Ann Cleeves is the author of over 30 critically acclaimed novels and was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger, in 2017. She created the popular detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez, who can now be found on television in ITV's Vera and BBC One's Shetland. The TV series, and the books they are based on, have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. The first book in the Two Rivers series, The Long Call, was published to critical acclaim and is currently being adapted for television. She lives in North Tyneside, England.

Janet Smyth is an arts programme consultant specialising in strategic planning of events, programmes and projects for children, young people, educators and care-givers within festivals and creative spaces. She has worked with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the National Galleries of Scotland, Seven Stories in Newcastle and is currently Children’s and Families Programmer for International Literature Festival Dublin, Programme Consultant for the Bath Children's Literature Festival and Reading is Magic virtual festival, Children and Families Programme Curator for the Boswell Book Festival in Scotland and Programme Consultant for the TIFA Kids 2021 Festival.