Shawn Samuelson Henry grew up in Hanover, New Hampshire. After earning degrees from Bucknell University, Harvard University and the University of Wyoming, Shawn taught English to teenagers for more than a decade. As a children's librarian, she wrote her first middle-grade novel about a blood-doping scandal at the winter Olympics solely for the purpose of entertaining her students. Shawn is an avid playwright whose plays have won competitions and been produced across the United States and Canada. Shawn currently lives in Davidson, North Carolina, with her husband and three children.