Kellie Byrnes is a children's author, presenter, mentor, book reviewer, kidlit blogger, and full-time freelance writer with a BA degree in Literature. Kellie's first picture book, Cloud Conductor , came out in 2018, followed by Yes! No, Evie Is All Ears and This is NOT a Book . As an emerging Australian author, Kellie was chosen as an Artist in Residence at The Crows Nest, Queensland, for four months in 2019, thanks to the Sunshine Coast Council. She has also received three separate Regional Arts Development Funding grants from the Sunshine Coast Council to date to help her develop her writing career. Kellie was chosen as a mentee in the 2018 Writing with the Stars picture-book mentorship program in the United States, and as a mentee in the inaugural FicFest writing mentorship program in the United States in 2016. Plus, she has been a judge for two years in a row for the Pitch It writer's competition run by Just Write for Kids Australia, and she reviews and blogs about kidlit monthly. Kellie also mentors and provides critiques and marketing services for new authors. Kellie has presented at numerous literary events and bookshops, schools, and early learning centres, and enjoys encouraging children and adults to be creative and to develop their strengths as writers.
She has completed a wide variety of writing workshops and courses and attended literary events across Australia and internationally. She is a member of multiple writing groups and an active part of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Kellie has been a full-time writer for over seven years, creating content, including children's stories, for a variety of clients globally. She has written articles, blogs, website content, newsletters, e-books and more for companies such as MYOB, Intuit, Fiji Airways, Skyscanner, Spirit of Tasmania, St. George Bank, Mortgage Choice, Optus, Sheridan, and Bridgestone. She also has experience working in the publishing industry in Australia, in both editorial and sales roles (for Pan Macmillan Australia and Hardie Grant Gift). Plus, she has worked in multiple bookshops during her career. Kellie's love of books, stories, writing, and creativity started from an early age.
Today, apart from spending time with her beloved dogs and hanging out with her friends and family or planning her next travel adventure, most of Kellie's time is spent following these literary passions. Gabriella Petruso lives in the north of England with her pet dog, Rufus, and his pet hamster, Norman. She is currently a doctor by day and an award-winning illustrator by every other waking hour. She uses ink to bring her whimsical characters to life and spends a lot of time at her local zoo seeking her next muse - the hairier the better! Gabriella is entirely self-taught. Yes! No. is Gabriella's first children's picture book. She hopes to help inspire a love of art and stories in a new generation of children and grown-ups.