Speak with Chelsea in conversation with de but authors Laura Gao\, Brian D. Kennedy\, Jean Louise\, and XiXi Tian to chat about the challenges and joys of getting your first book out in the w orld.
\nFeatured Authors:
\nChelsea B anning: \;a writer\, reader\, and lover of all things fantasy . Chelsea started writing in 10th grade and hasn't stopped since. She star ted writing Flash-Fictions that bloomed into novels. Along with writing\, she has worked at Renaissance Faires on the street cast\, directing fairy guilds\, announcing and squiring at joust shows with her husband\, and wor king clothing booths. She also owned a small performing business offering various fairytale and superhero characters for kids for seven years. Chels ea currently lives in Ohio with her family where she works as a librarian and also loves to go camping\, swimming\, and exploring. \;
\nLaura Gao: \;a queer artist\, author\, bread lover\, an
d continental drifter. Originally from Wuhan\, China\, Laura immigrated to
Texas where their art career began by doodling on Poké\;mon cards a
nd has since blossomed to be featured on NPR\, the Museum of Chinese in Am
erica\, and most notably\, their parents&rsquo\; fridge. Having graduated
with a degree in Statistics from the University of Pennsylvania\, Laura be
came favorite child #2 of 2 when they decided to dive into the arts instea
d. \;
Thankfully\, their graphic memoir\, \;MESSY ROOTS\, debuted on the 2022 Indies Bestsellers List and has been shortlisted for t he Harvey Awards and the Texas Maverick List. Besides drawing and fending off early-onset back pain\, Laura enjoys biking through Ghibli-esque world s and binging SNL. Laura&rsquo\;s pronouns are she/her and they/them.
\ nBrian D. Kennedy: \;writes books for young adults . Born and raised in Minnesota\, he now lives in New York City with his hu sband and their very photogenic dog. When he&rsquo\;s not writing\, Brian can be found working at an LGBTQ non-profit. His slightly unhealthy obsess ions include: seeing as many Broadway shows as possible\, buying weird tri nkets off eBay\, and all things Dolly Parton. \;His debut\, A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY\, was published June 7th\, 2022. \;
\nJean L ouise: \;grew up with her mother and two sisters in an old Vi ctorian house on the east side of Cleveland\, Ohio. Although she always lo ved making up stories\, the idea of becoming a YA fantasy author wasn&rsqu o\;t anything she&rsquo\;d ever considered until she was in her twenties. Her first short story was a romance novel parody that ended up being a hit among her friends. After that success\, she started writing seriously\, w hich led to her earning an MFA in Writing for Children at The New School. Her debut YA Fantasy novel\, \;WAKING FIRE\, will be released on Janua ry 10\, 2023!
\nCurrently\, she lives on Long Island\, New York\, wi th her cat Martha. When she&rsquo\;s not working at her day job or writing her next novel\, Jean can be found with her nose buried in a graphic nove l or taking down bad guys in her favorite video games. \;Fun Fact: Her full first name is Jean-Paul!
\nXiXi Tian: Her&nbs p\;name is pronounced like two C's. Just getting it out there upfront now after years of awkward classroom roll calls and failing to correct people who mispronounce it for months (it's too late after awhile!).
\nShe was born in China and grew up in central Illinois\, where she lived most o f her life. She \;went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champai gn and then Harvard Law School\, studying practical things\, while writing a laundry list of original fiction that never got published and a healthy dose of fan fiction. \;Now\, XiXi lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their cat Umberto. When not writing\, she is usually doing the other t ime-consuming profession: being a tech lawyer. \;
\nHer first no vel\, THIS PLACE IS STILL BEAUTIFUL\, was released Spring 2022 with Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.
\nThis program is a collaboration with Ashlan d Public Library and other local libraries. \;
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