Gershen Kaufman was educated at Columbia University and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Rochester. Professor Emeritus in psychology at Michigan State University, he is a pioneer in the study of shame. He is the author of Shame: The Power of Caring and The Psychology of Shame: Theory and Treatment of Shame-Based Syndromes. He is the coauthor with Lev Raphael of Dynamics of Power: Fighting Shame and Building Self-Esteem and Coming Out of Shame. With Lev Raphael, he co-developed the program, "Affect and Self-Esteem," on which Dynamics of Power and Stick Up for Yourself! are based. He lives in Michigan.

Lev Raphael was educated at Fordham University and received his M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He holds a Ph.D. in American studies from Michigan State University where he is an assistant professor in the English Department, teaching literature and creative writing. Lev has authored eight Nick Hoffman mysteries, most recently Assault with a Deadly Lie, seventeen other books in many genres, and also blogs for the Huffington Post. You can find Lev online at www.levraphael.com. He lives in Michigan.