Carmella Van Vleet is a former kindergarten teacher and the author of numerous books for children, including To the Stars!, which was co-authored by astronaut Kathy Sullivan and named to the Amelia Bloomer list. Her debut children's novel, Eliza Bing Is (NOT) a Big, Fat Quitter, received the Christopher Award and was named to four state award master lists. Just like Eliza, Carmella loves tae kwon do--she has earned her black belt! She lives in Ohio and can be found online at carmellavanvleet.com