Michael Woods is the co-author with Mary B. Woods of 50 published books that have sold almost a quarter million copies in print alone. Mike is the writer and Mary the researcher/editor. An award-winning science writer, Mike is a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the American Medical Writers Association, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Writers’ Guild, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Press Club. He holds an honorary doctorate degree for explaining science to the public and is among a handful of non-scientists elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world largest general scientific society. Mike spends his leisure hours in the footsteps of title character Lucas Drake, breeding olive trees in a greenhouse at his residence in suburban Virginia just outside Washington, DC. Mary Woods is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Authors & Illustrators, National Association of Science Writers, Virginia Society for Technology in Education, Virginia Educational Media Association, American Library Association, and the Association of School Librarians of Fairfax County. She has given seminars on “Writing and Publishing Non-Fiction Books for Children” at conference venues ranging from the European Council of International Schools in Prague, Czech Republic to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, to the Virginia Educational Association in Richmond. Mary and Mike have been featured on The History Channel’s nationally broadcast series Inventions & Gadgets. When not working on new books, Mary enjoys tracking her family roots as an amateur genealogist, crafting unique hand-stitched quilts, and like Mike, marveling at the growth of their 5 grandchildren.