Elsie Lungren spent 24 years teaching reading and writing in grades K-6, science in grades 7-8, and biology in grades 9-12. Her classrooms were in Alaska, New York, Germany, and Taiwan. Drawing on these experiences, she pooled everything she discovered about how children learn the art and science of reading and writing, and about effective teaching methods to support that learning, and she created a one-year Language Arts curriculum for students in grades 3-5. This curriculum, especially useful for homeschoolers, is due to be published in 2026. More information on it is available at www.luminepress.com.

Inspired by the beauty and goodness she finds throughout the world in nature, in people, in artwork, and in the imaginative characters of stories, Elsie aspires to write stories which kindle the imagination, encourage the reader to become a writer, and perhaps provide a glimpse of what the ancient Greek philosophers referred to as the True, the Good, and the Beautiful in the world. These transcendentals, or attributes of God, are described by the philosophers to be objective rather than subjective, and thus able to unite rather than divide.

Elsie’s love for the beauty of and goodness in the world has grown out of the many opportunities she has had throughout her life to see them (and she believes they can be found if one is looking). For Elsie, some of these opportunities have included spending a day on Admiralty Island in Alaska where she photographed the brown bears and eagles lunching on the jumping sockeye salmon, hearing the exploding loud crack of a glacier that was calving right in front of the boat, going on week-long sea kayaking trips in the Sea of Cortez and in the area north of Vancouver Island (where she fell in love with the sea otter and the Rhinoceros auklet), writing poetry in the rain while sitting on a solitary rocky shore of Maine, exploring Christmas markets in the German towns of Würzburg and Rotenburg (and of course enjoying some alcohol-free glögg or glühwein), joining families in Taiwan for their Chinese New Year feasts, and hunting for waterfalls in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

When Elsie sees beauty and goodness in the hearts of others, be they real people or imagined characters in a story, or in the awe-inspiring design of nature, she is reminded of truths about God, the intelligent designer of this world and of humanity. This inspires her to write.

Finally, having grown up in New England in a large family who celebrated its Swedish roots every year at Christmas, Elsie loves to include elements of her Scandinavian heritage in her stories. Be on the lookout for Dala horses, Julbocks (straw yule goats), gnomes, trolls, elves, and maybe even St. Lucia!

Nicoleta Dabija, born in Chişinău, Moldova but currently living in Romania, has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Her formal education in art spanned nine years, beginning with the High School of Fine Arts “Igor Vieru” and the Academy of Painting “Stati Art,” both in Chişinău, Moldova, and finishing at George Enescu National University of Arts in Iași, Romania with a Master of Arts in Graphic Design. If Nicoleta were to describe her perfect day, it would begin with a paintbrush in hand, and end with a cup of Earl Gray tea, a good book, the companionship of a few dogs, and a thunderstorm swirling around outside.

Violet Yu-Ju Liu 劉玉如 has over 17 years of experience teaching English to children in Taiwan, translating, and creating ESL curriculum. If Violet were to describe her perfect day, it would start with a cup of good coffee while sitting by a quiet lake or serene river, move to a successful baking session, and end with a concert of insects under the starry sky of a summer night!

Monica Peng-Hsin Liu 刘芃欣, a graduate of Xiao Ming High School (along with Elsie Lungren’s daughter) and of China Medical University, is a pharmacist in Taiwan who has a deep interest in languages and education. If Monica were to describe her perfect day, it would include a bubble milk tea, the companionship of her pet bird, a good mystery novel, and plane tickets for visiting a new country. She can already check off South Korea, Japan, and China from the list!

Travis D. Peterson is the founder and creative director of Launch Mission Creative (www.launchmissioncreative.com), where he coaches indie authors and leads a team specializing in book design. Backed by a Computer Graphics degree from Purdue University and 20+ years of experience in design and self-publishing, plus multiple awards as both a designer and author, Travis helps authors find clarity, gain confidence, and achieve success with uplifting, lifegiving children’s books. Travis and his family have two places on separate continents they call home: Wilmington, North Carolina, USA, and Øygarden, Norway. If Travis were to describe his perfect day, it would start with coffee and his Bible, continue with fun in the sun at Wrightsville Beach, and end with two sleeping kids and his Viking princess in his arms.