“And when I wake up it's wonderful, like I've been carried quietly onto a calm, peaceful shore, and the dream, and its meaning, has broken over me like a wave and is ebbing away now, leaving me with a single, solid certainty. I know now.”

Lauren Oliver is an American novelist and screenwriter. She gained recognition for her YA fantasy series *The Shadow Children*, which explores themes of family, identity, and hidden worlds. Her work blends intricate world-building with emotional depth, appealing to both young and adult readers.