Sophie Washington: Mission: Costa Rica

TONYA DUNCAN ELLIS is author of the award winning, 13-book, SOPHIE WASHINGTON children's chapter series and THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM (HarperCollins, Balzer + Bray, 2024). She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, and the Brown Bookshelf's Highlights Foundation-sponsored, Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort. Tonya has spoken and taught at writing conferences at the Highlights Foundation and for SCBWI in New York City and for SCBWI Houston and Austin, TX chapters. A former journalist and freelance magazine writer, she is a graduate of Centre College of Kentucky, with a BA in French, and she holds an MBA degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Tonya loves to travel and has visited 49 American states, 20 countries, and three continents, but some of her best journeys have been between the pages of a novel. As a girl she could always be found with a book in her hand, and reading is still one of her favorite hobbies. When she's not reading or writing, the author likes to ride her bike, swim, and spend time with her husband and three children. She lives in Houston, TX.