SHELLEY GILL was the fifth woman to complete the Iditarod race. When she's not writing, Shelley travels to schools around the country where she covers a variety of topics-from whale watching to how she thinks up her writing ideas. ERIK BROOKS spent much of his childhood in Anchorage, AK, where he explored the outdoors and had Alaskan experiences such as seeing the occasional moose wandering through the yard and getting run over by a dog sled. He still loves getting out into nature with his family and his handsome mutt of a dog, Max. ERIK BROOKS spent much of his childhood in Anchorage, AK, where he explored the outdoors and had Alaskan experiences such as seeing the occasional moose wandering through the yard and getting run over by a dog sled. He still loves getting out into nature with his family and his handsome mutt of a dog, Max.