Tobias Madden is an author and editor with a passion for creating captivating young-adult fiction. Originally from Ballarat, Australia, Tobias has worked as a performer, touring across Australia and New Zealand with productions such as “Mary Poppins,” “Cats,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Guys and Dolls.” In 2019, Tobias edited and published Underdog, an anthology of #LoveOzYA short stories by previously unpublished Australian young-adult fiction writers. He is also the co-writer of the cabaret show “Siblingship,” which has played to sold-out audiences in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Tobias’s debut novel, Anything but Fine, was published in 2021 and shortlisted for […]

Giano Cromley is the author of two young-adult novels, The Prince of Infinite Space (Propertius Press, 2022) and The Last Good Halloween (Tortoise Books, 2013), as well as the adult short story collection, What We Build Upon the Ruins (Tortoise Books, 2017). He has been a finalist for the High Plains Book Award twice, and is a recipient of an Artists Fellowship from the Illinois Arts Council. His second novel drew comparisons with J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. Originally from Billings, Montana, Giano graduated from Dartmouth College and received an MFA from the University of Montana. He worked […]

Mark Kurlansky is a New York Times bestselling American journalist and author who has written 36 books, mostly on history and science, including seven for children and young adults. His young-adult nonfiction book, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World (1997), was an international bestseller, translated into more than 15 languages and winner of the Independent Publisher Book Award for Editor’s Choice in 1998. World Without Fish won gold at the 2011 National Parenting Publications Awards and was chosen by many school districts for their curriculum. Kurlansky’s latest, Big Lies: From Socrates to Social Media (2022) is […]

Andrew Varga is a historian and author who writes middle-grade/young-adult novels set across various historical periods. He has written seven fantasy-historical books that make up the Jump in Time series, including the forthcoming The Celtic Deception and The Last Saxon King (Imbrifex, 2023). His passion for history led him to earn a BA from the University of Toronto in Canada, where he specialized in history and majored in English. Andrew has traveled extensively across Europe, where he has visited many historical sites and museums. His love of medieval history is reflected in his collection of swords, shields and other weapons […]

Q: Your background as a screenwriter has helped make your works accessible to a wide audience. How has your experience in this field influenced your writing and storytelling style?   A: I didn’t start screenwriting until I already had a career in novels. And the main thing screenwriting taught me was: Stick to novels. I have an unlimited special-effects budget; my novels don’t have an outside director whose main interest is in removing any trace of my novel from the movie, and as a novelist I can’t be fired. My real background was as a playwright. I started by doctoring […]