Crystal Hubbard was reared in the American Midwest, where she began her writing career in her seventh-grade French class at Busch Junior High School for Gifted Students. A former Boston newspaper reporter and sports copy editor, she is an award-winning author of more than twenty picture books, contemporary and historical romance novels, short stories, and educational works. Her first picture book, Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream, received the American Library Association's 2006 Amelia Bloomer Project Award. The mother of four children aged 10 to 20, Hubbard volunteers in classrooms, conducting reading and writing workshops and composing grant proposals for schools and teachers. She is a dedicated advocate for United States veterans and active troops, and she campaigns every holiday season for the Marines Toys for Tots Foundation. Her hobbies include reading, sewing, cooking, traveling, boxing, hiking, and cake decorating. A Twist of Hate is a companion novel to Alive and Unharmed and Million Dollar Girl.