Bruel is the New York Times best-selling author of the Bad Kitty series. He lives in New York with his two cats, Rose and Noodles. Bruel will be at TFOB promoting his new entries in the Bad Kitty series, Bad Kitty: Party Animal and Bad Kitty Makes a Movie.
Nick Bruel will be a part of two panels on the first day of the festival. The first panel will be in the Education building and will be a workshop for children on how to draw the famous Kitty. This area will be wheelchair accessible and includes a signing after the workshop. The second panel will discuss mischief makers who steal our hearts in children’s books, with other panelists Eric Lide and David Shannon. This panel will also be held in the Education building.
Author of the memoir Ain’t That a Mother and an Emmy winner for her documentary The Full Nelson, Adiba will attend TFOB to promote her new children’s book Oshún and Me: A Story of Love and Braids. She is not only a mother, but a disability rights activist, a freelance journalist, and a Tucsonan.
You can find Adiba U. Nelson on the first day of TFOB in the Education building on a panel with Matt de la Peña and Cynthia Harmony. The panel will discuss cultural connections and the importance of belonging in picture books. All authors on the panel have written picture books about Latine and Black children finding strength in culture and family.
A fairy tale author who received her MFA from the University of Arizona, Kim Bussing has written Cinderella and the Beast and Snow White and the Dragon. Originally from Seattle, Washington, Bussing now resides in Tucson.
Kim Bussing will be on a panel both days of TFOB. The first panel, Middle Grade Carousel: Invitations to Adventure, will include several middle grade authors rotating in small groups to discuss their work. This panel will take place in the Education building. Her second panel will focus on fierce girls and be shared with other authors including Megan E. Freeman, Ginger Reno, and S. J. Taylor. This panel will be wheelchair accessible.
This young adult author is known for her New York Times best-selling Red Queen series, along with her new Realm Breaker series. Originally from Massachusetts, she moved to Southern California to earn a degree in screenwriting. She now travels back and forth from the coasts, writing books and scripts.
You can find Aveyard at the YA Author Stage near the Main Library for her panel with the other authors, Kendare Blake and Tiffany Jackson, discussing romantasy as a genre. Following her panel, she can be found in the Integrated Learning Center for signings.
Kendare Blake is another young adult best-selling author, known for her Three Dark Crowns series. She was born in Seoul, South Korea, but moved to the United States as a young child. She has been awarded several regional and librarian awards and will be a part of three separate panels this year.
Her first panel, shared with Tiffany Jackson and Victoria Aveyard, will discuss romantasy. The second day of the festival, she has two panels, one in the Education building for the Teen Worlds: YA Author Carousel panel, which includes almost all the YA authors visiting this year. Her third panel focuses on heroines and will be located at the YA Author stage, where she’ll be joined by Alexandra Bracken and Tricia Levenseller. Following these panels will be author signings.
A local Arizonian, Alexandra Bracken was born in Phoenix, Arizona and sold her first novel as a senior in college. She moved to New York to pursue a career in children’s publishing but returned to Arizona to write full-time.
Alexandra Bracken will be at two author panels during TFOB on the second day. Bracken will be a part of the Teen Worlds: YA Author Carousel panel and the Bad Ass Girls Who Own the Spotlight panel at the YA Author stage. She will be promoting the books of her new duology, Silver in the Bone and The Mirror of Beasts.
If you are looking to meet some of these amazing authors or get a book signed, be sure to join the Tucson Festival of Books this year. Many amazing local and indie authors will be promoting their work, as well as established authors traveling for the festival. This is an excellent opportunity to make connections and have fun discussing books and book-related content.
Jenica Delaney, Pine Reads Review Writer