34-year-old Leslye Walton (Seattle, Washington) was born in the Pacific Northwest, which might explain why Walton draws her inspiration from long walks in the rain. Her debut novel, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, once began as a short story and was inspired by a picture of her then 11-year-old sister, running around in a large white t-shirt that billowed out behind her as if she had wings. Ava Lavender’s story emerged from there, resulting in a publication at Candlewick Press in 2014. Walton has an MA in Writing and – when not writing – she is giving middle school students lessons in reading and writing. Walton is currently working on her second novel.

Photo: © Eric Grace