Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Neal Shusterman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and spent much of his childhood reading. His parents moved the family to Mexico City when he was 16, which he today credits with giving him a new perspective on life and confidence he couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. He graduated from the American School Foundation in Mexico City and then earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and theater. Shusterman worked briefly for a Los Angeles-based talent agency after college and within a year of his hire, he’d landed his first book deal and began writing screenplays. Many of his books, most notably his 2015 novel Challenger Deep, have received honors and awards, and several are being adapted for film. He lives in southern California. His second son, Jarrod, has collaborated with him on several novels and novellas, including Dry and Roxy. Jarrod and his partner have also co-written books together, and they have also written for film and television.