AMY SHEARN is the author of five critically acclaimed novels, including How Far is the Ocean from Here, Unseen City, The Mermaid of Brooklyn, and her most recent, Animal Instinct (G.P. Putnam’s Sons). Her work has appeared in The New York Times; Slate; Real Simple; Martha Stewart Living; O, The Oprah Magazine; and many other publications. Shearn has an MFA from the University of Minnesota and lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she teaches writing, works individually with writers, and runs writing retreats.