See also: Jean Blashfield Black Author of non-fiction works for children and young adults.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. David has written—and published—more than 70 books, primarily nonfiction in American history and biography; there have also been about 20 studies of other cultures, including Taiwan, Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the United Arab Emirates. While most of his books have been for young-adult readers, many have been cross-overs, directed to both adult and young-adult audiences. A former teacher of both English and History, David has also been a consultant to the State Department of Education, UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, Public Broadcasting Corporation, and several state departments of education. "I love to write," he explains, "and my goal is to make encounters with history and culture as interesting, dramatic, and colorful as possible." In his book on Taiwan, King explained why he felt comfortable writing about countries he has never lived in or even visited: "The important thing in writing about any other culture is to research your subject thoroughly and to develop a sensitivity for the people and their way of life. A good example is the classic study of Japanese culture, The Sword and the Crysanthemum. It was written by Ruth Benedict, who had never been to Japan." David and his wife Sharon live in the picturesque Berkshires, surrounded by historical sites and cultural events. Sharon provides David with vital research assistance and is also the author of a young-adult novel—A Secret Star—now in its third printing. They have worked together on several projects, including an award-winning history of the Statue of Liberty. (source: http://authordavidcking.com/index.php)

Wil Mara has worked as an author for over 34 years and currently has more than 325 books in print. He has written both fiction and nonfiction, for children and adults. His books have won multiple awards, reached bestseller lists, earned excellent reviews, and been translated into more than a dozen languages. 2005’s Wave won the New Jersey Notable Book Award, and 2012’s The Gemini Virus remained on Amazon’s list of ‘Ten Bestseller Medical Thrillers’ for 14 consecutive weeks. The most recent novel in his disaster series, Fallout, was nominated for the Edgar Award for Novel of the Year. And his children’s nonfiction publications have won countless awards and terrific reviews in all the leading trade journals, including Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus, and others. Much of his work for children has been nonfiction for the school-library market. He also ghostwrote five of the popular ‘Boxcar Children’ mysteries. And starting in 2019, Rosen Publishing released the first of his new ‘Twisted’ series, which has been described as “Twilight Zones for kids.” It became the most pre-ordered fiction series in the company’s history. The first ‘Twisted’ book, The Videomaniac, was released on January 1 and sold through its first printing in less than a month. The second, House of a Million Rooms, was released on March 1 and, just a few weeks later, was chosen as a Main Selection Title by the Junior Library Guild. Wil was also an editor, administrator, and executive inside the industry for over 20 years, working for such houses as Scholastic, McGraw-Hill, Macmillan, and Prentice-Hall until turning to fulltime writing in 2005. He is an associate member of the NJASL and an executive member of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Center for the Book, which is an affiliate of the US Library of Congress. He is also the vice president of the Literary Alliance of New Jersey, the host of the ‘Voice of American Libraries’ podcast, and the 2019 recipient of the Literary Lion of New Jersey Award, whose past winners include Gus Friedrich, Dean Emeritus of Rutgers University, and Joyce Carol Oates, National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist. Wil is also an experienced speaker, presenter, and voice artist, having visited more than 300 schools and other institutions, and done the audio readings for many books, including his 2012 thriller The Gemini Virus. He continues to speak to audiences across the country (including via video) and do voice work as his writing schedule permits.