Samantha Hastings has worked as a tennis instructor, janitor, basketball referee, adjunct college faculty, teen librarian, and now as an author. She has a BA in History from Brigham Young University, an MA in English from the University of Reading (in Berkshire, England), and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas. She met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, eating popcorn, and chasing her kids. The Last Word is her debut novel.