. She’s the award-winning author of The Daring Game, the acclaimed Guests of War series: The Sky Is Falling, Looking at the Moon and The Lights Go on Again, as well as Awake and Dreaming, and editor of This Land: A Cross-Country Anthology of Canadian Fiction for Young Readers. Kit has won numerous awards for her writing. She has twice been a winner of the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award and the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction. She has also won the Governor General's Literary Award, the Mr. Christie's Book Award and the Ruth Schwartz Award. She is a former librarian, and one of Canada's foremost writers for young people.

Jean Little is one of Canada’s most beloved and distinguished authors. She has written fifty books which have been translated into twenty languages. Among them are some of Canada’s best-loved works for children, such as Mama’s Going to Buy You a Mockingbird, Mine for Keeps and From Anna. Jean began writing as a child and has never stopped, despite the challenge of her blindness. She has received numerous national and international awards and has been made a member of the Order of Canada for her outstanding contribution to Canadian children’s literature. Jean lives in Guelph, Ontario with her sister, great-nephew, four dogs and two cats.

JANET LUNN’s children’s books always make award and bestseller lists. She hase been awarded the Writers’ Trust Matt Cohen Award in Celebration of a Writing Life and the Order of Ontario, and she is also a member of the Order of Canada. Lunn’s history of Canada, The Story of Canada, is a must-have reference book for teachers and parents across the country

ALAN DANIEL is a fine artist who has also illustrated a number of children’s picture books for over 20 years. His interior illustrations for children’s books include Aaron’s Hair, Good Families Don’t, as well as non-fiction books such as The Story of Canada and Canadian Pioneers.

Ellis is a librarian and critic.

After being an English teacher for ten years, Gillian Chan realized her dream of becoming a writer in 1994. Her first book, Golden Girl and Other Stories, was shortlisted for the Mr. Christie's Book Award. A companion collection, Glory Days and Other Stories, was also a Christie nominee, and made the shortlist for the 1996 Governor General's Literary Award. When she turned to writing novels, Gillian was able to combine her writing with her love of history, writing such books as The Carved Box and A Foreign Field.
During her preparations for An Ocean Apart, Gillian travelled to Vancouver several times, walking the streets that would have been familiar to Mei. Her husband read and translated Chinese newspapers for her from the period in which the story was set. She has just finished writing a new title about the War of 1812 for Dear Canada's "little brother," the I Am Canada series.

Sharon has been interested in writing since childhood, and developed her love of history while studying at university. Her books include Spider's Web, The Dark Tower and The Minstrel Boy. A keen gardener who also enjoys playing the piano, Sharon lives in North York, Ontario, with her husband.

A prolific writer and educator, Maxine Trottier makes history come alive in picture books and novels for young readers. Her award-winning titles include Claire's Gift, which won the Mr. Christie's Book Award, The Paint Box, and Prairie Willow. Born in Michigan, Maxine is a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. and makes her home in Port Stanley, Ontario.