A: I’m Amber Ivey, a Baltimore-based professional deeply immersed in the intersection of data, technology, public policy, and law. As the Vice President of Impact Advisory at Social Finance, my role involves crafting strategies and solutions that leverage data and policy for social good. My career has been a journey through various facets of data, technology, public policy and law, always with a focus on how government can work better for the people it serves. I’m passionate about making complex topics in these areas accessible and engaging to a wider audience, believing that informed individuals can make a significant difference in our society.

Art has always been a big part of my life and being a portrait painter defined me for a long time. Since writing came much later in my life, I still consider myself an artist who writes. My confidence has grown in recent years and I have to say I now enjoy writing just as much as art.

I am a Clinical Lab Scientist currently residing in Riverside, CA. I love K-Pop, experiencing other cultures, trying new dishes, and dancing and singing by myself when no one’s looking.

Since childhood, I’ve been an avid writer of short stories, poetry, and prose! My life-long dream to become a children’s book author has come to fruition and I couldn’t be more thrilled! My passion throughout life has been to help people, so it may not come as a surprise that it is exactly why I wrote Lighthouse Cheese Factory. My goal is to help children realize their potential while overcoming anxiety, the power of teaming up with others and the joy in realizing their dreams.

I am studying at Queen’s Gate School in London and I am 10 years old. I have a little sister called Alexia, to whom my first book “Little Dreamer” is dedicated. Apart from books, I love dancing and everything about nature, especially the incredible fauna in Australia where my cousins live, and which inspired my characters.

I’m a New Yorker that has been transplanted to Mazatlán, Mexico. I live here, on the Pacific Coast, with my husband, Mike Dubisch, who is also an artist and a writer and my youngest daughter, Naomi, who is a student and assists me in my mask making studio. I sculpt masks and sell them in a store online for TV, movies, photo shoots and for regular people who want a mask for an event.

My journey as a writer started after I shared the chaotic events of the morning of my 34th birthday. “Mom, There’s a Rooster in the House!” The Unforeseen Adventure is a result of that chaotic moment. After I shared with a few colleagues what had happened to me that morning, after laughing hysterically, they said, “You need to write a children’s book. That’s too funny, and kids would love it!”

I am mother of three children (6,4, and 3) and the CFO/ CCO at an asset manager. I have been in finance for about 17 years yet have always had a passion for creativity, particularly music. My husband and I met doing community theatre when we were children and music continues to influence our lives. Our family is constantly listening to and/ or playing music together at home together.

I am a mom of 3 wonderful children. I also work full-time as a lawyer, so while I read and write a lot regularly, it isn’t always for fun 🙂

A small-town girl from Dadeville, Alabama, Negrita Smart is a wife, sister, believer, and teacher at heart. The first of her family to graduate from college, Negrita holds a Masters in Business Administration and the insurance designation of Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter and holds insurance licenses in Property and Casualty and LIfe and Health. She credits and shares her accomplishments with her supportive family.