The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall,

Katie Alender grew up in South Florida, where she attended high school at the Palm Beach County School of the Arts, studying Communication Arts. After graduating, she studied film at the Florida State University Film School, and then moved to Los Angeles, where she worked in TV development and production for several years, including a long stint producing dog shows for Animal Planet.

In her spare time, she enjoys writing, reading, gardening, sewing, cooking, playing board games, and hanging out with her family.

Her first brush with publication was in high school, when her article “So You Want to Live On Mars?” was published in Sassy magazine. In 2009, her first book, BAD GIRLS DON’T DIE, was published by Hyperion, followed by two sequels, FROM BAD TO CURSED (2011) and AS DEAD AS IT GETS (2012). She then published three books with Scholastic, Inc.: MARIE ANTOINETTE, SERIAL KILLER (2013), FAMOUS LAST WORDS (2014), and THE DEAD GIRLS OF HYSTERIA HALL (2015). In 2020, she published THE COMPANION for Penguin. In spring of 2021, THE COMPANION won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel.

She is represented by Matthew Elblonk of DeFiore and Company and is a member of SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), MWA (Mystery Writers of America) and ITW (International Thriller Writers).

She does not like scary books or movies, but apparently the books she writes are considered scary by many people. She is also a huuuuge fan of talking about herself in the third person.

https://www.katiealender.com/