Gloria Chao is a Taiwanese-American author who has gained recognition for her fiction books aimed at a younger audience, with protagonists who are teenage Taiwanese-American girls. Her works include "American Panda," "Our Wayward Fate," "Rent a Boyfriend," and "When You Wish Upon a Lantern."
Before becoming an author, Chao pursued a career in dentistry, graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She worked as a dentist for a time but decided to switch careers around 2013, choosing to leave dentistry to become a writer. Chao has spoken about the challenges of this transition, citing the uncertainty and the effort she had put into her education and career. However, she now enjoys spending her days immersed in fictional characters' worlds rather than working with real people's mouths.
In addition to her writing, Chao is also an avid curler and, along with her husband, is world-ranked in mixed doubles. She invites readers to visit her online at GloriaChao.Wordpress.com and connect with her on Twitter and Instagram, where she can be found as @GloriacChao.