Vanessa E. Howard writes primarily fantasy stories for middle graders and young adults. She has been a newspaper reporter, magazine writer, and college English teacher. She has sold underwear and cookware (but not at the same time). A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, the Realm Makers community, and a goofy writer group dubbed the Cottage, she is also a homeschool mom to four children and teaches at a homeschool co-op. Her short fiction has been published by Havok, Spark, Quill and Flame, and Twenty Hills. Emmett and the Epic Word Searches is her first novel. When she’s not writing stories or wrangling children, Ms. Howard can be found singing show tunes and worship songs at top volume, using outrageous accents during read-alouds, and attempting (with limited success) to learn sketching and painting. She loves butterflies, elephants, sunsets, and hot chocolate. She had a pet tarantula named Caroline, she has driven a fire truck in a pasture, and once an airplane landed in the field behind her house. (Yes, there are stories behind those events. Send a smoke signal if you want to know more.) She lives on a couple of brambly acres in Central Texas with her punster husband, energetic children, two needy cats, and a hound dog. She can be found on Instagram as @writervanessa, Facebook as Vanessa E. Howard-Writer, and at her website vanessaehoward.com.
What can fictional robots teach us about being human? From The Wild Robot to The Iron Giant, these unlikely heroes model sacrifice, loyalty, and love—reminding us of the very best parts of humanity.
