Dandi Daley Mackall always wanted to be a writer, even before she could hold a pencil. Her parents were great storytellers, so bringing characters to life seemed as natural as riding horses bareback, which she also grew up doing. She won her first writing contest as a 10-year-old tomboy. Today, she has over 400 children's books published and has won numerous awards for her writing. Katherine Blackmore was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. With a BFA in Illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art, Katherine has been a professional artist for 20 years. She moved to Florida in 1995 to learn traditional animation at The Walt Disney Feature Animation Studio. Today, she resides in Edgewood, Florida, with her husband, Eric, and their 3 cats.