Mairi Mackinnon has lived in England, Scotland, France, Italy and Spain, and worked as a teacher, translator and tour manager before joining Usborne. Over the years she has written and edited Usborne books in sixteen languages, from Arabic to Welsh. She lives in a house full of teenagers, books and curious musical instruments. Zanna writes fiction and non-fiction for Usborne. Her favourite things to write about are small monsters and talking animals. She used to live in London but now lives in a cottage on the edge of some woods. She is only sorry there are no bears or witches in them. Emma Allen was a trained speech pathologist, specialising in early childhood, before she returned to university to pursue a lifelong love of literature. The Terrible Suitcase won the 2013 CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood award. She writes from her Canberra home where she lives with her husband Richard and three young children Harriet, Rupert and Hazel.