The Monster in Me

Middle-grades author Mette Ivie Harrison has known since she was in kindergarten that she wanted to be a writer. As she told SATA, her dream got another boost at age eleven, when her older sister married picture book writer Rick Walton, who gave her tips on writing and being published. Harrison even sent a book off to a publishing company when she was in tenth grade. It was not accepted, but in their rejection letter, the company encouraged her to send more works. However, Harrison's father encouraged her to find a "real job" because he did not think that writing was a stable enough career. Not until the grown-up Harrison started questioning her "real job" did she finally decide to try again to become a published writer.She got a PhD in German Literature at Princeton University, taught for four years, and then--I got my first story published, and quit. She now lives in Utah with her husband and 5 children, ages 5 to 14. She writes during nap time, or at 4 in the morning, or while the broccoli for dinner is burning. She loves to write the kind of books that she loves to read. She also do some racing in triathlon.Mette Ivie Harrison is the author of 'The Monster in Me' with ISBN 9780823417131 and ISBN 0823417131.