Tucson Festival of Books

Writing Fierce Girls who Lead the Way


These authors have created fierce girls who lead the way in solving mysteries within tales that range from fairytale mash-ups to dystopia to historical fantasy and contemporary fiction. Authors share their strategies for writing girls who persist when facing the unknown with courage and heart.


Panelists
Kim Bussing

Kim Bussing writes fairy tales for children and adults. She has an MFA from the University of Arizona, where she taught creative writing to undergraduates. Her first book series is The Princess Swap with "Cinderella and the Beast" and "Snow White and the Dragon....

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Megan E. Freeman

Megan E. Freeman attended an elementary school where poets visited her classroom every week, and she has been a writer ever since. She writes middle grade and young adult fiction. Megan is also a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet....

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Ginger Reno

Ginger Reno has always been a writer—it just took a while for her to figure that out. Her first clue should’ve been her family always calling her “the wordy one.” An enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, her desire to learn about Cherokee history and culture has naturally spilled over into her writing....

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S. J. Taylor

S. J. Taylor writes stories steeped in folklore and magic, where young protagonists tackle big adventures and bigger questions. Although she grew up in Arizona's desert, her heart yearns for the Nordic lands....

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Books:
Cinderella and the Beast
Kim Bussing
Children
Random House
January 2025
ISBN 9780593708033
304 pages
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Away
Megan E. Freeman
Children
Aladdin
February 2025
ISBN 9781665959728
480 pages

Find Her
Ginger Reno
Children
Holiday House
October 2024
ISBN 9780823454808
224 pages

Madsi the True
S. J. Taylor
Children
Simon and Schuster
September 2024
ISBN 9781665938822
304 pages
Buy now