Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater (born November 18, 1981) is an American writer of young-adult fiction, especially urban fantasy. She currently lives in Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Personal Life
Stiefvater was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia. After being home-schooled from sixth grade on, Maggie Stiefvater attended Mary Washington College, graduating with a B.A. in history. After graduating, she worked as a portrait artist, specializing in equestrian art, which is collected internationally. At 16, she legally changed her first name from Heidi to Margaret. She is married and has two children.

Career
Stiefvater published her first novel, Lament in 2008. Before Lament had been released, she sold the rights to Ballad, the sequel to Lament, and to Shiver. Shiver was embraced by independent booksellers and overseas publishers. The Shiver Trilogy spent more than 40 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. In 2010, Linger debuted at the number one spot on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Music
Stiefvater is also known for her music. She played the highland bagpipes competitively while in college, and began a Celtic band, Ballynoola, that toured on the eastern seaboard. She plays multiple other instruments as well. With her sister, Kate Hummel, she writes and records a piece of music for each novel she releases. These are released to the public in the form of animated book trailers. Stiefvater is also known for drawing on guitars with Sharpie (marker)s and giving them away to fans at major events.