Kristine has spent her entire career as a storyteller. Before she began writing young adult novels full-time, Kristine spent 15+ years as a Marketing Leader where she shaped, launched, and managed a diverse range of world-class brands. She has a Masters in Business from the University of Michigan where she met her husband. They reside in Chicago, IL, along with Kristine’s editorial supervisor, her puppy Romeo. She is a member of SCBWI, Sisters in Crime, and MWA. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter at @Type_YA_Writer.

I began writing six years ago after a family genealogy project inspired my first YA novel, HEAR THE CHILDREN, a dual-timeline thriller based on early American folklore. That novel is fully outlined and will sit in a box until I can travel to New Orleans and Belgium to finish my research (and until I can beg Aaron Mahnke, the creator of LORE, to partner with me to make it a series).

My second YA novel, CHASING SHADOWS, is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age romance about two morally compromised teens’ journeys to emerge together from the shadows of their separate indiscretions. It is fully edited and marinating in another box. My *very* small storage cage is becoming mostly populated with unpublished manuscripts…

OBITS, my current work-in-progress, is a YA revenge thriller. Think YA RAZORBLADE TEARS x FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Get ready for OBITS if you love:

• Small towns that are a cross between Rosewood and Dillon
• High school football literally on steroids
• A Boho girl with a mysterious past
• A “reformed” teen felon who may or may not renew a failed childhood pact
• Their star-crossed romance anchored by a macabre school assignment
• Bad guys in a barn
• Lots and lots of obituaries

Early praise for OBITS:

• WINNER: First-Page Contest, SCBWI-IL Prairie Writers and Illustrators Conference
• WINNER: First-Page Contest, University of WI Writers Institute
• SELECTED: Midwest Review, as a prize for the Writers Institute win
• WINNER: First Line Contest, ThrillerFest