Shade Lapite is British–Nigerian and has drawn on her heritage to create the world of her debut novel. She spent a significant slice of her childhood nestled in the library, inhaling books by Diana Wynne Jones, Tamora Pierce, Lois Duncan and Mildred D Taylor. Her love for the arts led her to a degree in Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London. She now lives in Toronto and juggles writing with her career in digital marketing. Her blog, Coffee Bookshelves, celebrates writing and promotes titles by authors of colour. You can find her fangirling over Korean dramas on Twitter @TheShadyFiles or sharing her favourite books on Instagram @shadelapite.