Beck McDowell

Beck McDowell is the author of the YA thriller, THIS IS NOT A DRILL (Nancy Paulsen Books, Oct. 2012), which Kirkus called "a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller ... A vividly depicted and gripping tragedy." It's the story of two teens who must protect the first graders they tutor when a soldier, suffering from PTSD, opens fire in the classroom when not allowed to check out his son. Her nonfiction work, LAST BUS OUT, is the story of a woman who stole a bus after Hurricane Katrina and drove over 300 people to safety. Beck is a former middle and high school AP English teacher who lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband and two children. Find her on Twitter.