Sophia Payne was born and raised in the UK and is half Guyanese, half British. Her writing often reflects her Indo-Caribbean heritage, as well as her motto in life: always be kind. Her first picture book Faruq and the Wiri Wiri illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat was shortlisted for the Inclusive Children's Book Award. Find her on Instagram as @sophiap_author.Ruchi Mhasane is a children's book illustrator whose picture book Dadaji's Paintbrush written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande won the Diverse Book Award and was longlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal. She has an MA in Children's Book Illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. Find her on Instagram as @ruchi.mm.
