<b>Sharon Draper</b> is a two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author, most recently for <I>Copper Sun</i>, and previously for <I>Forged by Fire</i>. She's also the&nbsp;recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Author Award for New Talent for <I>Tears of a Tiger</i> and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor for <I>The Battle of Jericho </i>and <I>November Blues</i>. Her other books include <I>Romiette and Julio</i>, <I>Darkness Before Dawn</i>, and <I>Double Dutch</i>. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years. She's a popular conference speaker, addressing educational and literary groups both nationally and internationally. For more information visit her online at www.sharondraper.com.