A proud American, Megale was born in Reston, Virginia in 1995 and was raised on the fringe of historic Cub Run Park, where she spent long hours catching fireflies (still does that), mixing "potions" in colored bottles (and that), and getting her wheels stuck in the mud.

She was born with a genetic disease: Spinal Muscular Atrophy, type 2. A progressive condition, this means she cannot walk and never will. This doesn't mean she doesn't zip line in Colorado, scuba dive in Australia, wrangle falcons, play bamboo flutes in Stonehenge, and get stuck in revolving doors.

Today, she has gone on to complete more than two dozen Young Adult novels. Her first published novel, This is Not a Love Scene, was written in 2016 and found representation four days into querying. Two weeks later, it was purchased by St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books. 

Consciously and unconsciously, nearly every character she creates has an element of disability - physical, emotional, and mental. This is Not a Love Scene just hits the one she's been running from.

In 2017, Megale tragically lost her older brother to an opioid overdose. Her heart was broken. Since, her family created a memorial in his name to grant addiction rehabilitation scholarships, and Shea wrote a book about his life and struggle called AMERICAN BOY. ​  

Carrie Wilkens, PhD, is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of the Center for Motivation and Change in NYC and in the Berkshires. She co-authored an award-winning book, Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change with Drs. Foote and Kosanke. Together they also contributed to a user-friendly workbook for parents: The 20 Minute Guide: A Guide for Parents about How to Help their Child Change their Substance Use. In collaboration with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, Dr. Wilkens and the CMC team is developing a national parent training program (the Parent Support Network) to provide parent coaches to families in need of support through a free hotline. Prior to these ventures, Dr. Wilkens was the Project Director on a large federally-funded Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant examining the effectiveness of motivational interventions in addressing the problems associated with binge drinking among college students. She is regularly sought out by the media to discuss issues related to substance use disorders and has been on the CBS Morning Show, Katie Couric Show, and Fox News as well as a variety of radio shows including frequent NPR segments such as the People’s Pharmacy and The Diane Rehm Show. Dr. Wilkens sits on the Advisory Council for the Peter G. Dodge Foundation, a forward-thinking non-profit organization that works with world-class partners to achieve lasting change in the field of alcohol use disorders.