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Celebrating SPIRIT’S KEY’s launch day with my pup Leia

Edith Cohn was born and raised in North Carolina where she grew up exploring the unique beaches of the Outer Banks. This provided inspiration for her debut middle grade novel, SPIRIT’S KEY, a mystery novel about a girl, her ghost dog, and a remote island filled with superstitious characters. Edith currently lives and writes in Los Angeles.

All about me, the longer version:

Edith and her NYC critique group, The Ladybugs

I was born and raised in North Carolina. As a child I spent many Saturdays at the library and most of my allowance on books. I read books in series like Sweet Valley High and the Babysitters Club. I loved Katherine Paterson, Susan Beth Pfeffer and Christopher Pike. In seventh grade, I read Lord of the Flies and realized books could teach about the human condition. It blew my mind.

I grew up writing stories, and after college, I was able to further hone my storytelling foundation in Hollywood. I read movie scripts for Witt-Thomas Films, a Warner Brothers production company in Los Angeles. I was able to work with writers, study story structure and write coverage on screenplays such as Three Kings and Insomnia.

Novels were my real passion, so I left Hollywood for North Carolina (again) where I began to study how to write them. I was able to take a class with New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Dessen. My education continued in New York City with young adult novelist Kate Morgenroth, and I have since taken classes with talented authors, Kristin Harmel and Nova Ren Suma.

Edith and her LA critique group, The Pudding Sisters

I further explored my passion for children’s literature when I became a New York City Teaching Fellow, obtaining a Masters in English Education from Fordham University while teaching 7th grade in the south Bronx. For several years, I read children’s books, developed lesson plans and got to know my students.

My first novel SPIRIT’S KEY was published by FSG/ Macmillan.