Author Profiles
Ohio has a rich literary heritage as well as some wonderful contemporary authors. Learn more about them here! You can sort by various categories and see who has participated in our annual book festival by using the category search on the left, or search by keyword (including partial author names) by using the search field on the right.
- You are searching within category(ies): Illustrator
Fern Haught
Fern Haught (they/them) is an author, illustrator, and adjunct professor based in Cleveland Heights, OH. They love crafting stories incorporating queer characters and their relationships, often set in magical worlds. Their two cats, Binx and Honey, are often looking over their shoulder while they work, and do a great job of being honorary co-authors. When they aren’t creating books they decorate cookies at a local bakery and do background painting for games. The Baker and the Bard is their debut graphic novel!
Will Hillenbrand
Will Hillenbrand is a celebrated author and illustrator whose works include eighty picture books for young readers. In addition to his own self-illustrated titles, he has also illustrated the works of writers and retellers, including Verna Aardema, Judy Sierra, Margery Cuyler, Judith St. George, Phyllis Root, Jane Yolen, Karma Wilson and Jane Hillenbrand. Will has spent most of his life in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he grew up as the youngest of four boys. His childhood routines revolved around the neighborhood, his parents’ barbershop, the Northern Hills Library, playing baseball, and drawing. He now works in a small studio in the upstairs of his Cape Cod home, which he shares with his wife, Jane, a kindergarten teacher. Their son Ian, a geologist, is an avid reader and writer of many published scientific papers. Currently, he is doing postdoctoral work at the United States Geological Survey in Denver, Colorado. School Library Journal said: “There’s not a word out of place in this blustery adventure. It’s a masterful collaboration of illustration and text. This cozy winter tale, with its striking pictures, may appear to be cold but is quite the opposite,” about his book The Voice In The Hollow. Learn more at http://www.willhillenbrand.com.
Ron Horsley
Ron Horsley is an author and artist responsible for numerous short stories, essays, reviews, and book cover designs. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, his first published work was as editor of and contributor to The Midnighters Club: Tales from the Harker House Collection, 2001. The collection included authors such as Lucy A. Snyder and Paul Tremblay, and several stories received recognition in the 2001 Bram Stoker Awards for Best Short Fiction.
His short stories have appeared in magazines such as “On Spec” and his story “In the Empty Country” appears in the Masques V anthology, edited and published by Barry Hoffman and Gary A. Braunbeck (originally edited by Jerry Wiliamson).
He is an alumnus of the 2002 Clarion East Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing and a recipient of the Douglas L. Ruble scholarship fund for science fiction writing and development.
His first published novel, Sin Gorge: An Everything Under Novel was released in October 2012. The book is the first in the ‘John Flicker’ series of urban fantasy/horror novels set in Columbus and featuring the protagonist John Flicker/Body & Soul, with subsequent novels Jennyripper, The Never-Time Girl, and A City Made of Saturdays.
He is currently a member of the MFA program for Graphic Design at the Columbus College of Art and Design. As part of his graduate thesis he is illustrating his first children’s novel, a fantasy epic titled Beyond the Grass Ocean. He currently works as a graphic designer in the Columbus, Ohio area, where his artwork is frequently featured in local publications such as (614) Magazine, Stock & Barrel, and UWeekly.
Aiko Ikegami
Aiko was born in Tokyo, Japan. Since a young age she has loved drawing, painting, and creating stories. At age of 6 she has started learning oil painting. In 1993 Aiko came to the United States where she has studied psychology at Arizona State University. She continued her education at the University of Texas at Austin where she receiving a Ph.D in Neuropharmacology. She worked as a neuropharmacologist and did research on brain chemistry. After working as a neuropharmacologist for years, she followed her heart and decided making picture books. Aiko lives in Ohio with her dog and cat. Aiko also loves gardening and playing cello.
Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton
Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton’s first published work was a note passed to a boy in third grade. You would have thought this most embarrassing moment would have ended her writing career. But instead, Laurie has gone on to write 45 books and is the author/illustrator of two. Laurie has been published in the trade, educational, craft, and Christian markets. WHY COWBOYS SLEEP WITH THEIR BOOTS ON is her bestselling picture book. It won the Premier Print Award given by Eastman Kodak and has sold over 45,000 copies since publication. Laurie wrote and illustrated GOD BE IN MY HEART in 1999, and RED, WHITE, AND BLUE in 2002. The Huebner Museum of Children’s Picture Book Art, housed in the Toledo Public Library, honored Laurie by purchasing and exhibiting a piece of art from RED, WHITE, AND BLUE. Martha Stewart’s Radio Station highlighted RED WHITE AND BLUE, and The Children’s Book Council invited Laurie to write about America’s freedoms as related to the book for their premier online magazine. The Children’s Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education selected A YOUNG MAN’S DANCE as among the best Children’s Books of the year in 2007. Laurie is an international speaker, addressing students, educators, and writers throughout the United States and Mexico. You can reach her at lauriepknowlton@aim.com.
Terri Libenson
Tammie Lyon
Tammie Lyon is the award-winning author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children. Her first authored picture book, Olive and Snowflake, was released to starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Let's Hear It For Almigal was recently awarded the Mom’s Choice Award Gold Medal Winner.…
Read MoreTammie Lyon is the award-winning author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children. Her first authored picture book, Olive and Snowflake, was released to starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Let’s Hear It For Almigal was recently awarded the Mom’s Choice Award Gold Medal Winner. My Pup and Bugs In My Hair have both been included on the list of the “Top 100 Best Children’s Books” by the Bank Street College of Education. She is known for her work on the Eloise series for Simon and Schuster as well as her new series, Katie Woo, published by Stonearch Books. Visit her online at http://www.mbartists.com.
Katie Mazeika
Katie Mazeika is an award-winning author and illustrator who can’t imagine a better job than making books. She loves creating stories based on real people and events. Katie is passionate about highlighting disabled voices in her work. She strongly believes all children should see themselves in books. Katie hopes her work as a creator and advocate creates a space to openly discuss disability and neurodiversity. She does this through presentations, panels, and workshops for educators, kidlit creators, and young readers. You can visit her online at http://www.katiemazeika.com.
T.L. McBeth
T. L. McBeth was born in Findlay, Ohio. As a child, he grew up reading Dr. Seuss and H. A. & Margret Rey (although he mainly looked at the pictures). He studied illustration in college where he developed a love for expressive and minimal characters. In 2015, he moved to New York City to pursue an illustration career and he is currently lucky enough to illustrate picture books full time. He now lives in Bloomington, Indiana and enjoys working from his small home studio in the middle of nowhere. When he does leave the house, he likes to watch the dogs in the neighborhood dog park and visit bookstores for inspiration. He is the illustrator of Stegothesaurus, Triceratopposite, Ogilvy, Ducks! and the Big Words Small Stories series, and the author/illustrator of Robot in Love, the Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse series, and I Am NOT the Easter Bunny! T. L. was previously an artist-in-residence at Wetherby-Pembridge School New York. His work has been featured by Macmillan, Scholastic, Penguin Random House, Threadless, McDonald’s, TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, the Society of Illustrators and is part of the permanent collection of the Mazza Museum.