Martha LaGuardia-Kotite, a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, is author of the four-time award-winning book, So Others May Live (Lyons Press, June 2006, CATS net shipped 9,696 hc, 5,660 pb) foreword by Tom Ridge). The book was selected for the Commandant of the Coast Guard’s professional reading list, won best adventure award for Boating Writers International and Book of the Year by the Foundation for Coast Guard History. Recently, she served as then Commandant Admiral Thad Allen’s Press Secretary during the Haiti earthquake and during his role as the National Incident Commander for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Trish Marx writes nonfiction books for children in grades K-12. Her assignments have taken her to China, Peru, Israel, Kosovo, and recently, Bangladesh. Her books have received awards and recognition such as Notable Books in the area of Social Studies, Parent’s Choice, Booklinks Best 10 Books of the Year list, and a 2011 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Older Readers. She is a member of PEN and the Author’s Guild