Alex Flinn

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Alex Flinn is an author of novels for young adults. To date, she has written five books which have been published. A sixth novel, Beastly will be published in the fall of 2007^{[citation needed]}.

Flinn's first novel, Breathing Underwater was originally published in 2001 and was chosen by the American Library Association as a Top-10 Best Book for Young Adults for that 2001. This list is at [www.ala.org/yalsa]. The story of 16-year-old Nick Andreas, a wealthy Miami teen who is sent to anger management because his girlfriend, Caitlin, takes out a restraining order against him. Ordered by the judge to write about his relationship, Nick tells of falling in love with her, and the eventual time when his anger took over. The book is set in Miami and Key West, Florida. An excerpt from the book was included in Liz Claiborne, Inc's Love is Not Abuse curriculum, which was formulated to teach students about dating violence.

A companion novel, Diva was published in 2006. This novel is from the viewpoint of Nick's ex-girlfriend, Caitlin, and deals with her attendance at a performing arts high school in order to pursue her dream of a singing career . . . and get away from Nick.

Flinn's other novels are Breaking Point, (2002) which deals with a school bombing, Nothing to Lose (2004) about a boy who runs away to become a carny then returns to find his mother on trial for murder, and Fade to Black (2005), perhaps Flinn's second-best known work and frequent high school required read, about a hate crime against an HIV positive student. Many of her books have made the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults lists, as well as Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. They have also received such teen-selected honors as the International Reading Association Young Adult Choices list (Breathing Underwater and Nothing to Lose). Flinn's books seem to appeal to teens who might otherwise prefer not to read.^{[citation needed]}

Flinn's published books deal with legal issues such as domestic violence, murder, a hate crime, and a bombing. Flinn comes about her interest and expertise in legal areas because she is a former lawyer. She has a particular interest in domestic violence, having interned as a law student in the Miami-Dade State attorney's office under then-state attorney, Janet Reno and also, from having volunteered with battered women at Miami's Inn Transition North facility.

Her upcoming book, Beastly, is a break from Flinn's usual realistic style, in that it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City. In Beastly,, 16-year-old Kyle Kingsbury angers a witchy girl in his class and is surprised when she turns him into a beast. He must find true love in two years to break the spell . . . and unfortunately, MySpace doesn't work. When a robber stumbles into his garden Kyle offers him a deal; He won't report him to the police if the robber brings Kyle his daughter. The book will be released in October, 2007.

Alex Flinn was born October 23, 1966 in Syosset, New York. She started thinking about being a writer at the age of 5 and submitted early efforts to magazines like Highlights, which did not publish them. At twelve, she moved to Palmetto Bay, Florida, where she attended Southwood Middle School. Her teen years were rocky, but she immersed herself in performing arts, particularly opera and musical theater. Although she tried to write at that time, she never finished anything. She attended Palmetto High School, and a performing arts magnet called PAVAC, which is now the New World School of the Arts. She graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in music performance and eventually received a law degree. She began writing in earnest in 1996, and her first novel was published in 2001. She lives in Palmetto Bay, Florida, with her husband and two daughters.