KidLit Guests - Authors
Norm Cowie
Norm Cowie is the author of three humor novels, including the vampire/humor book, Fang Face.
He’s qualified to write about teens because he has two daughters who have gone through junior high, high school and the fifty hours of mandated parental-supervision Illinois driver’s education program. And because of his experience with blood-suckers (he works with attorneys during the day), he is also highly qualified to write about vampires.
His previous books were The Adventures of Guy … written by a guy (probably) and the award-winning The Next Adventures of Guy … more wackiness and short stores in the anthologies Heat of the Moment and Missing.
He’s a popular speaker at schools, Boy & Girl Scouts and won’t shut up at the dinner table. And, um, don’t believe the rumors about his baldness.
James Kennedy
James Kennedy is the author of THE ORDER OF ODD-FISH (Random House Delacorte 2008), a middle grade / YA fantasy that was one of the Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children 2008. Booklist praised ODD-FISH as "hilarious" and Time Out Chicago described it as "a work of mischievous imagination and outrageous invention." At the American Library Association conference in 2009, James tackled Neil Gaiman and, through a series of mental and physical trials, won the Newbery award from him fair and square.
James will perform theatrical, laugh-out-loud readings from ODD-FISH, share some of the amazing fan art he's received from teens, answer questions, and talk about some of the strange things that inspired ODD-FISH. (He used to live in Japan; be sure to ask about his harrowing experiences at Japan's notorious Naked Man fighting festival.)
James graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1995 with a degree in physics and philosophy. He lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter. His second novel, the sci-fi comedy THE MAGNIFICENT MOOTS, will be published by Delacorte in 2012.
Kimberly Krueger
Kim Krueger created Traegonia the Sunbow Prophecy based on the sculptures by her friend and former neighbor Dino Crisanti. After seeing these incredible pieces of art she was inspired to give them a life, a world and a name. Kim wanted to give readers of all ages, a way to step into a simpler place and time. Traegonia is a place not so far from our own where we can open our hearts and minds to imagination and adventure. Because the story rides a fine line between fantasy and reality it calls each reader to decide for themselves if they BELIEVE! Kim has always believed that when you find something you truly love to do, even if you think it is just a dream, find your passion and the gift that is within you and follow that dream. “Let yourself be open to inspiration. You never know where it might take you.”
Kim is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. She is a writer, businesswoman, Reiki practitioner and spiritual person. Kim has lived in the Suburbs of Chicago all her life. Kim is creative and always tries to foster creativity in her own children as well as in others.
Jannifer Powelson
Jannifer Powelson was raised on a farm near Altona, Illinois. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where she first started to get interested in the prairie. She received her Master's Degree in Biology from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville. It was during her thesis research, which took place near Amboy, Illinois, that she began to learn, identify, and photograph prairie plants. She conducted research on wild raccoons and also had a few "incidents" with skunks, and that is how the characters from Rachel and Sammy Visit the Prairie were derived.
Jannifer is employed as a Resource Conservationist at the Stark County Soil and Water Conservation District and resides in Princeton, Illinois, with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys reading, writing, photography, and travel. The second book in the Rachel and Sammy series is close to completion and should be ready for release soon.
Lisa Riebe
Lisa Riebe is the author of the children’s science fiction series, Pond Punkies, published by Ravine Publishing. The first book of the series, The Arrival, was released May of 2009.
Lisa was born in Chicago, but grew up in Romeoville, Illinois. As a child, she spent many hours reading, mostly The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries. She says, “I remember feeling like I was Nancy Drew when I read the stories.” She enjoyed writing science fiction in high school English classes and became a huge Star Trek fan, but pursued a business degree in college. Lisa graduated from Lewis University with a Bachelors Degree in Business and entered the workforce.
In 1995, Lisa and her husband Greg welcomed the arrival of their son, Justin. It was at this time that Lisa made the decision to stay home and take care of her new bundle of joy.
When Justin was about seven years old, the idea of Pond Punkies came about while sitting around the pond in her backyard. It took many years and help from several people before Pond Punkies became a published work. Now she writes in her home office with a window over looking the pond always wondering if the Pond Punkies are close by. She says, “The best compliment I receive is when a child comes up to me and asks me if Pond Punkies are really here. Then I know I have succeeded in reaching their inner imagination.”
She lives in Morris, Illinois with her husband Greg and their son, Justin. Her faithful companion, Augie, a mutt the family rescued from a shelter, is always keeping her feet warm under her desk. She is currently working on the second book in the Pond Punkies series and completing the Pond Punkies Trading Card Game, Legion.
Sheila Kelly Welch
Sheila Kelly Welch has had short stories published by numerous children’s magazines, and she's illustrated her own stories for The Cricket Magazine Group. One of these, “The Holding-On Night,” published in Cricket, won the International Reading Association’s Short Story Award. Her first novel, Don’t Call Me Marda, was a finalist for the national Benjamin Franklin Award. Three of her short chapter books are read by schoolchildren around the world. Her two most popular books are Little Prince Know-It- All, Golden Books/Random House, and A Horse for All Seasons, Boyds Mills Press. Her novel The Shadowed Unicorn was on the short list for the Prairie Pasque Award (similar to the Rebecca Caudill Award), and a review in Booklist likened it to Bridge to Terabithia. She illustrated two popular historical novels, Sean’s War and Sean’s Quest, and two picture books, Something in the Air and Is That Your Sister? Her most recent book, Not Timothy, is a realistic and poignant story about a family formed through adoption.
Gail Wilkinson
Gail's writing inspiration began with her grandmother's letters and journals which captured life's sweeping events, like the world wars and the Great Depression, as well as the sweet daily rhythms of farm life. Her middle grade novel about her grandparents, Alice and Frosty: An American Adventure, was published in May, 2010. The setting for the true-life novel was Gail's hometown of Wenona, Illinois. She currently resides in Litchfield, IL. Gail has been published in Highlights Magazine and two Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and loves writing stories that celebrate and honor family histories.
