Dream Big

Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of over forty books for all ages, including The Goose Girl, Book of a Thousand Days, and Newbery Honor recipient Princess Academy. With LeUyen Pham, she created her best-selling graphic novel memoirs Real Friends, Best Friends, and Friends Forever, and the picture book series Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn. She co-writes books with her husband Dean Hale, like the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge (with Nathan Hale), Diana, Princess of the Amazons (with Victoria Ying), and best-selling chapter book series The Princess in Black (with LeUyen Pham). She lives in Utah with their four children and two ridiculous cats. shannonhale.com

Marcela Cespedes, or Mace, as her friends call her, began stapling together sheets of paper to draw stories on them, from a very early age. Growing up, her love for comics never ceased to exist even when reading on road trips with her family would make her carsick. Her degree in Graphic Design and a subsequent Masters in Illustration have taken her to work in many creative industries such as advertising, animation, film, and most recently, publishing, where she finally brought together all her professional experiences with her love for books and graphic novels. Originally from Cali, Colombia, she currently resides between California and Wellington, New Zealand, getting the best of both hemispheres. marcelacespedes.com