Kathryn Erskine (kathyerskine.com) grew up in Europe, Africa, Canada, and the United States, and was a lawyer before she figured out she wanted to become a writer. She takes inspiration from the world around her and from her personal experiences, including her childhood attending eight different schools. She won the National Book Award for Mockingbird and most recently published a picture book called Mama Africa, about Miriam Makeba. You can follow her on Twitter @kathyerskine.