Jeff Mulcaster – Born many many winters ago in the highlands of Canadia, tragically orphaned Jeff was raised by wild weasels, hence the lingering aroma. With his ferret siblings, the cowardly canuck escaped to Portland in ’86 during the Great Maple Syrup Wars that nearly ripped his homeland apart. He has trouble with the tropical weather, though, and often suffers from excessive sweatiness. Jeff was given asylum by the brilliant indigenous animators who were endlessly amused by his pronunciation of the word “about.” Naturally very gifted at playing with toys, he won an Emmy Award, somehow, then a Clio, and continued animating on projects like the California Raisins, The PJs, and Coraline. With so many voices…er, rather, words in his cluttered head, Jeff did some much needed cleaning of the attic by putting pen to paper for the co-authored Sambuka Black with the love of his life, Dielle Alexandre. Jeff is very fond of strong coffee and cookies.

Dielle Alexandre – Dielle grew up in the very center of the country and, looking excitedly in every direction agreed that, yes, all the world is indeed a stage. Her performance genes revealed themselves early and, at age three, she choreographed her first number about a one-legged chicken. A graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, Dielle has led a very mundane life pursuing very boring activities like skydiving, her pet iguana, stage performance, film making, medieval sciences, raising Burmese pythons and riding a motorcycle. She moved to Portland in ’98, animated on the multiple Emmy winning Eddie Murphy series The PJs, produced several events such as the 1st Ever Smokey Awards and the Clinton Street Animation Festival as well as filled the role of 2nd Assistant Director of Animation on the film, Coraline. Dielle’s passions include cooking, organic gardening and writing with Jeff Mulcaster, the love of her life.

Duncan of the proud six-armed carrier cyclops clan is very very old by human standards but merely middle aged in cyclops years yet retains the maturity level of your average teenager. Nigh impervious to cold, he’s something of a thrill seeker, often risking life and limb for no apparent reason. His running, jumping, climbing and swimming skills have, however, occasionally gotten him out of a jam. Thanks to the wonderful Miss Alex, Duncan has slowly (glacially slowly) been learning to read and write and has an almost autistic romance with words. He has some demons, too, including a life long struggle with honey addiction (clean for 300+ years and counting!) and an inexplicable fear of a certain suspension bridge. Also, a long ago incident cost him two of his favorite arms. He doesn’t like to talk about it. Duncan does like to eat and eat and eat and eat and claims to have no pain receptors in his stomach, whatever that means.

Born of questionable parentage in the wilderness of the Western Territory, Miss Alex was taken in as a small faun by Nancy the Dragonhearted. A natural athlete with a razor sharp mind, her petite stature belies the enormous personality within. She’s a master chef, specializing in sauces and artistic display. Very musical, Alex is a virtuoso of the acoustic mandore and is also known for her haunting passionate whistling though this is heard primarily when she is pensive or upset. Alex’s main project in life is her cyclops, Duncan, her partner and doting houseboy. They’ve been together since they were just kids really, and she has unshakable faith that her diamond-in-the-rough will one day shine. Till then, he makes a fine pack animal. In her spare time, Miss Alex makes costumes, writes songs, and promotes the artwork of several dragon friends.

Alex & Duncan, authors of Sambuka Black; Dielle & Jeff, noms de plume