From Mari's website:

Mari Mancusi used to wish she could become a vampire back in high school...

But she ended up in another blood sucking profession --journalism -- instead. Today she works as an author of books for teens. When not writing about creatures of the night, Mari enjoys traveling, cooking, goth clubbing, watching cheesy horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure--videogames. A graduate of Boston University and a two time Emmy Award winner, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon and dog Mesquite.