Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a young adult author with multiple completed series, including The Squad (Perfect Cover, Killer Spirit), The Naturals (The Naturals, Killer Instinct, All In, Bad Blood, Twelve), and The Debutantes (Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals). Barnes’s first book was published when she was 19 years old. In addition to her accomplishments as a fiction author, Barnes holds degrees in “psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science, including graduate degrees from Cambridge University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and Yale University, where she received her Ph.D. in 2012” (“Bio.” Jennifer Lynn Barnes). Barnes “is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination more broadly” (“Bio”). She is a professor of both psychology and professional writing at the University of Oklahoma.

Barnes is known for novels that explore adolescent psychology in high-pressure situations, particularly the long-term developmental effects of poverty on young girls. Barnes leverages her academic training in her portrayal of adolescent trauma, sometimes drawing directly on her training in crime thrillers such as The Naturals. Barnes is known for the depth of her characters and intricate, thrilling plots that combine high stakes with interpersonal relationships.