Raised on a tiny, New England peninsula, J. Dylan Yates graduated with a BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. THE BELIEF IN Angels, Yates' debut novel, was written over the course of many years while she worked several BFA-related jobs, including waitressing, teaching, corporate training, real estate, nursing, interior design, directing, acting, library science, parenting, and reluctant housewifery. Yates’s next novel in this series, SZAJA'S STORY, focused on the character created in THE BELIEF IN Angels, details Szaja's harrowing journey to America from the Ukrainian orchards of his childhood, the desperate Ukrainian refugee work camps of the ’20s, his amazing survival of both the Majdanek death camp and the torpedoing of refugees aboard the Mefkura, and his fascinating experiences in the post-war Parisian couture houses. Yates worked with Boulder County’s Voices for Children program as a CASA volunteer for 15 years and with Girls Rising as a mentor. Dylan is a member of the Women's National Book Association of Los Angeles. She is married and lives in San Diego. Dylan's book awards include: Theodor S. Geisel Award Winner 2015 San Diego Book Award Winner for General Fiction 2015 IPPY Award Winner for Young Adult Fiction 2015 USA Best Book Award Winner for Cross Genre Fiction 2014 Indie Excellence Award Finalist for Literary Fiction 2015 IAN Award Winner 2018 Wishing Shelf Award Finalist 2018 Find & Follow J. Dylan Yates online: jdylanyates.com twitter.com/jdylanyates facebook.com/authorjdylanyates For press, TV, or book club info, contact: CheneryPress@gmail.com