Long Bio

Angela T. Baron (A. T. Baron) never planned to become a children’s author—mainly because she hated reading as a kid. While other children had their noses buried in books, Angela was outside sketching the intricate patterns on butterfly wings or inventing elaborate stories about living with the animals in the trees in her backyard. Her imagination ran wild, but it was always accompanied by a pencil in hand, capturing the world around her one whimsical illustration at a time. It turns out that loving stories and loving reading aren’t always the same thing, and for Angela, the stories were always there—they just needed pictures to bring them to life.

Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Texas A&M University, Angela pursued her childhood dream of working with animals. She envisioned a life surrounded by otters (her absolute favorite), rehabilitating wildlife, and making a difference in conservation. Reality took her through veterinary clinics and zoological gardens, where she gained hands-on experience with creatures great and small. But life has a funny way of redirecting our paths, and after marriage and two children, Angela found herself at a crossroads. The scientist in her remained, but the creative spark that had smoldered since childhood suddenly roared into a full-blown bonfire.

That’s when the stories that had been swimming around in her head—keeping her awake at night and demanding to be told—finally found their way onto paper. Angela began writing for children, weaving her zoological knowledge with her quirky perspective on life to create characters bursting with adventure and heart. Her stories feature animals in sticky situations, nature as both teacher and playground, and that special brand of chaos that only comes from seeing the world through a slightly tilted lens. If she can make even one child laugh, wonder, or fall in love with the natural world through her words and illustrations, she considers it a mission accomplished.

Beyond her children’s books, Angela is the creative force behind Otter Things®, where she sells her otter illustrations to fellow otter enthusiasts and wildlife lovers who understand that otters are, objectively speaking, the best animals on the planet. Her artwork has appeared in numerous publications, including the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group’s Otters – Folklores, Myths and Legends, the National Science Teaching Association’s Science & Children, and New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation Habitat & Access Stamps. She’s also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and the Buffalo Niagara Children’s Writers & Illustrators, because even whimsical creatives need a tribe.

When she’s not writing, illustrating, or running her business, Angela can be found traipsing through fields in western New York as a Bluebird Ambassador for the New York State Bluebird Society. She monitors nest boxes, tracks breeding success, and educates communities about Eastern Bluebird conservation—because apparently, wearing multiple hats is her superpower (even if it sometimes feels like those hats are about to topple off). She’s passionate about wildlife stewardship, teaching others to appreciate the natural world, and proving that you can be both a serious scientist and someone who regularly talks to imaginary friends—er, characters.

The path to publication was never a straight line for Angela. Without formal training in writing, she faced a mountain of rejection letters from agents and editors who didn’t quite know what to make of her unconventional voice. At the same time, she was juggling freelance illustration deadlines, family obligations, and a relentless inner critic that whispered she wasn’t good enough, fast enough, or “real author” enough. The pressure mounted until she was overwhelmed and exhausted, running on empty and wondering if her stories would ever find an audience—or if she should simply stop trying. Then she began managing her work and personal time with intentional care. She scheduled specific creative tasks for certain days, wrote on her phone in the stolen minutes between responsibilities, transcribed voice recordings of story ideas, and used simple apps to keep everything organized. Wearing many hats had once felt like a recipe for collapse; with better systems, she discovered she could switch between them more easily. That shift gave her the breathing room to try self-publishing, and everything changed. Suddenly she could share her animal adventures, her detailed illustrations, and her slightly nutty perspective with the world on her own terms. The kid who hated reading had become an author who couldn’t stop writing.

These days, Angela lives in western New York with her husband, surrounded by art supplies, half-finished manuscripts, post-it notes covered in story ideas, and probably a few schemes involving her army of squirrels armed with acorn-47s (okay, maybe just peanuts). She writes across multiple age groups now—from picture books to young adult fantasy, paranormal, and romance—because when your head is constantly swimming with stories, you can’t limit yourself to just one genre. Life’s too short not to have fun, and so is she. Through her books, her art, and her conservation work, Angela invites readers of all ages to see the world through her eyes: a place where nature is magic, animals are heroes, and there’s always room for a little whimsy.

Interesting Facts About the Author

• • I like to leave Easter eggs (anything in a story that references another author, work, or inside joke) in my writing.
  • I write down ideas everywhere – on post-it notes, on my computer, on my phone, and even on my office windows.
  • I love roller coasters and cotton candy (especially maple cotton candy).
  • I am a Geek, and therefore, I love all things geeky. I especially enjoy Minecraft–not to win the game but to create fun realms to rule.
  • The names I choose for my characters usually have a reason. For example, I named the protagonist of Squirrely Over Nuts Carol because Sciurus carolinensis is the scientific name for the Eastern Grey Squirrel.
  • I like to illustrate animals from abnormal viewpoints or perspectives. Some illustrations are from below or behind the animal.
  • I usually sit tailor style at my desk. Unfortunately, my legs fall asleep when I work for a long time.