Katy L. Wood is a queer author and illustrator who lives in varying areas of Colorado where she was born and raised. She writes adult and YA novels as well as writing and illustrating comics. Katy is known for her thrilling survival and fantasy stories, deep connections to the history and present of the west, and profoundly real and complex characters.The majority of her childhood was being handed a bear whistle, pushed out the door into the forest, and told to be back for dinner. Occasionally she would have cousins with her, occasionally she'd be alone. There were many adventures to creepy abandoned trailers with bones in the front yard (which she learned as an adult were not actually abandoned, making them ten times creepier), up creeks while making rudimentary maps, and into old mineshafts. Honestly, it is probably a miracle she survived to adulthood. She is now taking bets on if she'll make it to middle age, given that her habits have not changed the slightest.Outside of her art and writing-though it frequently bleeds in-Katy has long been interested in the sociology and psychology behind how humans react to natural and manmade disasters. She currently works for the Forest Service as a Wildland Fire Dispatcher and Prevention Education Team Member (which means she helps educate the public on how to prevent wildfires!), as well as speaking at conferences about the importance of well developed visual assets in all aspects of emergency management.