About Terry J. Benton-Walker
TERRY J. BENTON-WALKER grew up in rural Georgia and now lives in Atlanta with his son, where he writes fantasy and horror for adults, young adults, and children. He has an industrial engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Georgia State. When he’s not writing, he can be found gaming, eating ice cream, or both. The White Guy Dies First is his first anthology. Benton-Walker is also the author of Blood Debts and Blood Justice for teens and Alex Wise vs. the End of the World for middle-grade readers.
About Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is the instant New York Times, international bestselling, & award-winning author of Ace of Spades. She is an avid tea drinker, a collector of strange mugs, and a graduate from a university in the Scottish Highlands where she received a BA in English Literature. She also has an MA in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. When she isn’t spinning dark tales, Faridah can be found examining the deeper meanings in Disney channel original movies.
About Kalynn Bayron
Kalynn Bayron is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of young adult novels Cinderella Is Dead, This Poison Heart, This Wicked Fate, You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight and Sleep Like Death, and the middle grade Vanquishers series. She is a classically trained vocalist, and she grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. When she's not writing you can find her listening to Ella Fitzgerald on loop, attending the theatre, watching scary movies, and spending time with her kids. She currently lives in Ithaca, New York with her family.www.kalynnbayron.com@KalynnBayron
About Kendare Blake
Kendare Blake is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Anna Dressed in Blood series, the Goddess War series, and the Three Dark Crowns series. Her work is sort of dark, always violent, and features passages describing food from when she writes while hungry. She lives and writes in Gig Harbor, Washington, with her husband, their cat son Tyrion Cattister, red Doberman dog son Obi-Dog Kenobi, rottie mix dog daughter Agent Scully, and naked Sphynx cat son Armpit McGee.
About H.E. Edgmon
H.E. Edgmon did not sleep for several years and is now the author of copious novels and short works for tweens, teens, and adults. Their line-up includes The Witch King duology, the Ouroboros duology, and The Flicker, and their writing has been described as “monstrously thrilling, deeply emotional” by School Library Journal. Across genres, H.E. hopes to find readers in their darkest moments and help them start a fire. In their laughably limited free time, they’re likely hosting themed parties for no reason or trying to predict the future. They live in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by chosen family and giant dogs.
About Lamar Giles
Lamar Giles is the author of the acclaimed novels The Getaway, The Last Last-Day-of-Summer, Not So Pure and Simple, SPIN, Fake ID, and has written for globally beloved brands like DC Comics, Star Wars, and National Geographic. He is a three-time Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award nominee, a recipient of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's Youth Literary Award, and founding member of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books. He resides in Virginia with his family.
About Chloe Gong
Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, as well as the Flesh and False Gods trilogy. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and have been featured in the New York Times, PEOPLE, Forbes and more. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and International Relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York City, pretending to be a real adult.
About Alexis Henderson
Alexis Henderson is the author of Goodreads Choice Awards finalists The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her hanging out with her cats or nursing a hot cup of tea.
About Tiffany D. Jackson
Tiffany D. Jackson is the critically acclaimed author of YA novels including the NAACP Image Award-nominated Allegedly and Monday's Not Coming, a Walter Dean Myers Honored Book and Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner, as well as Let Me Hear a Rhyme. She received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, her master of arts in media studies from the New School, and has over a decade in TV/Film experience.
About Adiba Jaigirdar
Adiba Jaigirdar is the critically-acclaimed and bestselling author of The Henna Wars, Hani & Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, Rani Choudhury Must Die, and co-author of Four Eids and a Funeral. A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher, she has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland. All of her writing is aided by tea, and a healthy dose of Janelle Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko. When not writing, she is probably ranting about the ills of colonialism, playing video games, or expanding her overflowing lipstick collection. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram.
About Naseem Jamnia
Markowitz Award–winning and Astounding Award-nominated author Naseem Jamnia (they/them) writes speculative fiction for adults, teens, and kids. Their adult fantasy novella The Bruising of Qilwa was nominated for the Crawford, Locus, and World Fantasy awards, and they contributed to the YA horror anthology The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power. A Persian-Chicagoan, former neuroscientist, and current educator and pro-library activist, Naseem currently lives outside Reno, Nevada, with their husband and four furred creatures. The Glade (May 27, 2025, Aladdin, SimonKIDS) is their middle-grade debut. Find out more at NaseemWrites.com, and join their newsletter NaseemWrites.Kit.Com/SignUp.
About Karen Strong
Karen Strong is the critically acclaimed author of several books for young readers. Her work has been praised by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and School Library Journal and has received recognition as a Southern Book Prize finalist, Ignyte Award finalist, and BCCB Blue Ribbon selection. Find her online at karen-strong.com.
About Mark Oshiro
MARK OSHIRO is the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning Latinx queer author of Anger Is a Gift, Each of Us a Desert, and Into the Light, as well as their middle grade books The Insiders, You Only Live Once, David Bravo, and Star Wars Hunters: Battle for the Arena. They are the coauthor (with Rick Riordan) of The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure. When not writing, they are trying to pet every dog in the world.
About André Santana
André Santana is an audiobook narrator on a journey to tell great stories. Brazilian-born and Seattle-raised, he now lives in NYC where he's recorded 150+ titles across genres. In his work, you'll hear a flair for human and connected performances crafted around the voice of the text. André believes that humanity lives inside the heartbreak, comedy, drama, and other dimensions books deliver, and that a great audiobook meets that with intention and artistry. His work has been celebrated with several Earphone awards, Audie nominations, by the Voice Arts Awards, One Voice Awards, and more.As a non-binary and Black narrator, he loves both telling stories that match him and disappearing into new characters across the literary multiverse. Find him in the throws of a coming-of-age novel, on spellbinding fantasy journeys with quirky companions, or in the thick of suburban drama.
About Samara Naeymi
Samara Naeymi has brought her dynamic, conversational style and vocal versatility to over 475 audiobooks in all genres, working in romance as Samantha Brentmoor. She is a 2023 Audie Award winner and is most inspired in the booth when she gets to work on texts that feel deeply personal to the authors who write them. She has worked since 2018 as Director of Production for the recording studio Brick Shop Audio, based in Brooklyn, NY and when she is not narrating audiobooks she works in cartoon and video games.
