The "Short" Version:

Erin L. Schneider is native to the Pacific Northwest, attended college in Honolulu, and - although Hawaiian - should never be allowed on a surfboard. With more than twenty years in corporate merchandising, she's now a full-time writer living in Seattle with her husband, Neal; their two boys, Kellan and Kasen; and two crazy cats, Ono and Poke. She's a member of both the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and SCBWI, and is also co-founder of the YA Buccaneers.

SUMMER OF SLOANE is her debut novel, which released on May 3, 2016 from Disney-Hyperion | HyperionTeens. 

Erin is represented by literary agent Lisa Grubka of Fletcher & Company.

The "Long" Version:

I was born and raised just outside of Seattle, Washington, and by the time I was six years old, I'd read every Roald Dahl book I could get my hands on. To date, he is still one of my all-time favorite authors - and it's because of him, the far away make-believe worlds I created were ever put into words on paper. 

I love sushi, chocolate, French fries, Haagen Dazs Chocolate-Chocolate Chip ice cream, and Haribo gummi bears (but only the red and the green ones) -- although preferably not all at once. I love to read, shop, travel, run, CrossFit, ski, and golf -- and am a huge fan of NCAA March Madness. 

I attended Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, Hawaii, where I studied international business and pre-law. After school, I moved back home to Seattle, where I put my passion for writing on hold and spent eleven years in fashion apparel merchandising at Eddie Bauer, more than six years in marketing merchandising at T-Mobile, and some time at Microsoft, managing the visual merchandising for all of their retail stores.

But now? After all these years, I've decided to really focus back on my passion for writing -- and I'm so glad I did...

I'm represented by literary agent Lisa Grubka of Fletcher & Company and my YA Contemporary debut, SUMMER OF SLOANE, was published by Disney-Hyperion | HyperionTeens in book stores everywhere on May 3, 2016. You can read all about my agent and publishing journey here and here. 

My genre of choice is Young Adult and I absolutely love reading and writing for teens. Honestly, I can't think of anything better than going back to a time in my life, when there was nothing more exciting than being asked to Homecoming, falling in love for the first time, and Friday night football games. 

I'm an active member of both the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association (PNWA) and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I currently live outside of Seattle, with my husband, our two boys, and two crazy cats.