Team
Author / Founder of Lost Island Press
Mel Torrefranca is a novelist from the San Francisco Bay Area, now residing in the jungly mountains of Northern Thailand. Her books feature morally gray characters, bold endings, and a pinch of awkward humor. Mel discovered her passion for writing at the age of seven and published her debut novel Leaving Wishville during high school. She also drinks way too many lattes.
Illustrator
Ratra Adya Airawan, also known as Aira Rumi, is an illustrator from Indonesia. He learned to draw during his time in high school and decided to hire himself out as a freelance illustrator in 2017. He likes to watch cartoons and was born on Valentine's Day.
Cover Designer
Aleksandra Mandic founded MAD Book Covers, a graphic design studio specializing in book cover design focusing on self-publishing. Over the past 10 years, she has worked with hundreds of self-publishing authors and was occasionally commissioned by traditional publishing companies. The main goal of MAD Book Covers is to help self-publishing authors stand out on the market by creating high-quality professional book covers that follow the latest trends in the industry.
Director / Copy Editor
Katie Flanagan is a college student with a passion for writing and editing fiction. Several literary magazines have published her work. She plays an important role behind the scenes at Lost Island Press by reviewing submissions during contests, managing social media profiles, and ensuring our books are ready to launch. Katie is involved in both our technical and creative project decisions.
Author / Translator
Sowon Kim is the author of A Gleaming Shard of Glass (traditionally published in Spanish as Destellos de Cristal) and Deceitful Hope, which were both #1 Amazon Bestsellers upon release. She has also translated for various organizations, companies, and events, such as the 2022 FINA Swimming World Championships, TED, and Lost Island Press. Moreover, Sowon is the founder of Páginas Sin Fronteras (Pages Without Frontiers), a non-profit organization registered in the United Nations that supports underprivileged teen writers in the Latin American region. When not typing on her keyboard, Sowon can be seen reading, playing all kinds of sports, studying ancient history and Latin, participating in debates, or listening to the Hamilton musical.
Illustrator
Gonzalo Mansilla, born in Uruguay, has been an illustrator and graphic designer for more than 10 years. Dedicated to illustration design and passionate about the modern minimalist style, he also specializes in branding and logo design. What he enjoys about his work is the challenge of representing an idea in a few strokes while still maintaining a visual impact. In short, he considers himself a lucky guy who does what he loves.
Cover Designer
Ivan Cakic has over 20 years of illustrating experience. He created Cakamura Designs in 2015 for his logo and book cover creation services. Since then, he's won over 100 online design contests and is now ranked as a top level designer on a popular freelance website.
Author / 2021 Writing Content Winner
Julia Rosemary Turk is an author and artist based in Northern California. She loves all things creative, and she spends her days downing matcha lattes and writing stories. In addition to writing, Julia loves spending time with family, playing cozy games, and listening to indie rock. She's been battling chronic Lyme disease since childhood and considers her illness a crucial part of her identity.
Author / Translator
Ruby Coene has her own practice in Utrecht, where she works as a child and adolescent therapist. In addition to her work, she loves reading, traveling, and writing fiction. Her debut Sahana is a gritty YA dystopian novel about finding hope in the darkest of times, and her sophomore YA novel Wallbound was favorably received by bloggers and librarians in the Netherlands under its original Dutch title Muurvast. She also writes contemporary fantasy books for children.
Author / 2021 Writing Content Winner
Amanda Michelle Brown is a blogger, author, podcaster, and graphic designer who loves nothing more than a BBC drama and an oat milk latte. Amanda wrote her first novel in middle school with a green pen (complete with illustrations). You can often find her planning her next crazy project, haunting libraries and thrift stores, or telling stories about her day that may be a little exaggerated.
2024 Editorial Intern
Emmanuel Loomis is an English major soon to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree from CSU Chico. He enjoys reading all kinds of stories, editing and providing feedback for peers, and writing his own content at the best of his voice. Emmanuel has been published for a few of his short stories in both CSU San Marcos’ 318 Journal and Chico’s own graduate-ran journal The Manzanita. Much more so than being an author, editor, or reader, Emmanuel’s number one hobby is making someone smile, and maybe even laugh if he’s had enough coffee that day.
2024 Editorial Intern
Rochelle Fajgenbaum Harlev is a Jewish Panamanian student pursuing a Bachelor's in English at Florida International University. She dreams of becoming a professional editor and author. Whenever she's not busy dreaming, she's working towards making them come true. She's had the honor of working with Conocimientos Creativos and Lost Island Press. Apart from reading, writing, and revising, Rochelle loves learning new languages, watching soccer games, and trying out new ice cream parlors.
Cover Designer / Illustrator
Arif Rahman from Indonesia has been a professional illustrator since 2019, specializing in creating book covers and retro-style posters. Working with international clients has provided him with incredible experiences, allowing him to collaborate with writers and publishers to bring their words to life. During weekdays, Arif teaches English to middle and high school students. He also enjoys hiking, savoring the views, and drawing them.
Author / Translator
Jen Minkman writes YA paranormal romance and dystopian fiction. Her novels have sold thousands of copies in English, Spanish, and Dutch. She won 2nd prize in the prestigious Harland Awards 2016 (an award in recognition of outstanding novellas in the Dutch sci-fi and fantasy landscape) and hit the USA Today bestseller list in August 2017 as part of the Shattered Worlds YA paranormal collection.
Author
Laurel Glyn O'Brien is a writer, artist, and student from Texas. She discovered her love for writing when she had way too many free hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. When she’s not drafting stories on her laptop, she’s reading a concerning amount of mystery novels, drinking chai lattes, and trying not to get paint on her new clothes (it’s a problem).
Copy Editor
Maria Grazia Huapaya is a Peruvian high schooler and an aspiring translator and interpreter. She discovered her passion for languages two years ago while studying Chinese, and it has greatly grown ever since. In her free time, Maria Grazia likes reading, watching Netflix, and embroidering.
Typesetter
Michelle Argyle has been designing for 20 years. She originally created Melissa Williams Design for a small publisher back in 2010. Since then, she has branched out to many other clients. She believes your final product should be unique, just like you, so she ensures you get the best design for your book. Michelle lives in the Rocky Mountains, where she finds every excuse possible to go hiking and be outdoors.
Illustrator
Natasha Orsh, also known as Nat, is an illustrator based in Moscow, Russia. As an optimist who seeks the positive amidst chaos, she delights in drawing silly cats and cute girls. Nat loves animals, mangos, and her lil grumpy cat Koosia—despite him being a huge piece of arse.
Author / 2020 Writing Contest Winner
Shira Behore is a young adult mystery and fantasy author from Central Florida. She first began stitching together worlds and characters at the age of eight and has been writing stories ever since. When Shira isn’t typing away on her laptop, she’s likely to be found buried in a book, working on a painting, or planning new videos for her YouTube channel. She can also be found obsessively scrolling through Google Flights, getting ready for her next adventure.
Cover Designer
Stefanie Saw is an award-winning and best-selling cover design artist for publishers and independent authors. Her clients include music producers, USA Today best-selling authors, and New York Times best-selling authors. Her work has been picked up by Macmillan/Entangled, Penguin-Random House, and Simon & Schuster UK. She has also worked with Spanish, German, Polish, and French publishers for international books. Formerly an agented writer, she understands both industry perspectives and utilizes that information when working with her authors. Stefanie promises to deliver her best to every piece of art she produces.
Proofreader
Zoe Anastasia loves to write, travel, and learn the history of cultures and time periods long ago. She finds inspiration in music, which has inspired characters and books. She also enjoys spending time camping and hiking in nature, and finding freedom from the fast-paced world to remember what truly matters. If you don’t remember anything else, remember that her favorite band is Twenty One Pilots.
Assistant / Communications Manager
Oliver Halloway is a psychology major with a love for sci-fi and fantasy novels. At Lost Island, he manages digital communication, coordinates side projects, and writes blog posts about the publishing industry. In his free time, he can be found on the soccer field, playing indie video games, and taking his cat Luna on walks (yes, she has a leash and everything).
