Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer's Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others.

She lives in Belgium with her husband of 25+ years, 2 wonderful kids, and her two beloved pets. When she's not writing, reading, editing or reviewing, she enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family. Represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com.

Favorite writing quotes:

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." ~Ray Bradbury

"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand." ~George Orwell, "Why I Write," 1947

K.C. Snider, an honors graduate from The Eugene School for Art, is a prominent Oregon artist. Her love of the western life and of wildlife has been developed since her youth, with her natural talent for drawing and color exhibited since she was ten years old.

Originally specializing in Western Fine Art, K.C. now has a collection of oil and acrylic paintings, lithographs, and pastel and pencil drawings that include portraits of the All-American Cowboy and Cowgirl and their lifestyles of days gone by. K.C. had planned to become an illustrator when she was in art school, but when circumstances intervened, she turned to fine art as an outlet to express herself. However, K.C. had always considered her work to be a form of illustration because even her paintings "tell a story."

In 2007, K.C. illustrated two children's books, The Christmas Angel, with author Mary Jean Kelso and The Magic Violin, with Mayra Calvani. Both books were published by Guardian Angel Publishing and are also available as an e-Book. Now she is an established and sought-after illustrator for Guardian Angel Publishing with a total of nine children's books published, four more pending publication and 12 more waiting to be illustrated. K.C. works with authors all over the world, including Australia and Belgium.