AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Rita Lorraine Hubbard
Website | Instagram

Books: Still I Fly, Still I Try, Still I Shine, and The 400 Year Head Start

Nikki Ace is a former elementary school teacher with almost a decade of teaching experience. She received her bachelor’s degree in Child Development and holds a Clear California Teaching Credential. Currently, Nikki Ace is a full-time stay-at-home mom and she lives in Los Angeles, California with her incredible husband, Wesley Ace, of 18 years, and two beautiful children, Dani and Wesley. She has successfully self-published eleven books in various genres, however, all the books share a common theme: PERSEVERANCE.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Rajani LaRocca
Bluesky

Emma Applegarth is a plant scientist, nature lover, and parent. She's in her happy place hiking up a ridge with a backpack full of camping gear, writing or reading a book, or playing with her family. She lives in California.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: JaNay Brown-Wood
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Books: Threads of Me: Kente for Show and Tell

Erica Asante is a Ghanaian-American children’s author and global public health leader. Her debut picture book, Threads of Me: Kente for Show and Tell has reached young readers around the world—from North America to Africa. The book encourages children to embrace and proudly share their cultural heritage.

Although Erica loved writing as a child, her journey as an author began after becoming a mother. She writes stories that celebrate family, community, and culture. Drawing on over 15 years of experience developing and managing health programs across the United States, Africa, and Asia, she brings a unique international perspective to her work—with focus on creatively weaving in elements of Africa’s cultural diversity, everyday life, and history. Her goal is to highlight themes that resonate with children from all backgrounds, aiming to entertain, educate, and spark curiosity about the world.

She holds a master’s degree from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

She enjoys traveling, exploring new cuisines, watching movies, and conducting science experiments with her children. Erica lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and their three children.

AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR MENTEE

Mentor: Julia Mills
Website | Bluesky

Brooke Baum is technically a "grown up" with "responsibilities" and "bills," but at heart she's still the same kid who faked sick so she could stay home from school to draw and watch cartoons. Of course, Brooke is obligated to say that faking sick is bad and you should never do it--because she's a grown up now and that's what a grown up would probably say. She spends her days playing with her daughter, writing, drawing, and generally doing all the things that got her into trouble as a kid. She lives in a 110 year old definitely-not-haunted house in Madison, Wisconsin.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Alliah L. Agostini
Website | Instagram

For over 30 years Tischa D. Brown has enjoyed working in early childhood education. It’s been an adventure filled with laughter, tears and extraordinary ideas. And that’s why in much of Tischa’s writing she highlights the classroom in all of its glory!

Since she was a little girl in Boston, she has enjoyed the locations and lessons great stories offer, and being a part of the original rap generation has influenced her rhythmic storytelling and upbeat tone.

She holds a MS in Early Childhood Leadership and Policy from Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education and Child Development and a BA in Psychology from the University of Hartford. She’s taught infants to grad students in urban and suburban centers, schools, colleges and universities. While proud of her academic and professional accomplishments, nothing brings her more joy than traveling the world with her grandson, nieces and nephews, and when faced with what seems to be an impossible challenge, she reminds herself that she and her daughter have been lost in a Moroccan desert and survived!

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Natasha Tripplett
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Angel S. Brown is a mother, wife, daughter, sister, neighbor, and person of faith. Her middle name, Sylvia, honors her paternal grandmother in Jamaica. Inspired by her aunt’s self-published book of family memories, Angel embraces her lineage as the child of Jamaican immigrants. She works as a consultant and writer, telling stories that spark compassion, confidence, and consciousness—often centering intergenerational relationships, multicultural household humor, and motherhood. For the past 15 years, she has lived in Durham, NC, where she enjoys reading novels in her window seat, gardening with her children, dancing with her husband, playing dominoes with her father, and running in nature.

AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR MENTEE

Mentor: Shamar Knight-Justice
Website | Instagram

Christa is a visual development artist, 2D animator, and aspiring author-illustrator from Buffalo, NY. With an emphasis on character design, she aims to help normalize diverse characters in popular media and show the multiplicity of their stories. Her previous professional projects include Wash Day (2018), Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022), Trolls Band Together (2023), Enongo (2025) and Forgotten Island (2026).

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Seina Wedlick
Instagram

Zaneta is a Chinese-American bookworm and storyteller with dreams of publishing stories that spark conversation and connection. She is passionate about creating an immersive reading experience for young minds infused with cultural elements from her heritage. 

She is a member of SCBWI San Francisco/South and is thrilled to be selected as a 2025 Picture Book Rising Stars Mentee! When she's not daydreaming about her next story idea, you can find her lifting heavy objects at the gym and fueling her body with noodles and cookies.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Jyoti Rajan Gopal
Instagram | Bluesky | Website

Zohra Chunawala is the kind of person who’ll make you laugh with a meme, hand you a plant cutting, and decorate your hand with henna, all while telling a great story.

A proud Mumbaikar turned Midwesterner, she was raised by a book-loving mother who passed down her literary curiosity.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Mumbai, where her favorite extracurricular activity was volunteering with international students, offering them a taste of India, and discovering the joy of cultural exchange along the way.

When she moved to the U.S., Zohra found a creative outlet in henna art, a way to connect with people, share her culture, and collect stories one intricate design at a time.

By day, Zohra is a freelance marketing associate and content writer, juggling SEO, social strategy, and the occasional project management chaos. By night (or during nap time), she writes stories rooted in identity, joy, and the immigrant experience.

She also serves as a TA for Grounded Writers, a creative writing membership for Muslim women that has been her artistic anchor and safe space for over two years.

She lives in St. Louis with her husband, two children, and an ever-growing jungle of plant babies, powered by laughter, chai, and stories that bloom at the most unexpected times.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Monica Mancillas
Instagram | Bluesky

Ellen Akemi Crosby is an author of children’s stories who lives in northwest Montana with Paul, her husband of 42 years. Enjoying semi-retirement and having always wanted to write a children’s book, she realized that she best get serious now that her two daughters are grown and she has grandchildren. She previously served as SCBWI (Society for Children’s Writers and Illustrators) Montana's Critique Group Coordinator. Ellen also writes in the adult genre and is a contributing writer of devotionals for Guideposts’ Strength and Grace Magazine and has published an inspirational story in one of their books. She also has been recently published in StarLight, a Christian children’s digital magazine.

Ellen has a great appreciation for the arts having previously served as the Visitor Services and Members Coordinator for the Hockaday Museum of Art. She enjoys visiting museums and attending performances whenever she can. She always has a sewing or crocheting project in mind and is teaching herself how to play the piano. She reflects on her overriding reason for writing to children:

“If my stories bring a little laughter, a little love, a little hope, a little curiosity, a little creativity, a little imagination, a little compassion for one another; then I am privileged and humbled that my stories would have that impact. I especially wanted to leave a legacy for my grandchildren. Also, I write faith-based, as well as non-faith-based stories, that touch the heart; make children smile; bring hope, depict the love of God, and increases faith.”

ILLUSTRATOR MENTEE

Mentor: Michelle Jing Chan
Instagram | Bluesky

Marissa Domantay (They/Them) is a queer Filipino-American illustrator, animator, and cartoonist. They graduated in 2020 with a BA in Art (and minor in mathematics) and received multiple awards for her leadership and artistic practice such as the Posse Scholarship, Vanguard Award for Equity and Inclusion, and the Anique Ashraf prize.

Marissa is passionate about telling unique and silly stories through their cute and whimsical art style. Their stories are pulled from their personal background and identities but also their interests and hobbies. At the end of the day, Marissa just wants to spark joy in others and themself.

Currently, Marissa is freelancing as an illustrator and running their small business. They also volunteer with a Chicago based Filipino Artist Organization called Sinag as their Social Media and Youth Coordinator.

In their free time, Marissa loves to read comics, play video games, and engage in online fan spaces such as Tumblr and TikTok.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Nell Cross Beckerman
Website | Instagram

Books: The Black Girl Survives in This One (YA Anthology)

Desiree S. Evans spins tales for children, teens, and adults. Whether she’s crafting picture books, young adult novels, or essays for adults, Desiree’s storytelling is rooted in a belief in the power of language to unearth the past, illuminate the present, and imagine new futures. She is the co-editor of the Indie-Bestselling and Locus Award-nominated young-adult fiction anthology The Black Girl Survives in This One. Desiree is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and the Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas at Austin, where she received her MFA in fiction.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Marzieh Abbas
Instagram | Facebook

Books: Join Us for Ramadan

Sana A. Faqir is a Scottish Pakistani Muslim writer and the self-published author of a children’s sensory board book called Join Us for Ramadan. Passionate about literature and cultural representation, Sana is dedicated to creating and promoting works that resonate with and inspire her community. She is the Coordinator of the Islamic Book Fair of Scotland, an annual event that brings the best Muslim kids’ literature from around the world to her home in Scotland. Sana's aim is to ensure that Muslim kids (and adults) in Scotland find representation in the books they read.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Laura Gehl

Mike Flowers loves writing and exploring the world. He became interested in children's literature through a combination of Reading Rainbow, hip-hop, and comic books. His interest in travel grew from his experiences studying and teaching abroad in India, Mexico, Antarctica, Thailand, and Honduras. Mike aspires to write stories that connect readers to the history and diversity of the world, but are also silly fun.

Mike has been published in The Dirigible Balloon and has recently been accepted for publication in Highlights High Five, The School Magazine, and Spaceports & Spidersilk. He has also placed and/or earned honorable mentions in Susanna Hill's Annual Writing Contest, The Valentiny Contest, 50 Precious Words, Spring Fling, and PB Party. Mike is super thankful and excited to be part of PB Rising Stars!

ILLUSTRATOR MENTEE

Mentor: Anne Appert
Website | Instagram

Savannah Garcia (they/them) is an illustrator and library specialist living in the Southeastern United States. They identify as queer, nonbinary and Latinx. They are passionate about creating art that sparks joy and inspires a love of reading!

Savannah’s journey with illustration started out with comics and doodles drawn in the margins of what should have been math homework. They have always loved the unique role of art as a storytelling medium within children’s books, and they hope to share that love with others. They are inspired by fairytales, the interaction between the mundane and the extraordinary, as well as the amazing work of other illustrators around the world.

Savannah has a BFA in Art (Drawing Concentration) from University of Montevallo. They currently work in youth services for public libraries, where they delight in sharing stories and cracking open new picture books. On a free day, you can find them hiking, playing guitar, or thrifting for trinkets.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Rina Singh
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Threads | Feathered Stag | Story Teller’s Shelf Podcast

Books: My Dragon (Summer 2025), Untitled MG Novel (2026), When Baby Cries & Dad Adventure Day (2026)

Jackie Garcia-Morales is a proud Puerto Rican and neurodiverse woman raised in New Jersey. In 2023, she made a career change from science to publishing. Following an internship in Children’s Book Sales at Penguin Random House, she was a Publishing Associate (Sales & Promotion) at Baker and Taylor, where she focused on marketing and publicity. Now, she is the Editor for the Journal of the American Herbalists Guild and a book reviewer at Publishers Weekly. Jackie also serves as the NJ State Ambassador for the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) and a member of their Outstanding International Books Committee. She is the founder of the Catalyst Creators Scholarship & Fund, a scholarship supporting authors in high school and college brave enough to write picture book manuscripts featuring underrepresented voices. Jackie is a published picture book and middle grade author who focuses on themes like mindfulness, safe spaces, invisible disabilities, and authentic experiences of Boricua/Latinx identity. Her picture books will debut in 2025 with Big Sea and StoryVerse Land (Coeus Learning), and her middle grade novel in 2026 with Arte Público Press. In her free time, she runs Feathered Stag, an emerging poetry press focused on equity, and she co-hosts The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast, a new kidlit program intent on demystifying publishing.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Livia Blackburne
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky | LinkedIn

Books: What Can You Do With the Music in You? (2026)

Charlie Griffin is a children's author passionate about lyrical storytelling, visual narratives, and heart-driven themes. A valedictorian graduate of Full Sail University's BFA in Creative Writing for Entertainment, Charlie honed his craft across picture books, television, and short fiction. He later deepened his expertise through UCLA's Professional Program in Writing for Television (Comedy Track, 2022).

His writing has earned recognition as a two-time PB Party Finalist, a grand prize winner in the SunWriteFun Challenge, and a featured contributor in Flash Fiction Magazine and Scarlet Leaf Review. An active member of the kidlit community, Charlie participates in Julie Hedlund's 12x12 Picture Book Challenge and volunteers with SCBWI Florida. He is also a graduate of Renée LaTulippe's Lyrical Language Lab. In 2024, he signed a traditional publishing deal with Bushel & Peck Books. He is represented by Joyce Sweeney of the Seymour Agency.

Beyond writing, Charlie brings a rich creative background, with a PhD in music composition and decades of experience as an educator and arts advocate. He has written for theatre, radio, and screen, and thrives on storytelling in all forms. When he's not writing, he enjoys running, doing yoga, and spending time with his two teenage sons.

AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR MENTEE

Mentor: Aya Ghanameh
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | BlueSky

Rachel is a Lebanese-Dominican author and illustrator who specializes in children’s literature and art licensing. Her work is inspired by the books and media that shaped her childhood, deeply influencing both her artistic style and storytelling approach. Rachel’s illustrations are colorful and expressive, with characters that are rich in personality and charm. She thrives on collaborative projects that ignite creativity and aims to develop stories that captivate young audiences with warmth, humor, and imagination.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Julia Pierre Hammond
Substack

Books: Interplanetary Avenger (2005)

Caroline Luzzatto started her creative career in junior high, when she wrote a series of song parodies and rude poems to amuse her friends. After college, she worked as a newspaper copy editor and reporter, covering everything from criminal trials to pro wrestlers’ clothing choices. In an unexpected plot twist, she went back to school to become a teacher, and wrote a middle-grade sci-fi novel, Interplanetary Avenger, as a love letter to her awkward junior high self. Now, she spends her days as a preschool teacher and her spare moments writing picture books, learning about local wildlife as a volunteer Virginia Master Naturalist, and enjoying time with her husband, three children, and two very hairy dogs.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: CK Malone
Website | Twitter/X | Bluesky | Facebook

Before Carrie Logsdon McCullough was a writer, she was a dentist. In addition to being in private practice, she was an adjunct associate professor of pediatric dentistry at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. She also treated patients at Columbus Children’s Hospital. She often used storytelling to distract her more anxious patients. The stories her patients loved most were about her patients at The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

In 1993, her family moved to Minnesota, where she became the dentist for the Minnesota Zoo. At this time, she stepped away from teaching and private practice to focus on zoo dentistry and raising her three children.

In 2015, her family moved back to Ohio. After 23 years as a zoo dentist, Carrie decided to hang up her handpiece and retire. She remembered how much she enjoyed sharing her stories and decided to become a writer. She found an amazing community through SCBWI, Storyteller Academy, The Writing Barn’s Courage to Create, Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 Challenge, and the PB Rising Stars family. She currently serves as the Regional Advisor for the Ohio Central and South region of SCBWI.

Most of her stories are humorous fiction. But she’s also written stories inspired by her work as a zoo dentist, her childhood growing up on a farm, and her travels around the world.

Carrie was honored to be mentored by the amazing CK Malone as a PB Rising Stars mentee in 2024. She is excited to continue this journey as a 2025 PBRS mentee!

She is represented by Vicky Weber of Creative Media Agency.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Jackie Morera
Website

Angelina Phelan is a survivor and life enthusiast who writes stories that sprout from the fusion of her Portuguese heritage, resilience as an amputee, and joys of grandparenting.

Born and raised in the Azores Islands (Portugal), she underwent a radical limb amputation in childhood, thrusting her on an arduous and most adventurous trail. As a young adult, she landed in the United States, weathering through a Chemical Engineering degree, but she never mastered football jargon despite decades of her husband coaching the sport and her two children performing at the half-time shows.

Retiring from her career finally opened the gate to feed and grow the dream seed in her writing garden, tending it with inspiring stories for readers of all ages. Angelina envisions a fruitful kidlit field with rows of her pictures book series, including a bilingual crop.

Member of SCBWI, she is also a graduate of the Children’s Book Academy, a member of 12x12 Picture Book Challenge, member of a critique group, and a 2025 mentee with PB Rising Stars. Angelina keeps her Portuguese language sharp as a correspondent for the LusoAmericano Newspaper, and nourishes her heritage as a board member of a Portuguese American Social Club in Florida, as well as an active member of the national Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States.

When not writing something, she can be found hopping around after her grandchildren, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, attending Portuguese heritage festivals, travelling, or painting with her ever-increasing collection of acrylics.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Natasha Khan Kazi
Instagram | Twitter/X

Azra left the fluorescent lit hallways of health sciences and research to pursue a future in Kidlit. She writes for children who seek sanctuary in books like her. She writes to find and spread joy.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Ana Siqueira

Eury Rivera is a children's picture book author who loves creating fun, adventurous stories that spark kids’ imaginations. Her books are full of curious characters, playful ideas, and a big sense of wonder. When not writing, Eury tells stories through paint and dance choreographies, turning colors into feelings and movement into meaning.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Maria Marianayagam
Website I Instagram

Kristin is a mom, writer, and former educator. Her love for storytelling and teaching can be traced back to second grade, when she received an award for “her fabulous stories and illustrations” from her teacher, Mrs. Adams, and generously started giving her five-year-old sister “ABC Classes.”

After serving students for over 15 years in Los Angeles’ inner-city high schools, county jails, and a private elementary school, Kristin returned to her first childhood dream – becoming a children’s book writer.

A fourth-generation Japanese-Filipino American, Kristin was born and raised in Pasadena, CA, and still lives there now. When not writing, she can be found getting cuddled by her husband, two girls, and doggy, Magnolia! She loves croissants, dresses, and days without plans. She seeks to continue using her life experiences and the power of words to create stories about resilient girls, faith, and ugly things turned beautiful.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Angela Pham Krans
Bluesky | Instagram 1 | Instagram 2

Carolyn Sauer once imagined herself following in the footsteps of Jane Goodall, but she discovered that her true calling was to be herself—a much better fit. Now a school librarian in Chicago, Carolyn is passionate about putting great books into the hands of young readers. When she's not on the lookout for the next dog to pet, Carolyn and her rescue bulldog, Fiona, write picture books across all genres. Together, they find inspiration by playing in the dirt, visiting every coffee shop that serves pup cups, and bickering over who gets to choose the audiobook during long road trips.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Shana Keller
Twitter/X | Instagram | Bluesky

Shaunessy grew up in Goderich, Canada. She used to tell stories as a professional dancer in Riverdance until she discovered that telling stories on paper hurt her feet a lot less. Now, Shaunessy enjoys writing sweet, spooky, and humorous stories for young readers. 

Over the past year, she was honored to be recognized in writing competitions like 50 Precious Words, the Halloweensie Contest, the KidLit Chuckle Challenge, and the Valentiny Contest. Shaunessy is also a member of SCBWI and 12x12. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband where she enjoys writing, reading, dancing, and hiking. Shaunessy is over the moon to be a 2025 PB Rising Star!

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Ruth Forman
Website | Instagram

Amanda Stone is a writer who returns to sacred childhood through her stories. She has been making up tales since she was a child—rhyming, storyboarding, and dreaming on paper (and has the overflowing boxes to prove it).

After years working in education and higher ed leadership, Amanda returned to her creative roots in 2018 and has been writing with renewed purpose ever since. She now writes lyrical picture books, heartfelt middle grade and YA fiction, and the occasional self-help love note for fellow creatives. Her stories explore grief, identity, and belonging with a steady hand on the heart.

She’s a proud SCBWI member and recipient of the Yuyi Morales Diversity Scholarship from the Children’s Book Academy (2019) and the Peggy Connelly Scholarship from Writers of Kern (2019). Amanda lives in California’s Central Valley with her partners, her kid, and a cat who insists on helping edit every draft by walking across the keyboard.

Amanda is beyond thrilled to be a 2025 PB Rising Stars Mentee, a dream come true for someone who has always longed for the magic of mentorship.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Jesse Byrd
Bluesky | Twitter/X

Books: The Tooth Fairy Trap, The New Kid Series (Books 1-6)

Maureen is a Reading teacher from Northeast Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and Golden retriever, Griffin. She is a member of the SCBWI and is a 2021/ 2024 PBParty finalist. She has stories published in Spider Magazine and Clubhouse, Jr. She has independently published The Tooth Fairy Trap and The New Kid Series.

AUTHOR MENTEE

Mentor: Sara Holly Ackerman
Instagram | Portfolio

Cierra grew up in the vibrant neighborhood of Astoria, Queens, where her love for reading and writing began at an early age. Poetry became her first creative language, a passion that still shapes her storytelling style today. As an author, Cierra hopes to inspire the young, creative minds of the future.

She is a communications and marketing strategist who works for mission-driven organizations. When she’s not curating content for her bookstagram community, Dope Girls Read and Write, she's journaling about her travels to artsy, tucked-away cities.