Katie Melrose was born and raised along the Southern Californian coast where her love for art and reading was cultivated at a young age by her parents. After graduating with a BFA in illustration from California State University of Fullerton, she quickly delved into illustrating books. Katie is extremely bookish, getting through more than 100 books a year (shout out to audio books!). You'll mostly find her with a brush, but when she's without, she'll be in the kitchen, cooking up a storm and pretending she's a chef – perhaps her second greatest passion in life after illustration.