Sarah Addison Allen

Sarah Addison Allen is an American novelist known for blending Southern settings with gentle, whimsical magic. Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, she studied literature at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Her 2007 debut, Garden Spells, introduced the Waverley family and their enchanted apple tree, becoming a New York Times bestseller and launching a series continued in First Frost (2015) and other Waverley novels. She has also written standalone titles such as The Girl Who Chased the Moon (2010) and Other Birds (2022). In 2011, Allen was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer; after recovering, she returned to writing with Lost Lake (2014). She has also published under the pen name Katie Gallagher.