KELLY QUINDLEN

Hi there! I’m the bestselling author of the young adult novels She Drives Me Crazy, Late to the Party, and Her Name in the Sky, which have cumulatively sold 200,000+ copies worldwide. 

She Drives Me Crazy was a 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards nominee and the 2022-23 winner of the Volunteer State Book Award. SDMC is my most popular work and has been published internationally in the UK, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Russia, and Poland.

Late to the Party holds a special place in my heart as the book that led to my Macmillan deal. In 2023, it was featured in The New York Times.

Her Name in the Sky is my dearest work, as it was borne from my personal coming out journey. I self-published HNITS in 2014 and it has since sold 40,000+ copies worldwide. The film rights are currently optioned by a Disney Launchpad writer/director. To me, the most remarkable thing about HNITS’ success is that it was fueled by word-of-mouth marketing in the queer community.  

A bit more about me…

  • I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was six years old, when I wrote a riveting tale about the Easter Bunny in Mrs. Miller’s first-grade class. I grew up to study English Literature and American Studies at Vanderbilt University, taught two years of sixth-grade math with Teach for America, and self-published my first book (HNITS) while working for an airport restaurants company.

  • I currently serve on the leadership board of a non-profit for Catholic parents with LGBTQ children. I also organize retreats and safe spaces for Catholic LGBTQ teens. You can read more here.

  • I believe deeply that young people deserve to see themselves reflected on the page and I want my books to feel like a sanctuary for queer teens. If you’re looking for more information about queer books, I recommend checking out LGBTQ Reads and We Need Diverse Books.

  • I grew up living in various places: Rochester, New York; Tokyo, Japan; Singapore; and Atlanta. After college, I spent two years teaching in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before I settled back in Atlanta, where I currently live and work. I love discovering new cities and creating a sense of place in my novels.

If you want to learn more about me, you can follow me on Tumblr, where I post extra tidbits about my books and passions.