Wayne L. Wilson is the author of the acclaimed novel, Soul Eyes . He has a master's degree in education with a specialization in sociology and anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Wilson is the author of ten biographical and historical books for young adults, has written biographies for a comprehensive vocational education book for the California Department of Education, and served as a contributing writer for the African American National Biography. Wilson is also a screenwriter and a member of the Writer's Guild of America. He lives with his daughter in Venice Beach, California. Soud lives in São Paolo, Brazil. A freelance illustrator working in advertising, editorial, and children's illustration, he has illustrated many books for children and young readers, including Kate, the Ghost Dog .

He won the Abril Award of Journalism for Best Illustration, and the Highly Commended Seal by FNLIJ (Brazil's National Children's Book and Youth Foundation). In the US, Soud illustrated Dionne Warwick's picture book, Say A Little Prayer , which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work and won a Mom's Choice Awards Gold Medal.