Maryann Cocca-Leffler is the author and illustrator of many books for children including Theo's Mood and A Homemade Together Christmas. She lives in Maine.

After a career in magazine journalism (Woman, Time Out and The Independent among others) and with two cookbooks under her belt - A Survival Guide to the Student Kitchen (Foulsham 1995) and Fun Food Gourmet Games ( with Johnny McCune, Kyle Cathie 1999) - Susan switched to television. She directed Gordon Ramsay on The F-Word and produced Raymond Blanc on the first series of The Restaurant. Her career has taken her all over the world and she has worked extensively in the U.S. and Canada. She now works as a documentary producer, with many BAFTA, RTS and Broadcast Awards-nominated series to her name.