Harlan Margaret Van Cao grew up in Virginia in the Williamsburg and DC area. She wants to be a film writer/actress. She attends UCLA and studies psychology. She was published by Penguin between the ages of fifteen and seventeen. She is currently promoting her memoir, working on a second book, and working as an executive assistant for Maya Soetoro-Ng, a peace educator at the Obama Foundation. Her passions include animal rights, fashion design, and film.