I was born in Illinois, but all the life I remember I've spent in Chapel Hill, NC. My parents were both professors at the University of North Carolina. I've been writing, in one way or another, for as long as I can remember. I was always a big reader, mostly because my parents were. In high school, I was lucky enough to have a big group of girlfriends that have really inspired a lot of the stories in my books. I'm still close with my friends from that time, so it's never very hard to put myself back into that place, that voice. I attended college at UNC, where I studied creative writing and graduated with a degree in English. Three years after graduating, I sold my first book, That Summer. Now, I've published seven books, all for young adults, which you can find more about on my website.