Stephanie Cotela holds a BA in art history from San Diego State University and MA in the history of art from University of London, Birkbeck College. She's worked in arts institutions in both the US and UK. Originally from New York, she's been living in and around London for nearly two decades and considers herself a native (although her American accent gives her away). Her two sons and large orange cat provide plenty of material and inspiration for the fiction she writes including everything from picture books about polar bears and middle grade ghost stories to young adult and adult crime thrillers. In her spare time she enjoys strolling the Thames riverbank, visiting historic houses (preferably those which are notably haunted) and museums, collecting (and reading) classic ghost stories and hanging out with her boys.