Leaving Paradise

Simone Elkeles is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Perfect Chemistry series, Leaving Paradise series, and How to Ruin series. All three books in the Perfect Chemistry series have been YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers. Simone's funny way of looking at the world shines through in novels that are bursting with sarcastic wit, edgy characters, and exhilarating drama.

Elizabeth Cottle is an experienced actress and theater director based in New York City. She earned a BFA in communication arts and musical theatre from Ohio Northern University and has been recognized for excellence in acting by the Ohio Community Theatre Association. She also has a wide variety of performing experience outside of the stage, including narrating audiobooks, doing improv sketch comedy, singing with a jazz orchestra, and filming commercials, shorts, and indie features.

Nick Mondelli is an accomplished actor, poet, and audiobook narrator from Ohio. He has narrated a wide range of titles, including Willa Cather's My Antonia, Patty Blount's The Way It Hurts, and Paula Garner's Phantom Limbs, which AudioFile Magazine called a sensitive, expressive performance. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he works out of his in-house studio.