John Bellairs was born in Marshall, Michigan on January 17, 1938. He attended Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was a teacher. He went on to author fifteen graphic novels for young adults, one fantasy book "The Face in the Frost," and two other books. His works have been nominated for several awards in the past. Among those nominated for, he won the Utah Children's Fiction Book Award in 1981 for "The Letter, the Witch and the Ring" and the New York Times Outstanding Books of 1973 Award for "The House with a Clock in Its Walls." Bellairs died of cardiovascular disease, on March 8, 1991.
Brad Strickland was born in New Hollard, Georgia in 1947. He received a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Georgia. He has been a Professor of English at Gainesville State College since 1987. His first novel, To Stand Beneath the Sun, was published in 1986. Since then he has written or co-written over 60 novels. His books include The Ghost in the Mirror, The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder, The Doom of the Haunted Opera, The Hand of the Necromancer, The Tower at the End of the World, The House Where Nobody Lived, and The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer. In 2001, he received the Georgia Author of the Year Award in the Children's/Young Adult Division for When Mack Came Back. He has also co-written books in several series including Wishbone, Star Trek, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?