Authors

Laura Atkins is an author, teacher, and independent children’s book editor with twenty years of editorial experience. Her first published children’s book will be from Minted Prose, LLC, launching in the Fall of 2016. Laura has worked with various book publishers, helping to produce winners of the Coretta Scott King Award and ALA Notable Book selections, among others. She holds an MA in Children’s Literature from the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature (NCRCL) at Roehampton University in London and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Linda Fischer is a global traveler with a passion for literature, languages, and the people she encounters along the way. A devoted student of the Hungarian culture, she spent nine years traveling and researching The Memory Book. This is her first book. Linda holds a MS in Book Publishing from NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Linda is also a singer/songerwriter. Listen to her first album, Arc of Love, at lindamariefischer.com.

Photo Credit: Terri Brentnall Photography

Philip Fischer grew up in Salem, Oregon, and holds a BS degree from Oregon State University, a JD frrom Loyola University in Los Angeles, CA, and a doctorate from the University of Oregon. Fischer’s fascination with science’s potential is evident in his novels, Julia and the Dream Maker and Green Eyes in the Amazon, in which he explores its inevitable impact on our lives. Phil is also a poet and songwriter. He is co-lyricist on Linda's songs on her album, Arc of Love, and her forthcoming songs.

Photo Credit: Terri Brentnall Photography

When Joe Tavano met the real Paws, they quickly became close friends. A Dachshund’s Wish draws on Paws’s reactions to the squirrels, birds and other wild animals in his backyard. Illustrated by Ji Yu, A Dachshund’s Wish was Tavano’s first children’s book. Tavano lived in New York City and visited schools there to talk about his book and writing. He hoped Paws would help children learn that both humans and animals share love and dreams, just as the real Paws did. Joe is no longer with us, but it’s a comfort to picture him back at Paws’s side, still sharing the love and dreams he wrote about.