Farial English lives in a small rural community with her husband and two dogs. Several years ago, they moved from a Chicago suburb to an old farm in upstate New York, where their dogs could roam freely. Farial spends much of her time outdoors tending to flowers, growing vegetables, and caring for her honeybee colonies.

A lifelong reader, Farial shared hundreds of books with her three sons as they grew up. During their scouting years, books often sparked ideas for hands-on projects that nurtured creativity and deepened their appreciation for the natural world. One of our most enjoyable family activities was making and flying kites for the Kite Derby. The joy of those spring afternoons—watching homemade kites soar alongside those of neighborhood families—became the inspiration for The Boy Who Wanted to Fly.

Farial is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).