Young Adult Novelist Convention (YANovCon) 2022

Candace Buford has been an avid reader since childhood—always looking for stories with strong and complex POCs. She graduated from Duke University with a degree in German Literature, which exposed her to the delightfully creepy side of storytelling by writers like Kafka and Brecht. She also holds a law degree from Penn State Law School and a business degree from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Raised in Houston, Candace currently lives in the heart of Seattle, where you can find her huddled in café corners, scribbling away in her notebook. She shares her life with a rocket scientist and a Plott Hound, who both ensure there is never a dull day. Kneel is her debut novel.

Rachel Griffin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and the upcoming Wild is the Witch. When she isn’t writing, you can find her wandering the Pacific Northwest, reading by the fire, or drinking copious amounts of coffee and tea. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, dog, and growing collection of houseplants.

Shaun David Hutchinson is the author of numerous critically acclaimed books for young adults, including We Are the Ants, At the Edge of the Universe, Before We Disappear, and the young adult memoir Brave Face. Though his books span genres from contemporary to science fiction and historical, they focus heavily on LGBTQIA+ characters and frequently tackle issues surrounding mental health. Shaun currently lives in Seattle, where he loves to bake, play piano, and yell at the television.

Candice Iloh is a first-generation Nigerian-American writer, teaching artist, and youth educator. They have performed work around the country, most notably at Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City, the Women in Poetry & Hip Hop celebration at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore (where she performed as Nikki Giovanni), and as part of The Africa In Motion performing arts series at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. They are a  graduate of Howard University and hold an MFA in writing from Lesley University. Their work has earned fellowships from Lambda Literary and VONA among many others. Their debut novel, Every Body Looking, was a finalist for the National Book Award and earned a Michael L. Printz honor.

Lindsay Lackey is the author of the award-winning middle grade novel, All the Impossible Things, which was named a Best Book of 2019 by the New York Public Library, Denver Public Library, and Children’s Book Review. Before she became an author, Lindsay trained as an opera singer, worked in children’s and teen services at a public library, and as a marketing and publicity coordinator for a major publishing house. Born and raised in Colorado, she now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their spoiled dogs.

Lisa Moore Ramée was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in Northern California, with her husband, kids, one obnoxious cat, and a sweet dog. A Good Kind of Trouble, her debut novel, received three-starred reviews, was a Walter Dean Meyers Honor book and Indie bestseller. Something to Say also garnered three-starred reviews and was an Indie Next pick. Mapmaker, a middle-grade fantasy, will be out on September 20, 2022.

Randy Ribay is the author of the YA novels An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes, After the Shot Drops, and Patron Saints of Nothing, which was selected as a National Book Award finalist. Randy earned his BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Master’s Degree in Language and Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is a high school English teacher and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two dogs.

Veronica Rossi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fiction for young adults. Her books have been published in over 25 countries and have been optioned for film and series development. Her latest novel, Rebel Spy, is the historical reimagining of “355,” a female spy operating during the American Revolution.

Veronica graduated from UCLA and then went on to study fine art at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she now lives in Northern California with her husband, two sons, two dogs, and many, many books.

Aida Salazar is an award-winning author, arts activist, and translator whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. She is the author of the critically acclaimed middle-grade verse novels, THE MOON WITHIN (International Latino Book Award Winner) and LAND OF THE CRANES (Américas Award, California Library Association Beatty Award, Northern CA Book Award, NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, Jane Addams Peace Honor). Her forthcoming books include the picture book anthology, IN THE SPIRIT OF A DREAM: 13 Stories of Immigrants of Color (Fall, 2021), the bio picture book JOVITA WORE PANTS: The Story of a Freedom Fighter (Fall, 2022), the novel, A SEED IN THE SUN (Fall, 2022), and the anthology CALLING THE MOON: Period Stories by BIPOC Authors (Spring, 2022). Aida is a founding member of LAS MUSAS - a Latinx kidlit debut author collective. Her story, By the Light of the Moon, was adapted into a ballet production by the Sonoma Conservatory of Dance and is the first Xicana-themed ballet in history. She lives with her family of artists in a teal house in Oakland, CA

A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author, editor, and competitive figure skater who is interested in how intersections of identity, neurodiversity, and allyship can impact story narratives. He is the author of Ana on the Edge, a Booklist Editors’ Choice 2020 and ALA 2021 Rainbow Book List Top 10 for Young Readers selection, and Ellen Outside the Lines (Little, Brown, 2022), the co-author of Camp QUILTBAG* with Nicole Melleby (Algonquin, 2023), as well as a contributor to the This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us (Knopf) and Allies: Real Talk about Showing Up, Screwing Up, and Trying Again (DK US & UK) anthologies. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and two cats who act like dogs.

Lily Sparks is the author of Teen Killers Club, and its sequel Teen Killers in Love, which will come out August 9, 2022. Throughout her years of writing for TV– developing pilots for MTV, Amazon, and FX and writing for CW’s Reign and Paramount’s Heathers– Lily wrote YA novels for personal fulfillment. Teen Killers Club, her debut, received a starred Kirkus Review and was nominated for an International Thriller Writers’ Award in 2020. Lily hopes readers experience the same joy and excitement reading her stories that she feels writing them.

Shannon Takaoka is a young adult fiction author and fan of all things nerdy. (Time travel? Weird science stuff? Alternate realities? Yes, please.) She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family, where she also works as a business writer and editor. Her debut novel, Everything I Thought I Knew, was a Top Pick for the 2021 Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Titles list and a 2022 Texas Library Association TAYSHAS reading list selection. Her next novel, The Great and Powerful Gracie Byrne, will be published by Candlewick Press in 2023.