Maureen Johnson was crowned the 2012 Queen of Teen in the UK - but, as it turns out, she is American. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during a massive snowstorm. After a little dalliance with astronomy (she had a glow-in-the-dark star chart) and archaeology (she had a little shovel), Maureen declared her intention to become a writer at the age of eight or nine or so. She is a New York Times bestselling author of ten YA novels, including SUITE SCARLETT, SCARLETT FEVER, THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD, 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES, THE NAME OF THE STAR and THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH. She has also written many collaborative works, such as LET IT SNOW (with John Green and Lauren Myracle), and THE BANE CHRONICLES (with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan). She writes frequently on the subject of Young Adult literature for many publications, and is well-known for her presence on Twitter (@maureenjohnson). Maureen lives in New York, and online on Twitter (or at www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com), and was selected to represent the YA category for World Book Day 2014 with her short story THE BOY IN THE SMOKE.