Katya Balen is an award-winning author of books for children. Katya's debut novel, The Space We're In, was published in 2019 and was highly commended for the Branford Boase Award. Her second, October, October, won the Yoto Carnegie Medal. Her third novel, The Light in Everything, was published in 2022. When she's not writing books, Katya likes to scroll through dog-rescue websites, bake, and attempt to keep all her house plants alive. She lives in London with her partner and their dogs Raffi and Mouse. Rachael Dean is a UK-based children's book illustrator, who lives on the coast near Liverpool. She has created illustrations for middle-grade fiction as well as picture books, and was recently selected to illustrate Dame Jacqueline Wilson's new titles. Rachael works traditionally and digitally, painting images that are vividly rich and bold, and she enjoys gathering inspiration from beautiful scenes of nature. In her spare time, she loves to play the piano, cook, and spend time at her local National Trust.