Elaine Bickell (elainebickell.com) was born and grew up in London until her family escaped the city and moved closer to the beach in West Sussex. Her love of books led her to take undertake an honours degree in English Literature at Bristol University. After that she worked selling advertising space in Woman's Weekly before becoming a magazine publisher. After moving to New Zealand in 2005, she worked at advertising firm, Saatchi & Saatchi. She was the winner of the 2018 Storylines Joy Cowley Award. Elaine lives in central Wellington with her partner and three children Max, Gus, and Greta.

Raymond McGrath (theonetrickpony.net) is an award winning animation director and lecturer, animator, illustrator, designer, musician and writer who has been working in children's television, film, publishing and advertising for over 25 years. He loves gardening, photography, music and drawing, and is the creator and director of the educational pre-school TV series "Puzzle Inc." He lives in the country with his lovely wife, his two beautiful daughters, his irrepressible son, some cats, and a schnauzer whose legs are made out of springs!