If you’re looking for my official author bio and headshot, they can be found at the bottom of this page.

Hi! I’m Stephanie Morrill, and I’m the author of 12+ books, most of which are young adult novels. I live in the Kansas City area with my husband, our three kids, and a dog. I love to travel and I often spend dinner time refereeing arguments between kids about which is better, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Percy Jackson. I’m possibly addicted to audiobooks, and I’m definitely addicted to iced coffee.

Here are questions I’m frequently asked:

How did you become a writer?

By making lots of mistakes!

I wanted to write novels since first grade, and I was fortunate enough to be raised by parents who loved to read and who instilled in me a belief that there was no reason why I shouldn’t pursue that dream.

I started sending out manuscripts to publishers when I was in high school, even though my book was probably too short to be classified as a novel, and I didn’t even know what genre I wrote! When I discovered that big publishers primarily only look at manuscripts if they were submitted by a literary agent, then I started submitting to agents instead. When I sent my initial query letters, I truly believed that I had invented the genre young adult fiction. I wish I was joking.

I spent a lot of time writing books that didn’t work, figuring out why they didn’t work, and then trying again. I went to writers conferences, made friends with other writers, and pitched my stories to editors who were not at all interested. I subscribed to Writer’s Digest. I read Stephen King’s On Writing and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Donald Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel.

And eventually making mistakes, learning from them, and trying again paid off and I ended up with an agent and a three-book contract for a contemporary YA series all within a few months of each other. That was in 2008 and I’ve been a working writer ever since!

What are your favorite books?

 I have so many books that I love!

• I adore the Harry Potter series and reread these every couple years. I read them to each of my kids, I’ve been to Wizarding World twice, and I cook dinner many nights while wearing a Ravenclaw apron.
• The Expanse series. Normally not a sci-fi person, but I can’t get enough of these books!
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
• The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer

I also have a handful of nonfiction books that I love and reread regularly:

•  Atomic Habits by James Clear (There’s a reason this is a mega bestseller!)
• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

And my favorite books for writers are:

• Save the Cat Writes A Novel by Jessica Brody
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Happy Writer by Marissa Meyer
• Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

(And this is why I freeze when anybody asks me, “What’s your favorite book?” or “Who is your favorite author?” because I need about 15 minutes to answer that question!) 

When is your next book coming out?

 Here are 4 ways to stay in the loop with my upcoming releases:

Join my email list. They get the news first!

Follow me on Amazon.com. Whenever a new book of mine is added to their site (or sometimes when it goes on sale!) they will email you and tell you.

Follow me on Bookbub. If you’re signed up for Bookbub (which is also a great way to find out about ebook and audio deals) they will let you know when I have a new release coming.

Follow me on Instagram. This is the only social media site I’m on regularly.

My official author bio 

Stephanie Morrill writes books about girls who are on an adventure to discover their unique place in the world. She is the author of several historical young adult novels, including the Piper Sail Mysteries and Within These Lines, which was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, as well as a YALSA 2020 Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Stephanie also encourages the next generation of writers at her website, GoTeenWriters.com, which has been on the Writer’s Digest Best Websites for Writers list since 2017. She lives in the Kansas City area, where she loves plotting big and small adventures to enjoy with her husband and three children. You can connect with Stephanie and learn more about her books at StephanieMorrill.com.