Chris Cander is the USA Today-bestselling author of A GRACIOUS NEIGHBOR, THE WEIGHT OF A PIANO, which was named an Indie Next Great Read in both hardcover and paperback and which the New York Times called, "immense, intense and imaginative,” WHISPER HOLLOW, also named an Indie Next Great Read, and 11 STORIES, named by Kirkus as one of the best books of 2013 and winner of the Independent Publisher Book Awards for fiction. She also wrote the children’s picture book THE WORD BURGLAR, and the Audible Originals “Eddies” and “Grieving Conversations.” Her new novel is THE YOUNG OF OTHER ANIMALS, out now. Cander’s fiction has been published in twelve languages. For seven years, she served as a writer-in-residence for Houston-based Writers in The Schools, teaching creative writing to children. A passionate advocate for the literary arts, she serves on the Inprint Houston advisory board and stewards several Little Free Libraries in her community. A former fitness competitor and model, she currently holds a 4th dan in taekwondo and is a certified women’s defensive tactics instructor. She lives in Houston with her husband and two young adult children.