A writer and speaker, Mark Vogl is also a Texas rancher, an adult-education instructor at Tyler Junior College and Kilgore College, and a retired US Army officer educated at The Citadel. He has been honored as the Confederate of the Year by the Texas division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and has received the Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal. Stephanie Ford earned bachelor of arts degrees in both history and art from Stephen F. Austin State University and teaches high-school art and English. She is the illustrator of Pelican's Confederate Alphabet; Nadine, My Funny and Trusty Guide Dog; and Willy the Texas Longhorn and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. As a historian who has adopted Civil War reenacting as a pastime, she focuses on women as active participants on the battlefield, particularly the vivandieres, or canteen keepers. She and her husband live in Texas.