The Author: R. L. Lafevers

R. L. LaFevers (Robin Lorraine when she's in really big trouble) grew up surrounded by shelves of old dusty books, a passel of brothers, and a wide variety of pets, including a goat, chickens, chipmunks, a baby anteater, and, for a few short weeks, two bear cubs, who were very wild and untamed. She has also spent a large portion of her life being told she was making up things that weren't there, which only proves she was destined to write fiction. She is the author of thirteen books for young readers.

In addition to the Nathaniel Fludd, Beatologist books, she is also author of Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, (Houghton Mifflin, 2007) which received starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Booksense Summer Pick, and nominated for the Malice Domestic's Agatha Award. Her most recent books, Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: The Unicorn's Tale, and Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh will be out in April, 2011. She lives in Southern California and, although she no longer has any exotic pets, she does have raccoons who visit her back porch, coyotes who howl at her window, and hawks that soar high overhead.

Visit R. L. Lafevers' website, www.rllafevers.com, to learn more about her books and interests!

The Illustrator: Kelly Murphy

Kelly Murphy grew up surrounded by swamps and marshes, which she explored with her six other siblings in southern New England. While her experiences may not have been as interesting as the Fludds', she's seen her fair share of the strange and mystical.

An accomplished children's book author and illustrator, Kelly's books have been published by worldwide leading publishing houses, her twelfth picture book being released in early 2011. She has illustrated a number of chapter books, earning an E. B. White Read Aloud Award in 2009 for illustrating the New York Times Best Seller Masterpiece.

Kelly's work has been featured in international curated shows, gallery exhibitions and magazines and has been consistently selected in the field's most prestigious juried competitions, notably winning recognition from American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators and 3x3 Magazine. In 2011 she was awarded a Silver Award in the 3x3 Magazine Children's Show for her editorial illustration work. In 2012, Kelly received a Gold Award and a Bronze Award from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. In 2013, she received an additional 2 Gold Awards in the Illustration West 51 competition.

If you would like to see more of Kelly's work, visit her website, www.kelmurphy.com.
Follow Kelly on Twitter: yllekyhprum