Introducing...

Welcome, welcome. Thank you for joining us on our Substack adventure! (We are sorry there are two requests to subscribe on this post when one would do. That’s why we’re calling it an “adventure!”)

(Here we are in our favorite pajamas at Doss Elementary’s Milk & Cookies event!)

A little bit more about us:

Anne: Anne Wynter is the Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author of the picture books EVERYBODY IN THE RED BRICK BUILDING, NELL PLANTS A TREE, and PATRICK AND THE NOT SO PERFECT PARTY (June 2024) as well as the board books HANDS ON, ONE BIG DAY, NO MORE SLEEPING IN and JUST LIKE YOU. Originally from Houston, she lives in Austin, TX with her family. Learn more or say hi at annewynter.com

Kari: Kari Lavelle is a speech pathologist and the author of WE MOVE THE WORLD (HarperCollins), the BUTT OR FACE? series (Sourcebooks) and the upcoming ODE TO GRAPEFRUIT: HOW JAMES EARL JONES FOUND HIS VOICE (Knopf 2024). She grew up in the Midwest but now lives in Austin, Texas with her family and doggo, Dobby. When she isn’t researching (animal) derrieres or protecting her Wordle streak, she’s exploring Austin by way of carting kids around to their activities. Learn more about Kari and her books at karilavelle.com.

Lindsay: Lindsay Leslie likes to act juvenile and make stuff up—not what most employers want—so she became a children’s author. She is the award-winning children’s author of SO YOU WANT TO BUILD A LIBRARY, DUSK EXPLORERS, NOVA THE STAR EATER, and THIS BOOK IS SPINELESS. Her next picture book, GUS ❤️ THE BUS (illus. by Geeta Ladi), is slated for summer 2025 with Sleeping Bear Press. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, sci-fi/fantasy novelist Ryan Leslie, two teenagers, and two fur beasts. She can be found at lindsayleslie.com or her local roller rink. 

Meghan: Meghan P. “Powers is my middle name” Browne is the author of 2023-2024 Bluebonnet master list title, INDELIBLE ANN, DOROTHY THE BRAVE, and THE BEES OF NOTRE-DAME. A reformed Division I athlete with no chill, Meghan now lives on a hobby farm in her hometown of Austin with her family and an ever-growing menagerie of goats, chickens, honeybees, misbehaved dogs, and a donkey. She does a mediocre job putting words on the page when she’s not making trips to the feed store. Check out meghanpbrowne.com or her substack, Honey Browne meghanpbrowne.substack.com.

Melissa: Melissa Coffey is the author of FRIDGE-OPOLIS, her debut picture book (Little Bee Books) and an unannounced second picture book slated for Spring 2025. After earning a journalism degree from UW-Madison, she moved to Atlanta and called CNN Center home. Melissa was a freelance writer for Fortune 500 companies, CEOs and magazines before pursuing her passion as a children’s author. She now lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, two sons and two gatos. Visit her at melissacoffey.com.  

Robyn: Robyn McGrath has spent her career working with children as a dance and yoga instructor, reading teacher, school counselor, and now . . . children’s author. Whether she’s writing fiction or nonfiction, Robyn believes that books help us navigate life experiences while fostering an understanding of self and others. She’s the author of Dolly! The Story of Dolly Parton and Her Big Dream (Little Brown, 2022) , There’s Always Room for One More (Simon & Schuster, 2023),  A MIND OF HER OWN, THE STORY OF MYSTERY WRITER AGATHA CHRISTIE (Simon & Schuster, 2024), and two unannounced picture books coming in 2026. Robyn lives in Austin, TX with her husband, two children, a Labrador Retriever, and a friendly cat they found camping. To learn more about Robyn and her upcoming books visit robynmcgrathwrites.com. 

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