P Archives - Hudson Childrens Book Festival

Pullen, Mark David

ALTHOUGH HE HAS ALWAYS HAD A VIVID IMAGINATION, his call to writing never manifested itself until his late twenties. Being the boy who sought after adventure and escape, he would use his imagination to create strange characters and unique far-away worlds. Some of those strange characters and far away lands cemented themselves into his mind and later became part of the firm foundation for his writing style.

NOW AN ADULT, he lives with his wife, two children, and their crazy pup, Toby, in Upstate New York. The use of his imagination and sense of wonder as a child has proven to be the first steps on the long road to becoming a published author in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre. His debut novel “The Oasis King” Was released in February of this year.

3 Fun Facts

1. I love to cook.
2. I enjoy playing vintage video games.
3. The dogs in “The Oasis King” are named after my childhood dogs and my basset hound Toby.

Parra, John

Parra, John

John Parra is an award-winning artist, illustrator, author, and educator, best known for his, Latino themed, children’s picture books and commercial works. He regularly speaks as a visiting artist at schools and literary conferences across the country, advocating art and reading education. John currently lives with his wife in Queens, New York. To learn more visit: https://www.johnparraart.com/

Awards

Three American Library Association’s Pura Belpré Honors, Two Golden Kite Awards from SCBWI, two Christopher’s Awards, a 2023 Américas Award, and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year award.

3 Fun Facts

1. I have a dog named Luna
2. I like to play guitar
3. My favorite color is GREEN!

Preller, James

Preller, James

James Preller lives in Delmar, NY, and frequently visits area schools as a guest author. He has – insanely — 10 books coming out in 2019. Three titles in the new “Big Idea Gang” series, including EVERYBODY NEEDS A BUDDY. A picture book in haiku, ALL WELCOME HERE, illustrated by Mary GrandPre (of “Harry Potter” fame), BLOOD MOUNTAIN, a middle-grade novel of wilderness adventure and suspense, plus 5 more Jigsaw Jones titles: THE CASE OF THE HAT BURGLAR, plus 4 newly revised titles that were temporarily out-of-print. www.jamespreller.com

3 Fun Facts

1. James is trying to become a better writer of haiku.
2. James is trying to learn how to identify trees (it’s been a slow process).
3. James loves music

Primiano, Jay

Primiano, Jay

Jay Primiano is a poet, performer and most recently, children’s book author. Like his co-author, John Rocco, Jay Primiano was raised on fishing boats. He started working on a commercial lobster boat when he was eleven years old and still has a deep connection to the waters of Rhode Island, where he spends much of his free time teaching his daughters how to catch dinner. He lives in Jamestown, Rhode Island. Visit his web site!

3 Fun Facts

1. “My favorite time to write is in the morning; early in the morning before it really feels like morning and it still seems like night time. It is at this time that I can relate best to my characters; tough working people with much to prove after the sun rises.”
2. “I still hold a full ‘Principal Effort shell-fishing license’ and I often work as a professional clam-digger on Narragansett Bay. Working in the fishing industry satisfies my need for exercise, desire to continually discover and my interest in the lives of the people in the business of defying nature every day.”
3. “I was a professional soccer coach at the University of Rhode Island for thirteen years; coaching the URI Men’s Soccer team while they participated in the Atlantic -10 Conference in the NCAA’s Division I. And as a result of this experience, I’ve traveled to fourteen different countries.”