About the Author

Mari Mancusi always wanted a dragon as a pet. Unfortunately, the fire insurance premiums proved a bit too large and her house a bit too small, so she chose to write about them instead. As a former Emmy Award-winning TV news producer, she now works as a full-time author, having published over two dozen books for kids, teens, and adults. When not writing, Mari enjoys traveling, cosplay, watching cheesy (and scary) horror movies, and playing video games. A graduate of Boston University, she lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Jacob, daughter, Avalon, and their two dogs.

Reviews

Praise for The Once and Future Geek: "A highly imaginative twist on the legend of King Arthur, complete with time travel, programming, and fierce friendships, The Camelot Code is the perfect pick for tweens who love medieval lore and geek culture in equal measure!"--Christina Soontornvat, author of The Changelings series

"Dashes of romance, bullying, social anxiety, family stresses, commentary on middle school social structure, and bits of history and Arthurian lore all combine to create a thought-provoking adventure story... Blending elements of several genres, this story will be appealing to many different types of readers."--School Library Journal

"Parents of gamers, Austin author Mari Mancusi's newest may just lure your screenager away from the headset...It's a twisty, fast-paced adventure that melds the real-life consequences of Jumanji with a mashup of the best medieval and high-tech details."--The Austin American-Statesman

"This fast-paced adventure provides an inventive take on the postapocalyptic novel...New Dragon City shows that things are not always what they seem."--Booklist

"A heartwarming, hopeful dragon-filled journey through family life and the importance of finding common ground."--Kirkus

"An entertaining, flashy novel centering family and interspecies friendship."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for Dragon Ops: "Even reluctant readers are likely to find something to keep them engaged... A fun, fast-paced read for video game fans, adventurers, and fantasy readers. Highly recommended."--School Library Journal

"With this adventure, Mancusi (Geeks and the Holy Grail) employs common gaming tropes, interweaving fantasy and mundane elements to create a world that feels familiar and yet enjoyably dangerous. The concepts-rogue AIs, theme parks gone haywire-may be well visited, but Mancusi successfully delivers a sense of urgency to her entertaining tale."--Publishers Weekly