"I always felt like the 'ugly girl' in high school, so when I was introduced to the word during my senior year, I knew I was the Duff. The idea of writing a book with DUFF as the title started as a joke, but when I realized that my friends felt like Duffs, too, I knew I had to write this story!"
   —Kody Keplinger on her inspiration for THE DUFF, her debut novel

Kody was born and raised in rural western Kentucky, where she attended high school and began writing her first long pieces of fiction. Kody wrote THE DUFF during her senior year at McLean County High School.

Kody is now twenty and lives in New York City, where she continues to write YA novels. SHUT OUT, her second novel, will be out in September 2011 and another, A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE, due in 2012.

She loves books, Converse tennis shoes, New York City, and popular TV teen dramas. When she isn't writing, she's spending time with her friends and exploring New York City.

Kody is a contributor to the writing blog YA Highway and a member of the contemporary, realistic YA fiction group The Contemps.

You can also follow Kody on Twitter.