“From its glorious first line to the final page, The Shadow Sister heralds an exciting and exquisite new voice. Lily Meade has arrived!” ― Angeline Boulley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter

Lily Meade writes real world issues through an extraordinary lens. She comes from a background of extreme poverty, something she prides herself on being transparent and vulnerably honest about. She has been homeless twice and still lives in housing insecurity. She believe stories have power and strives to live by the motto of a life inspired by fiction. She knows just how powerful hope can be when you’re on a difficult journey. She believes anyone can achieve their own happy ending, no matter how bleak things may currently seem.

The Shadow Sister is her debut young adult novel, but not her first foray into the writing community. Her YouTube channel on writing advice and inspiration, established in 2014, has over 3,700 subscribers. She has an active and engaged presence on social media, quick to interact with readers and never shy to hop on camera to share excitement and new career updates.

She has a Certificate in Editing from the University of Washington. Her work has been published in Bustle, Teen Vogue, and Publishers Weekly. She has been featured in Romper, Buzzfeed, and Rolling Stone. The Shadow Sister is a Locus Magazine Recommended Read, on the 2024 TAYSHAS Reading List, and was a Boston Globe Best Books for Summer 2023. Before it even sold, The Shadow Sister was a finalist for the Eleanor Taylor Bland award for emerging writers by Sisters In Crime.

Lily's Featured Titles

The Shadow Sister

Sourcebooks Fire |
Young Adult

Boston Globe Best Books for Summer 2023

*Featuring an exclusive case only available on the first print run!

“From its glorious first line to the final page, The Shadow Sister heralds an exciting and exquisite new voice. Lily Meade has arrived!” ―Angeline Boulley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter

Sometimes people are lost from you, no matter how much you wish they weren’t and before you can even begin to know how big of a hole they’ll leave behind.

Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. She knows Sutton is manipulative, meanwhile everyone paints a picture of her perfection. People don’t look for missing Black girls–or half-Black girls–without believing there is an angel to be saved.

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone―or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey and watch her goldfish swim for hours.

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth?

Perfect for fans of:

  • Ace of Spades and House of Hollow
  • Emotional suspense
  • Speculative fiction, including Hoodoo
  • Diverse books featuring strong female leads
  • Sister stories with complex family dynamics
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Your Family Folklore: How To Find The Magic In Your Past

A writing workshop and reading based on the speculative history elements in THE SHADOW SISTER novel. A short reading of a relevant chapter from the book, leading to a presentation on the historical and ancestral real life inspiration for the novel that gives various examples of how reality could be made extraordinary. Attendees are then given free-write time with the option of raising their hand for one-on-one advice. A sharing session and short Q & A can follow.

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The Home Again Narrative: How Media Would Report Your Disappearance

An interactive presentation based on “The Home Again Narrative” subplot in THE SHADOW SISTER novel, the idealized rules the main character’s mother insists the family follow to help bring their missing loved one home.
Media discrepancy in crime cases is discussed, with an interactive portion asking attendees their top accomplishments to show them how it would be used to make you more valuable and a link to a short form that tells you how many articles would be written about your disappearance. Includes a relevant reading from a chapter of the book that examines the same topic.

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Writing Through Adversity: Unearthing Strength and Creativity in the Face of Challenges

A personal presentation centered on prospering through obstacles, both personal and environmental, that impact your writing practice. Starts with an introduction on Lily’s background with extreme poverty, homelessness and housing insecurity, and chronic illness. A presentation on how even though adversity can be a barrier to creativity, it can also be a catalyst. Strategies and pep talks on how struggles can make you a stronger writer with tips on how to find time and space for your practice in hard times. Includes case studies on famous writers who have overcome. Can also include an interactive sharing session to understand audience’s unique barriers.

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Beyond the Bounds: How Speculative Fiction Illuminates Real-World Issues

An presentation that discusses the power of speculative fiction and its ability to explore “what if” scenarios that push the boundaries of our reality. You can’t defeat racism or poverty in the real world, but in fiction you can create a villain that is larger than life. A presentation dissecting speculative fiction as a mirror reflecting our current issues and a window into possible futures, discussing how fiction can inspire readers to engage with real world issues more deeply and empathetically (with examples of books that have sparked activism, movements, or how people think). Could be expanded into a workshop if requested.

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From Fandom to Fans of Your Own: How Fanfiction Can Make You A Better Writer

A fun and relevant presentation on how fanfiction–a hobby many young writers get their start in–can teach you skills that will help you grow as an author of original fiction. Discusses how fandom is a great space to test the waters as a writer and how fanfiction encourages risk taking with the safety net of existing worlds, includes a built in community of immediate feedback to help you grow, and is excellent at honing great character-building skills. Explores a pathway to transition to your own creative works and showcases some famous writers who came from fandom themselves. Also discusses the unique opportunity of writing for intellectual property franchises, aka getting paid to write fanfiction, and how an aspiring writer can build their resume to potentially reach that dream.

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Custom Presentation or Writing Workshop

Lily has a long history of creating writing advice or inspirational resources in both written and performed presentations. She is open to designing an event centered around a specific topic in her work, a general, specific, or popular writing craft topic, or her lived experiences/interests. For example, a library in her area reached out asking her to develop and host a writing workshop on “How To Write Like Taylor Swift” (which you can also book if you like. She is ALWAYS happy to talk about Taylor Swift).

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Writing Conferences (In Person or Virtual)

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Publishing Talks (In Person or Virtual)

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Literary or Book Festivals (In Person or Virtual)

The Shadow Sister Discussion Guide Link

Lily’s Videos Link

Lily’s Events Link

Lily’s News Link

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Finalist for the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award by Sisters in Crime
Locus Magazine Recommended Read under Best First Novels
2024 TAYSHAS Reading List

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

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