Panel: Truth or Dare with DC’s YA Authors

Michele R. Wells is the Vice President and Executive Editor, DC Books for Young Readers. In her current role, Wells is charged with leading the company’s young reader graphic novel imprints. Prior to DC, Wells served as Executive Editor at Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world’s largest children’s publishing company. She has over two decades of writing and editing experience, and previously held editorial positions at Penguin Random House, Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Simon & Schuster, and others. Wells was the Founding Chairperson of First Book-Brooklyn, a nonprofit organization that provides new books to kids in need; is on the Advisory Board of Library for All; and volunteers regularly with LA- and NYC-based literacy and mentoring programs. The author of several books for children and young adults, she lives in Los Angeles.

Maggie Stiefvater is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. All of her life decisions have been formed by a desire to leave a mark, resulting in spray-painted cars, sharpie-covered guitars, ink-splattered walls, and stories told in books, in magazines, and on stages. Maggie Stiefvater lives in the Shenandoah Valley with her husband, two children, many dogs, many goats, and more mechanical horsepower than you can shake a stick at.

Sarah Kuhn is the author of the popular Heroine Complex novels–a series starring Asian American superheroines. The Japan-set romantic comedy I Love You So Mochi was her YA debut.  Sarah also wrote The Ruby Equation for the comics anthology Fresh Romance, and the novella One Con Glory, which is in development as a feature film. Other projects include a comic book continuation of the cult classic movie Clueless, a series of Barbie comics, and a story in the Jem and the Holograms anthology series Dimensions. Nicole Goux is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist. She has been published by such companies as IDW, Black Crown, Image, and Lion Forge. In Shadow of the Batgirl (DC Comics) we follow Cassandra Cain, teenage assassin and, perhaps, hero. But can she step out of the shadows and overcome her greatest obstacle–that voice inside her head telling her she can never be a hero? With the help of her new mentors, noodle shop owner Jackie Fujikawa Yoneyama and a librarian named Barbara Gordon, she’ll attempt to answer this question the only way she knows how: learning everything she possibly can about her favorite hero. The only problem is that Batgirl hasn’t been seen in Gotham for years. Can Cass find Batgirl before her father destroys the world she has grown to love? Or will she have to take on a heroic mantle of her very own? Lelanie Seyffer  in Hypable called it “an emotional, enthralling story about choosing your own path, finding your real

Kami Garcia is the international bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures novels. Kami’s solo series, The Legion, includes Unbreakable, a New York Times bestseller, and its sequel, Unmarked. Her other works include X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos and the YA contemporary novels The Lovely Reckless and Broken Beautiful Hearts. A teacher for 17 years, she co-authored her first novel on a dare from seven of her students. She is a co-founder of YALLFest, the biggest teen book festival in the country. Gabriel Picolo is a Brazilian comics artist and illustrator based in São Paulo. He has developed projects for clients such as Blizzard, BOOM! Studios, HarperCollins, and DeviantArt. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, seventeen-year-old Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Now senior year is almost over and Gar wants to impress the social elite at Bull Creek High School. His best friends, Stella and Tank, can’t understand why he cares what other people think, and they miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend. Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the popular kids, and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops, and suddenly, he’s stronger and faster. He’s finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. The tale in Teen Titans: Beast Boy (DC Comics) is a journey of self-discovery and acceptance that also reminds us the value

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times bestselling author of Speak and Chains. Other titles include Fever 1793, the Wild at Heart series, the YA novels Catalyst and Wintergirls, as well as The Big Cheese on Third Street, a salute to her adopted hometown of Philadelphia. Leila del Duca is a comic book creator. She has drawn Sleepless, Shutter, and Afar and has also worked on titles such as The Wicked + The Divine, Scarlet Witch, American Vampire, and The Pantheon Project. Princess Diana of Themyscira believes that her 16th birthday will be one of new beginnings and gain acceptance into the warrior tribe of the Amazons. But her birthday celebrations are cut short when rafts carrying refugees break through the barrier that separates her island home from the outside world. When Diana defies the Amazons to try to bring the outsiders to safety, she finds herself swept away by the stormy sea. Diana herself becomes a refugee in an unfamiliar land. Now she must survive in the world beyond Themyscira for the first time–a world that is filled with danger and injustice unlike anything she’s ever experienced.  She now must redefine what it means to belong, to be an Amazon, and to make a difference. Laurie Halse Anderson and Leila del Duca ‘s Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed (DC Comics) is a story about growing into your strength, fighting for justice, and finding home.

Alex Sanchez has published eight novels, including Rainbow Boys, Bait, and the Lambda Award-winning So Hard to Say. Julie Maroh is a French writer and illustrator of graphic novels. They wrote and illustrated the New York Times bestselling Blue Is the Warmest Color about the life and love of two young lesbians, which has been adapted into an award-winning film. In You Brought Me The Ocean (DC Comics) Alex Sanchez and illustrator Julie Maroh tell a new coming-out romance and origin story for Aqualad. Jake Hyde doesn’t swim–not since his father drowned. Luckily, he lives in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Yet he yearns for the ocean and is determined to leave his hometown for a college on the coast. His best friend, Maria, however, wants nothing more than to stay in the desert, and Jake’s mother encourages him to always play it safe. But Jake’s is attracted to Kenny Liu, swim team captain and rebel against conformity and then Jake secretly applies to the University of Miami. It turns out that Jake is full of secrets, including the strange blue markings on his skin that glow when in contact with water. What powers will he find when he searches for his identity, and will he turn his back to them?  

Danielle Paige is the New York Times bestselling author of the Dorothy Must Die series, Stealing Snow series, Mera: Tidebreaker, and The Ravens co-written with Kass Morgan. She contributed “Serena Williams: Super Serena–G.O.A.T.,” drawn by Brittney Williams, to Wonderful Women of History. Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. In Wonderful Women of History (DC Comics), Halse Anderson brings together an all-star cast of authors and illustrators in an anthology of contemporary Wonder Women–and how they’ve changed our world. No, not all heroes wear capes and while Wonder Woman has been an inspiration for decades, not everyone would choose her star-spangled outfit for themselves —but her compassion and fairness are worthy of emulation. Wonderful Women of History tell the stories of eighteen women who are the real-world heroes who have taken up Diana’s mantle and work in many fields including science, the arts, sports, and politics. Some of the women celebrated include Beyoncé, written by Mikki Kendall and drawn A. D’Amico; “Serena Williams: Super Serena–G.O.A.T.,” written by Danielle Paige and drawn by Brittney Williams; “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: New Voice of the Nation,” written by Lilliam Rivera and drawn by Anastasia Longoria; “Emma Gonzalez: Never Again,” written by Kami Garcia and drawn by Igzell, and the late “Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Dissent,” written by Lilah Sturges and drawn by Devaki Neogi.