Sam Banfield-Keller

Sam is a published writer and developmental editor who has had a lifelong love for books, words, writing, and storytelling. Sam grew up in South Africa and spent hours lying on her belly on her bedroom carpet as a child, illustrating scenes from fairytales and local myths and legends, that centered around animals. Are You An Alien? is Sam's first published picture book and was illustrated by her mother, Rosemary Banfield. A project conceived during Sam's childhood when she and her mom would imagine this creative collaboration one day becoming a reality. Sam is a published fiction writer and has published multiple short stories. Her first novel The Light Remains was published through Modjaji Press in Cape Town in and through Catalyst Press in the US in April, 2026. She and her mom are working on their next children's story about a lonely chameleon who goes on a tongue-tying journey of self-discovery!