Nick Brooks is an award-winning author and filmmaker from Washington, D.C. In 2022 he published his first middle-grade novel , Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont , the first book in a three-book series. His debut YA novel, Promise Boys, released January 2023 to critical acclaim, including being a Boston Globe -Horn Book Award 2023 Honoree, and was named both a New York Public Library and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. His latest novel, Up In Smoke , released 2025 and was named a School Library Journal's Best Book of the Year, as well as a 2026 Teen Readers' Choice Award finalist. Truly a multi-hyphenate, Brooks is also a rapper known by the stage name Ben Kenobe, and has composed music for films such as Netflix's They Cloned Tyrone , and HBO's The Cypher . Picking up the moniker the Righteous Writer, Brooks has written for TV, film, and even video games such as GTA 6. As a storyteller, he strives to tell stories that are timely and timeless.

Naomi Franq is a freelance illustrator and comic book artist who hails from the delightfully dank slash-pine forests of north Florida. She began her career illustrating YA comic series such as Misfit City , but has since carved a niche in horror and suspense comics such as Proctor Tales From Harrow County: Death's Choir and Bram Stoker Award nominated Proctor Valley Road . Her most recent graphic novel, Archives of the Unexplained: Unwanted Guests from First Second, is the union of her YA origins and ghost story fascinations. Franq is best known for her expressive character illustrations and lively style, and is a prolific cover artist.