About Summer

Summer lives in North Texas with her charming husband, three hilarious kids, a fluffy kitty, and a big yellow dog. Before spinning tales about mutant mushrooms, she once worked as a science reporter for her university’s newspaper, where she wrote on topics like nanotech tweezers, poultry farm pollution, and the nighttime habits of spiders and snakes.

For fun, she enjoys exploring new places with the family, playing tennis, and dreaming up ideas for her next book.

On Writing 

Summer’s always been a daydreamer and still remembers sitting in her second-grade classroom, imagining she was a My Little Pony who could fly out the window to fantasy worlds filled with make-believe friends. As she got older, her daydreams grew up but they didn’t vanish. She’d tell herself all sorts of stories with a cast of ever-changing characters. In college, she majored in Journalism and worked as a writer in a variety of roles. That experience helped her learn the nuts and bolts of writing, but her favorite part of storytelling is still the imagining. Sprouting wings and flying to worlds unknown.

Summer’s first novel, The Mutant Mushroom Takeover, is out now from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.