Melanie Benjamin is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling historical novels The Swans of Fifth Avenue, about Truman Capote and his society swans, The Aviator’s Wife, a novel about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and Mistress of the Ritz, based on the true story of the American woman who ran the Ritz during World War II, catering to the Nazi occupiers by day while working for the Resistance by night. Her latest novel, California Golden, is about two sisters navigating the thrilling early days of the California surfing culture.

Her novels have been translated in over fifteen languages, featured in national magazines such as Good Housekeeping, People, and Entertainment Weekly, and optioned for film. Melanie Benjamin lives in Chicago with her husband. In addition to writing, she puts her theatrical training to good use by being a member of the Authors Unbound Speakers Bureau. When she isn’t writing or speaking, she’s reading. And always looking for new stories to tell.