Sarah Addison Allen

Description: Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, Allen attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville and graduated with a degree in literature. After graduation, her big break occurred in 2007 with the publication of her first mainstream novel, Garden Spells, a modern-day fairy tale about an enchanted apple tree and the family of North Carolina women who tend it. Booklist called Sarah's accomplished debut "spellbindingly charming." The novel became a Barnes & Noble Recommends selection and a New York Times bestseller.

Profession: American author