Nicole Austen is a 19-year-old writer from Los Angeles. A lifelong love of animals and fantasy inspired her to begin writing Black Magic when she was thirteen years old, a draft of which won a National Scholastic silver medal for novel writing in 2019. Black Magic will be published by Month9Books in 2022. Besides writing, Nicole loves hiking, playing piano, and spending time with her family and dog. She currently attends college in Boston.