In 1995, Susan Meissner was working as a part-time reporter for a county newspaper. In 1998, she was named editor of the Mountain Lake/Butterfield Observer Advocate, the town's weekly paper. The paper was named the Best Weekly Newspaper in Minnesota by the Minnesota Newspaper Association in 2002. She retired later that year to write her first book, Why the Sky is Blue, which was published in 2004. Her other books include The Girl in the Glass, The Shape of Mercy, In All Deep Places, and A Fall of Marigolds.
Earphones winner, Audie finalist, and Parent's Choice Award-winning producer Tavia Gilbert is a classical theater- and public radio-trained actress and producer. She received a BFA in Acting from Cornish College of the Arts. She also studied documentary radio at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. She produces, directs, and narrates unique audiobooks, full-cast recordings, and documentaries.