Sarah Dessen

Biography
Sarah Dessen is one of the most popular authors for Young Adult literature. She has written twelve books since her first book That Summer was released in 1996. The 2003 movie How To Deal starring Mandy Moore was based on Sarah's first 2 books; That Summer and Someone Like You.

Dessen was born in Evanston, Illinois on June 6, 1970. She currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband, Jay, their daughter, Sasha Clementine, and their family dogs. After leaving Greensboro College she began taking classes at the University of North Carolina where she graduated with honors. Dessen was a waitress while writing That Summer, which in turn helped launch her writing career. After the release of Dreamland, Dessen accepted a position as a teacher for the Creative Writing program at her alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill where she taught for many years before she left to become a full time author.