Sarah Dessen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels for teens, which have received several awards and positive reviews, selling millions of copies worldwide. Dessen grew up as a shy and introverted teenager, her parents were both professors at University of North Carolina, teaching Shakespearean literature and classics. Dessen herself graduated from the University of North Carolina in Creative Writing. She worked as a waitress before launching her writing career, writing during the day and working at night. She later went on to quit her job as a waitress after her first book, That Summer, was published in 1996. Dessen was awarded the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for outstanding contribution to young adult literature for her novels: Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and What Happened to Goodbye. She currently lives in Chapel Hill with her family.