Born in Philadelphia, Paul Langan spent his early childhood in the city before moving with his single mother to southern New Jersey. There he attended public school and worked a variety of jobs—including salesperson at a shoe store, attendant at a horse ranch, landscaper at a mental hospital, and a night-shift stockperson in a warehouse store near Atlantic City. “Each job,” he says today, “could be the topic of several juicy novels.” In 1991, he enrolled at Camden County College and a year later transferred to La Salle University, where he studied creative writing and literature, earning a B.A. in English. While at La Salle, he lived with international students, traveled to his roommate’s home in Kenya, became a prison tutor, and found “the courage” to write. After graduation, he worked for a nonprofit agency in Philadelphia and then joined Townsend Press (TP) as an Assistant Editor. After he contributed to a number of TP textbooks and taught English at a community college, Paul reconnected to his interests in creative writing through the Bluford Series. Originally working as an assistant with the Bluford novels, Paul’s role steadily grew. He now serves as both editor of the series and author or coauthor of several novels, including The Bully, The Gun, and The Fallen. His stories reflect his personal experiences, including the difficulties of growing up without a father, being the “new kid” in school, and dealing with the loss of a loved one. In 2001, Paul completed a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to expanding the Bluford Series, he dreams of writing a successful movie script, preferably a “supernatural thriller.” Today Paul lives with his wife and three children near Philadelphia and stubbornly clings to the hope that he will one day see the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl.

Anne Elaine Schraff grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from California State University at Northridge and taught high school for ten years. Anne paid her way through college by writing short stories for magazines. Since college she has written hundreds of stories and over eighty books including historical fiction, biographies, science books, and her favorite, fictional books for young people. She is published as both Anne Schraff and Anne E. Schraff. Her background, which she describes as "multicultural, lower middle-class neighborhood, including African Americans, Mexican Americans, Arab Americans, and Filipino Americans," is her greatest inspiration when writing.

Ben Alirez was born in Southern California and grew up on the tough streets of East Los Angeles and La Puente, California. Attending public schools, he went on to attend Rio Hondo College and Mt. San Antonio College. Once out of high school, Ben also joined the working force, laboring as a stock-boy, factory worker, assistant bookkeeper, and utility man. He also participated in the sport of amateur boxing for a brief time. It was while attending college that Ben encountered a fellow student in racquetball class. To his great surprise, the spirited young woman nearly beat him, an encounter that so shook him, he was prompted to get to know her better—something he has been doing ever since! The two of them married a few years later and are now in their 23rd year. His wife Carolina and he have two wonderful sons—Nicholas, 20, and Eric, 16. Ben’s interest in writing began when a co-worker declared that he had missed his calling. Her revelation came after she had just finished reading the first business document he penned. Since that time, Ben has challenged himself to learn more about writing, taking business-writing courses through his workplace and endless hours of self-study. “Brothers in Arms” was Ben’s first attempt at a novel, and it is stories that deliver positive messages of hope and redemption that interest him the most. Such an ability to write is something Ben attributes to his strong personal faith in God. For over twenty years, Ben has been employed with a company in California where he works as an office manager. Outside of work he continues to be involved in various writing projects.