Wendy Lewkowicz grew up in Troutville, Virginia, and attained a degree in Middle Grades Education from Appalachian State University. Upon completing her degree, she went to work as a seventh grade English teacher at LaVega Junior High School in Waco, Texas. Her students’ lives were the inspiration for this novel and gave her so many more stories to fill pages for a lifetime. After leaving Waco, she moved with her husband and son to Wise, Virginia where she invested her time in writing and mentoring college students at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. In addition to her husband, the young adults in her life provided encouragement throughout the course of writing The Girl Who Almost Had It All.