Kenneth Oppel

I was born in Port Alberni, B.C. in 1967 and grew up mostly in Victoria and Halifax. I decided at 13 that I wanted to be a writer (after briefly flirting with mad scientist and architect). In the summer holidays when I was 14 I wrote my first book. I sent it out to publishers in Canada, and they all rejected it. So the next summer I rewrote it and, with the help of Roald Dahl (who was my favourite writer) it was published as I was leaving high school. Since then I've written lots of other books, including the Silverwing trilogy, Airborn and Darkwing. Right now I'm working on a sequel to Airborn and Skybreaker, called Starclimber. I live in Toronto with my wife and three kids.
How to Contact: e-mail kenneth.oppel@sympatico.ca
Web sites: www.kennethoppel.com

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, have worked together for over 23 years; developing an unusual approach wherein both artists conceive, draw, design and paint. A husband-and-wife team, they have created paintings for annual reports, brochures, posters, advertisements, book covers, magazines and movies, including Toy Story and A Bug’s Life, for which they provided pre-production set and character designs.

In 1989, Steve and Lou began illustrating children’s books when Random House asked them to illustrate No Star Nights, by Anna Smucker. Together, they have illustrated and designed over 35 children’s books including The Salamander Room, by Anne Mazer, Felix Salten’s Bambi, adapted by Janet Schulman, Cat, You Better Come Home, by Garrison Keillor, My Many Colored Days, by Dr. Seuss, New York’s Bravest, by Mary Pope Osborne, The Velveteen Rabbit, abridged by Lou Fancher, Casey Back at Bat, by Dan Gutman, Star Climbing, by Lou Fancher and Amazing Peace, by Maya Angelou. Their 2000 release, I Walk At Night, by Lois Duncan was recognized as one of The New York Times Best Illustrated Books. They are the recipients of a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators and have been recognized by Communication Arts, Print, and Graphis.

Steve Johnson grew up in Minnesota and studied illustration( BFA ) and painting at the College of Visual Art in St. Paul. Lou Fancher was born in Michigan and studied art history while earning her BFA in Dance at the University of Cincinnati. They live with their son, Nicholas, in Moraga, California.

They can be reached through their website at www.johnsonandfancher.com