What Is a Pirate?

Melinda Beatty has had years of practice trying to explain to others why she was just having an imaginary conversation between two people that don't exist, so becoming a writer seemed like the best way to stop everyone from looking at her funny. After years of narrowboat living on the English canals, she and her British husband are now back on dry land in Maryland, where by day, she's a mild-mannered indie bookseller, and by night, she wrangles words, crafts projects, and raises a Labrador and two fierce miniwomen.

Stefano Tambellini was born in a small town in Tuscany, Italy. He studied hand-drawn animation in Torino, then moved to London for six years where he started working as a freelance illustrator for animated productions and publishing. In 2005 he co-founded the indie studio SenzaTesta, as he's also a stop-motion puppet maker and filmmaker. His best confidant is a gray cat called Mandragola. See more of Stefano's work at ste-tambellini.format.com.