Emmy Laybourne is a highly acclaimed American author, best known for her work in young adult novels. She has written the popular Monument 14 series, which has won several awards including the Junior Library Guild Award, YALSA Quick Pick, and a Perfect Ten rating from VOYA. Prior to becoming a novelist, Laybourne was a character actress and has appeared in several critically acclaimed movies such as Nancy Drew, Lucky Numbers, and the In-Laws. She was also a regular on DAG, an NBC sitcom and performed on various original comedy shows on MTV, Comedy Central, and VH1.
Laybourne's career as a writer began with playwriting, and her first play, Miss Alphabet City Beauty Pageant, received widespread positive reviews. The play was later adapted into a feature film, Superstar, in which Laybourne also starred. As a novelist, Laybourne has written several books, including Sweet, which won a Junior Library Guild Award, was a YALSA Quick Pick, and received a Perfect Ten rating from VOYA. Her latest books, Berserker and Ransacker, tell the story of a family of Norwegian teens with ancient Viking powers and are currently being adapted for television. Laybourne currently lives outside New York City with her husband, two kids, a dog, and several chickens.