Kristin Cashore, the second of four daughters, grew raised in the hills of northern Pennsylvania. She has worked as a dog runner, a candy factory packer, an editing assistant, a legal assistant, and a freelance writer. She has a bachelor's degree from Williams College and a master's degree from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College. She has lived in a variety of locations, including Sydney, New York City, Boston, London, Austin, and Jacksonville, Florida, and she is currently based in Boston. Graceling and Fire, two of her internationally best-selling novels, have gotten numerous starred reviews. ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, Booklist Editors' Picks, an Andre Norton Prize Finalist (Graceling), and the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award winner (Fire) are among their honors and distinctions. Kristin Cashore can be found at kristincashore.blogspot.com and @kristincashore on Twitter.