Meredith Ann Pierce is a recognized and well-known author among fans of the young adult fantasy genre and the cross-over adult market. The Darkangel, her very first book, was an ALA Best Book, a New York Times Notable Children's Book, a Parent's Choice Award Superbook, a Booklist Best Book of the Decade, and was honored with the IRA's annual Children's Book Award and the California Young Reader Medal. She has received the Jane Tinkam Broughton Fellowship in Writing for children from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and an Individual Artist Fellowship Special Award for Children's Literature by the Florida Department of State's Division of Cultural Affairs. She currently resides in Florida.