Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas are the co-authors of the These Vicious Masks trilogy. Tarun is a mild-mannered assistant by day and a milder-mannered writer by night, while Kelly is an actor and writer. Tarun can be found online at tarunshanker.com and on Twitter @tkshanker. Kelly can be found on Twitter @KellyZekas.

Previous work: These Vicious Masks (2016); These Ruthless Deeds (2017); These Vengeful Souls (2018).

Leatrice “Elle” McKinney, who writes as L.L. McKinney, is a poet and active member of the kidlit community. She’s an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtag #WhatWoCWritersHear. Her debut novel, A Blade So Black, was recently optioned for television. Find her online at llmckinney.com or on Twitter @ElleOnWords.

Previous work: A Blade So Black (2018); A Dream So Dark (2019).

Lori M. Lee is a writer who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, kids, and an excitable shih tzu. Find her online at lorimlee.com or on Twitter @LoriMLee.

Previous work: Gates of Thread and Stone (2014); The Infinite (2015); contributor to multiple anthologies.

Sangu Mandanna has been writing fiction since she was four years old. She lives in Norwich, England, with her husband and three kids. Find her online at sangumandanna.com and on Twitter @SanguMandanna.

Previous work: The Lost Girl (2012); A Spark of White Fire (2018); A House of Rage and Sorrow (2019); contributor to multiple anthologies.

Samira Ahmed was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in a small town in Illinois in a house that smelled like fried onions, cardamom, and potpourri. A graduate of the University of Chicago, she taught high school English, helped create dozens of small high schools, and fought to secure billions of additional dollars to fairly fund public schools. She’s lived in Vermont, Chicago, New York City, and Kauai. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @sam_aye_ahm.

Previous work: Love, Hate & Other Filters (2018); Internment (2019).

Caroline Tung Richmond is an award-winning author of YA novels and short stories. She is also the program director of We Need Diverse Books. She lives in northern Virginia with her family. Find her online at carolinetrichmond.com or on Twitter @ctrichmond.

Previous work: The Only Thing to Fear (2014); The Darkest Hour (2016); Live in Infamy (2018); Hungry Hearts, co-edited with Elsie Chapman (2019); contributor to multiple anthologies.

Tara Sim is a writer of all things magical. She can often be found in the wilds of the Bay Area, California. Find her online at tarasim.com or on Twitter @EachStarAWorld.

Previous work: Timekeeper (2016); Chainbreaker (2018); Firestarter (2019).

Karuna Riazi is a born and raised New Yorker, with a loving, large extended family and the rather trying experience of being the eldest sibling in her particular clan. Besides pursuing a BA in English literature from Hofstra University, she is an online diversity advocate, blogger, and publishing intern. Karuna is fond of tea, baking, Korean dramas, and writing about tough girls forging their own paths toward their destinies.

Previous work: The Gauntlet (2017) and The Battle (2019).