Lau­rie Schnei­der grew up in cen­tral Wis­con­sin, not far from where Git­tel is set. A self-avowed kidlit nerd, heron spot­ter, and library lover, she lives in Nor­man, Okla­homa, with her part­ner and two very good cats. When not work­ing at the library (or scop­ing out the lat­est cof­fee shop), she can be found stalk­ing tur­tles and herons at the neigh­bor­hood pond, cam­era in hand.