try

foodie_utils.py

@@ -1201,8 +1201,8 @@ def prepare_post_data(summary, title, main_topic=None):
         
         pixabay_url = page_url if image_source == "Pixabay" else None
         
-        authors = ["Aisha Patel", "Ravi Sharma", "Mei Lin", "Carlos Rivera"]
+        # Select a full author dictionary from AUTHORS (already imported from foodie_config)
-        author = random.choice(authors)
+        author = random.choice(AUTHORS)
         
         categories = ["Food", "Trends", "Eats", "Culture"]
         category = random.choice(categories)
@@ -1211,11 +1211,11 @@ def prepare_post_data(summary, title, main_topic=None):
             "title": new_title,
             "content": summary,
             "status": "publish",
-            "author": author,
+            "author": author["username"],  # Use the username in post_data
             "categories": [category]
         }
         
-        logging.info(f"Post data prepared: Title: '{new_title}', Category: {category}, Author: {author}")
+        logging.info(f"Post data prepared: Title: '{new_title}', Category: {category}, Author: {author['username']}")
         return post_data, author, category, image_url, image_source, uploader, pixabay_url
     
     except Exception as e: