Author Bio:

Bethany Friend is a writer from Southwestern Ontario. She is an avid reader, a mom, and a former teacher. She loves everything about children’s literature and is a strong advocate for teaching kids to love books and reading. Her first book “Butterflies Strong and Free” was released October 6, 2026.

Find out more about Bethany at www.bethanyfriend.com or follow her on instagram (@bethanyfriend_author).

Longer Author Bio:

Bethany Friend is a writer from Southwestern Ontario. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Bachelor of Education. As a member of SCBWI, she is a lifelong learner and enjoys taking writing courses and attending conferences such as The Picture Book Summit and SCBWI’s Virtual Summer Conference.

After teaching in beautiful Prince Edward Island for 7 years, she moved back to Ontario to raise her family. She taught part-time in Ontario, but after 10 years of teaching Bethany was ready to try something new. Writing picture books has become a passion and new career path for her — and she couldn’t be more excited! Her first book “Butterflies Strong and Free” was released October 6, 2026.

Bethany loves everything about children’s literature and is a strong advocate for teaching kids to love books and reading. Bethany is an avid reader and can often be found toting huge bags of books from the library. She loves spending time with her family and gardening in the sunshine.

Find out more about Bethany at www.bethanyfriend.com or follow her on instagram (@bethanyfriend_author).