For thirteen years, Amanda LaPera grew up in the small rural community of Lake Los Angeles, where, much like her characters, she was disappointed to learn there wasn't a lake and everything she planted died. She and her friends survived, buoyed by resilience and determination. Now her hobbies include watching hummingbirds in her yard surrounded by trees, playing board games with her husband, taunting her sons, and appeasing her dogs. She has sworn off succulents, because she believes they belong in the desert. Amanda LaPera is a national award-winning author. Her book, Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family's Search for Hope, won a Silver IBPA Award, was a BookLife Prize quarter finalist and a Readers' Favorite Awards finalist. Her sequel Finding Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: An End to the Search was a finalist in the IAN Book of the Year Awards. She teaches English and is a member of the California Writers Club and the Southern California Writers Association.

She is working on her Desert of Dreams young adult series, set during the 1980s and 90s in the California High Desert. To be notified of new releases and special deals, sign up for her newsletter at www.amandalapera.com.