Miranda Gardner knew she wanted to work in publishing from the first week of her editorial internship. If proofreading an index didn’t scare her away, nothing would. She spent many years acquiring and editing books before moving to an executive editor position and then author relations. Currently she is production manager of a mystery/thriller imprint and an imprint that publishes bestselling authors and celebrities. Miranda plays softball in every season except winter, when she hibernates and reads about baseball.

Heather Brewer is an art director and the author of Love Is Powerful, one of A Mighty Girl's 2020 Books of the Year. Love Is Powerful is illustrated by Caldecott Medal-winner LeUyen Pham. Heather’s next book, Meet Me in Your Heart, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa, releases in spring 2026 from Candlewick. Heather lives on the shore of Lake Michigan and would almost always rather be outside biking, hiking, or napping in her hammock. In reality, she’s probably at her laptop writing terrible first drafts to the soundtrack of her kids practicing their cello and violin. Heather swore up and down she did not want a dog, but somehow found herself the adoptive mom to the exuberantly happy, pandemic puppy Stormy. Heather’s publishing experience is in design, marketing, art direction, and writing.