Libba Bray
(The Diviners)
- • Won the Oscar of YA books, The Printz Award
- • Has been mugged at gunpoint
- • Cannot look at red Jello without thinking “leper colony”
- • Sings, plays middling keys and occasionally the drums for Tiger Beat, the world’s first all-YA author rock band
Gail Carriger
(Finishing School Book One: Etiquette & Espionage)
- • Is a pen name for Tofa Borregaard…or is it?
- • Attended Oberlin College, England’s Nottingham University and UC-Santa Cruz
- • Has been known to tote a parasol here, there, and everywhere
- • Is the New York Times bestselling author of The Parasol Protectorate series
Justina Chen
(Return to Me, North of Beautiful, Girl Overboard)
- • Lives in Seattle
- • Co-founded the group Reader Girlz
- • She toured the country with snowboarder Hannah Teter, an Olympic gold medalist
Chris Colfer
(Struck By Lightning, The Land of Stories)
- • A Golden Globe winner and two-time Emmy nominee
- • One of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World
- • Father of Brian, a cat
- • Particularly fond of llamas
Kami Garcia
(The Beautiful Creatures Novels)
- • Named her pets after characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- • Would never sleep in a room with “13” on the door
- • Doesn’t like birds or flan
- • Knows how to get out of the trunk of a car
Karen Healey
(When We Wake, The Shattering, Guardian of Death)
- • Was born in Whangarei (pronounced "Fain ga ray"), New Zealand
- • Taught English in Japan for two years
- • Currently writing her dissertation on superhero comics
A.S. King
(Ask the Passengers, Everybody Sees the Ants)
- • Odd jobs have included rare poultry breeder, master printer, and pizza delivery driver
- • Lived in Ireland for 10 years
- • Is a huge Kurt Vonnegut fan
- • Real name is Amy
Malinda Lo
(Adaptation, Huntress, Ash)
- • Born in China and moved to the United States when she was three
- • She has two master’s degrees from Harvard and Stanford
- • Has lived in Boston, New York, Beijing, London, and San Francisco
Stephenie Meyer
(The Twilight Saga)
- • Is the author of the Twilight saga, which has spent over 235 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list for Children’s Series Books
- • Graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s degree in English
- • The plot for Twilight came to her as a dream and three months later she had finished the first draft
James Patterson
(Maximum Ride, Witch & Wizard, Middle School, Confessions of a Murder Suspect)
- • His books account for one out of every 17 hardcover books sold in the United States
- • A 2010 Children’s Choice Book Award “Author of the Year”
- • Made a guest appearance on “The Simpsons” in 2007
- • A Guinness World Record holder
Jackson Pearce
(Sisters Red, Sweetly, Fathomless, Purity)
- • Thinks Sharpie Retractable Pens are the GREATEST THING EVER INVENTED
- • Once auditioned for the circus (didn’t make it)
- • Once auditioned to be a waitress at a biker bar (made it)
- • Can retell a fairy tale like nobody’s business
Jennifer Rush
(Altered)
- • Enjoys eating ice cream in her spare time
- • Has an (irrational) fear of dark water
- • Has fallen out/off of a moving vehicle twice
- • Has never been to a concert
Darren Shan
(Zom-B, Cirque du Freak Series, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, The Demonata Series, The Thin Executioner)
- • Finished his first (unpublished) novel at the age of 17
- • Owns over 4,000 movies
- • Was born with the name Darren O’Shaughnessy
- • Is Irish…clearly
Kirsten Smith
(Trinkets)
- • Is a really successful screenwriter with credits for Legally Blonde and 10 Things I Hate About You
- • Attended NYU’s undergraduate film program
- • Her friends call her “Kiwi”
- • Favorite poems include “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Elliot and “Casabianca” by Elizabeth Bishop
Margaret Stohl
(The Beautiful Creatures Novels)
- • Compulsively listens to Spring Awakening when she writes
- • Has a beagle named Zelda, after the video game
- • Is a hardcore Gleek
- • Thinks Veronica Mars is better than Nancy Drew
Laini Taylor
(Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Days of Blood and Starlight)
- • Has an ah-dorable three-year-old munchkin who goes by the name of Clementine Pie
- • Lists breakfast foods, mangoes, and chocolate as three of her favorite things
- • Lists cake stands, tablecloths, and old houses as three of her other favorite things
- • Has pink hair