[close] Margaret Peterson Haddix was born near Washington Court House, Ohio, and grew up on a farm there. She received a B.A. in creative writing and journalism from Miami University in 1986. She worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; as a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and as a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois. Haddix and her husband, Doug, a newspaper editor, now live in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, with their two children, Meredith and Connor. [close]