Jill Santopolo was, herself, a student at Columbia University on September 11, 2001. Since then she has received an MFA in fiction writing and made a name for herself in the world of children's and young adult literature. Her two Alec Flint mysteries, published by Scholastic, have sold more than 100,000 copies, her Sparkle Spa series, published by Simon & Schuster, was extended from a four-book to a ten-book series, and her Follow Your Heart books, a duet of choose-your-own-romance novels were highly praised. Jill is also the Editorial Director of Philomel Books and an adjunct professor in The New School's MFA program and has traveled across the U.S.--and to Canada and Europe--to speak about writing and storytelling.