What do you write?

I write science fiction and fantasy for teenagers and adults.

What’s your favorite book?

There are so many, but if I had to recommend a book to someone who I know hasn’t read it, I always tell people to try World War Z (the book! The movie is terrible). It’s the most brilliant thing ever written about zombies.

Are you really Hispanic?

Yes. I am 50% Cuban (my mother emigrated when she was about 4 years old). I have my Scottish heritage to thank for the vampire coloring, but I can eat my tostones inside, thank you very much.

Wait, you worked in a morgue?

Technically I didn’t work there because it was an internship and I wasn’t getting paid. But I spent six months as an assistant to the Chief Medical Examiner in Vermont. I always win gross-out contests.