L. M. Elliott was an award-winning senior writer with the Washingtonian magazine before becoming a New York Times best-selling author of historical and biographical novels. A lifelong Virginian (except for college and grad school!), Elliott often highlights the Commonwealth's unsung heroes and hidden history in her works, such as Bea and the New Deal Horse, winner of the Scott O'Dell Award, and Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves, winner of VLA's Cardinal Cup. Her 14 novels cover a variety of eras -- (the Cold War, WWII, the Great Depression, American Revolution, and the Italian Renaissance)--and are for a variety of readership, ages middle grade to adult. Her works have also won the Grateful American Book Prize for historical fiction; been named NCSS/CBC Notables, Bank Street College of Education Bests, Kirkus Bests, Capitol Choices, TXLA Tayshas HS Reading Lists, and finalists for state awards in VA, MD, PA, UT, ME, VT, KS, IA, and SC.

She holds a BA from Wake Forest University and a MA in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill.