MAX GORDON’s grandmother was the librarian in their tiny upstate New York town, and never restricted Max to kiddie books: if she could reach it, she could read it. Inspired by what she read, and by the desire to share a shelf with her favorite authors, Max probably wrote and illustrated her first story the day she learned to hold a crayon—and she’s been scribbling ever since. After earning a master’s degree in writing and publishing from USC, she worked in publishing, typesetting, marketing, design, and procrastinating, but has never stopped being a writer. She has one son (the light of her life) and a partner (the soundtrack of her life), and lives contentedly wherever there’s waterfront, WiFi, and great coffee.