Kat Higgs-Coulthard is a graduate of University of Nebraska at Omaha and the author of Junkyard Dogs, described by Kirkus as  "A mean-streets-style tale raw in language and feeling alike . . .visceral."  Her work has appeared in Cleaver, Women on Writing, and School Library Journal. She is an associate professor of Education at Saint Mary’s College and Director of Michiana Writers' Center. She lives in Niles, Michigan.