Ariel Kaplan grew up out­side Wash­ing­ton, D.C., and spent most of her child­hood read­ing fairy tales and mythol­o­gy before set­tling on a deep love for Jew­ish folk­lore. She began study­ing the his­to­ry of medieval Spain and the Con­viven­cia while work­ing on a Mon­roe Schol­ar project at the Col­lege of William & Mary, where she grad­u­at­ed with a degree in His­to­ry and Reli­gious Stud­ies. She is the author of sev­er­al books for younger read­ers. The Pome­gran­ate Gate is her first fan­ta­sy novel.