Note from the Authors: Stories come from dreams. Some stories come from people we've met or places we've visited. Sometimes stories are the best way to convey messages or lessons learned. And sometimes, stories are simply reflections of lives that have been lived. We were lucky in that, this story is all of those things. Both of our lives are speckled with dreams, people, places, lessons and journeys – and one unifying theme that draws them all together.

It took us both so very long to discover the mystery of our own voices, that over a cup of tea one afternoon we agreed on the importance of conveying this message to others. Finding Your Voice was the method to accomplishing just that. We realized this theme to be universal and searched for ways to share our story with communities of non-English speakers. Soon thereafter, we heard a second voice, one of equal importance that spoke loudly of the need for a bilingual book. It is our hope that through Will's journey our readers will learn to acknowledge their voices (in any language), to trust them and embrace them – or, perhaps, for the first time, discover them.

Elisa Varano draws much of her inspiration from her two children, Matteo and Gabriella. Elisa speaks three languages and earned a Post Graduate Degree in Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpreting and Translation in Rome, Italy. She teaches music in private schools and writes, records and performs original children's music. Elisa is an advocate for special needs families and collaborates with a not-for-profit Children's Center in Rockland County, New York. Elisa also teaches children about creative writing, illustration and music through workshops and in-school programs.

Jenny Shannon is an educator, a writer and a musician. A graduate from William Paterson University with a B.A. in English Literature and a kindergarten through twelfth grade teaching certification, she also studied vocal performance for seven years. Jenny has worked both in public and private schools teaching English and Music as well as working with children with autism.