Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys hails from Lithuania but was born and raised in Michigan, in a family environment where everyone loved art, reading, and music. She studied in Paris, where she lived for a few years before moving to Los Angeles to work in the music industry. She continued to move frequently from city to city until she married her husband—though as a child, she dreamed of marrying Roald Dahl. She taught at the university, continued working in the music industry, and eventually began writing stories. "Between Shades of Gray" is her first novel and is based on the true adventure her father experienced as a child.