Amanda Hays Blasko is from Allen, Texas. Yes, she was in the famed marching band, although she could never master the skill of walking and playing at the same time. In 2016, she attended the Sewanee Young Writers' Conference, where, to the best of her knowledge, she was the only public school kid there. She received her Master of Fine Arts from Oklahoma State University and is currently at work on a short story collection. She lives and writes in Oklahoma City with her husband and two dogs.