Akaela S. Michels-Gualtieri lives in Washington, DC with her writer-mother, her scientist-father, a younger brother, a baby sister and three cats. When she is not playing the piano, she is usually doing gymnastics. A world traveler, she has been to Europe and China.

Artist Marcy Dunn Ramsey has two daughters, Jessie, a sculptor, and Rosie, a critic. She is also fortunate to have a patient husband who likes to cook. When she isn’t tearing her hair out over deadlines, she does large oil-paintings of nice quiet places to nap in.