by Presley Hughes, reporter

FAIRHOPE, Ala.– Page and Palette held a book signing and author event at 5 p.m. on February 22, for young local students and readers to have questions answered and books signed by their two favorite children’s authors.

Lisa and Matt McMann, stationed in Arizona, are a husband and wife duo who have been writing and publishing books separately for almost 15 years and have been married for 32 years.

Lisa McMann is a New York Times bestselling author based in Tempe, Arizona, and the author of multiple renowned children’s books such as “Map of Flames,” “Invisible Spy” and the “Forgotten Five” series which accounts for over 30 published works. Her works are based on children who learn to overcome hardships in dangerous situations with the power of determination and friendship.

“The number one thing I enjoy about being an author is being able to work in my pajamas all day and being able to reach young readers and help them learn the power of reading,” Lisa said.

Matt McMann is an author who focuses primarily on child-friendly short horror stories such as his “Monsterious” series where he focuses on common fears in children such as monsters under the bed. As a child, Matt was “afraid of everything.” When he chose to turn in his music career to become an author, he decided to share the comfort and peace that comes with acknowledging fears as a child, which helped him when he was younger. 

“I was afraid of the dark, bullies, the woods, I was even afraid of my own basement. But I loved spooky stories. I would go to my local bookstore and buy every book with Bigfoot, the abominable snowman, the Loch Ness monster and vampires and werewolves,” Matt said.

Being an easily-scared child, Matt found that it was easier to face his fears when he read about the monsters that haunted his mind. Matt wanted to write stories to help kids with fears similar to his.

“When I would read these spooky stories, it allowed me to experience fear in a safe and fun way,” Matt said. “I saw characters in these books facing their fears which gave me the courage to face my own.”

The McManns have accumulated thousands of fans across the United States which is made up of both kids, and their parents. Lisa is now working on her fifth, out of seven, book in the “Forgotten Five” and Matt is continuing to expand his “Monsterious” short series. 

For more about the McManns, see their Instagram pages @matt_mcmann and @lisa_mcmann.