This week, we have Teri Hall. Teri is a card-carrying hermit who loves to write.

Here’s a little bit about THE LINE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 2010.

The Line

Set in the near future, THE LINE chronicles the adventures of fifteen year old Rachel Quillen.  Since her father died in a war, Rachel and her mother, Vivian, have lived in relative isolation on a place called The Property; the home of Ms. Moore, a taciturn woman who makes her living growing orchids.

Amy Brecount White

This week, we have Amy Brecount White.  Amy teaches high school kids how to read (poetry and novels) and write for seven years.  When she got pregnant with her own, she started writing articles for newspapers and magazines about kids and traveling and gardening.  She had her mid-life crisis early — Eek!  this is her life? — and started writing this novel almost eight years ago.  It was a long and laborious gestation period.

Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe

This week, we have Megan Crewe. Megan lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and two cats. She has worked with children and teens for several years, in rec centers and schools, and as a private tutor for children with special needs. In her free time, she reads everything she can get her hands on, travels to distant locales, and speculates about the ghost that may or may not be living under her bed.

Kate Messner

This week, we have the magnificent Kate Messner. Kate grew up in Western NY, graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communication with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and worked as a television news producer and reporter in Syracuse, NY and then Burlington, VT, before going back to school to get a teaching degree.  For the past twelve years, Kate has been a teacher of middle school English.

Fran Cannon Slayton

This week, we have the sensational Fran Cannon Slayton. Fran is a former child sex abuse prosecutor, a former legal publisher, and a stay-at-home mom.  She has been known to sing in rock and roll bands, play trumpet, do an incredible party trick where she flips her feet around backwards, and hop on a pogo stick 1000+ times in a row. (Full disclosure on that last one:  it happened quite awhile ago.  Like, decades.

Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon

This week, we have Cindy Pon. Cindy was born in Taipei, Taiwan and immigrated to California in 1980 at age six, settling in a suburb of Los Angeles. She began writing stories before she was officially declared English proficient.  Cindy is a student of Chinese brush painting, and her love for the art is reflected in her storytelling. An award winning artist, her paintings have been shown in various venues throughout San Diego.

Nan Marino

his week we have librarian Nan Marino, who lives on the Jersey shore. She’s written web copy for an alcohol distributor, published scholarly articles and co-wrote an educational book. Her first novel, Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me, will be published in May ’09 by Roaring Brook Press.

Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbman

This week, we have the fabulous Cheryl Renée Herbsman. Cheryl received her B.S. in psychology from Duke University and her master’s in clinical psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives with her husband and two children in Northern California.