Biographical note

Jesse J. Holland Jesse J. Holland is a bestselling non-fiction author, longtime comic book and science-fiction fan, and the writer of the children's novel Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Finn's Story, co-author of the late, lamented-by-no-one-except-a-couple-of-diehard-fans collegiate comic strip Hippie and the Black Guy. He is a Race & Ethnicity reporter with The Associated Press in Washington, D.C and currently lives in Bowie, Maryland, with his wife and children. Leatrice "Elle" McKinney Leatrice "Elle" McKinney writing as L.L. McKinney, is a poet and active member of the kidlit community. She's an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtag #WhatWoCWritersHear. She's spent time in the slush by serving as a reader for agents and participating as a judge in various online writing contests. Elle's also a gamer, Blerd, and adamant Hei Hei stan, living in Kansas surrounded by more nieces and nephews than she knows what to do with. She's @ElleOnWords on Twitter. A BLADE SO BLACK is her debut novel. Kyoko M Kyoko M is a USA Today bestselling author, a fangirl, and an avid book reader. She is the author of The Black Parade urban fantasy series and the Of Cinder and Bone science-fiction series. Her debut novel, The Black Parade, has been positively reviewed by Publishers Weekly and New York Times and USA Today-bestselling novelist, Ilona Andrews. She has been both a moderator and a panelist for comic book and science fiction/fantasy conventions like Dragon*Con, Geek Girl Con, Multiverse Con, Momocon, and The State of Black Science Fiction. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Lit degree from the University of Georgia, which gave her every valid excuse to devour book after book with a concentration in Greek mythology and Christian mythology. When not working feverishly on a manuscript (or two), she can be found buried under her Dashboard on Tumblr, or chatting with fellow nerds on Twitter, or curled up with a good Harry Dresden novel on a warm Georgia night. Like any author, she wants nothing more than to contribute something great to the best profession in the world, no matter how small. Maurice Broaddus A community organizer and middle school teacher, his work has appeared in magazines like Lightspeed Magazine, Weird Tales, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Asimov's, Cemetery Dance, Uncanny Magazine, with some of his stories having been collected in The Voices of Martyrs. His books include the urban fantasy trilogy The Knights of Breton Court, the steampunk works Buffalo Soldier, and the award-winning Pimp My Airship. His middle grade detective novels include The Usual Suspects and Unfadeable. As an editor, he's worked on Dark Faith anthology series, Fireside Magazine, Streets of Shadows, People of Colo(u)r Destroy Horror, and Apex Magazine. Learn more at MauriceBroaddus.com.