M. Sindy Felin’s inspiration for her debut novel, Touching Snow, came from her own experiences growing up in an immigrant household in suburban New York and from her early love of mysteries. In writing the story of Karina, a young girl navigating the waters of two cultures, Sindy relied on many real-life social issues facing fellow Haitian immigrant families in the community where she was raised and was inspired by their resiliency and ingenuity. Sindy, the first person in her family born in the United States, was also the first girl to attend college; she graduated from Wesleyan University in 1994. She currently resides outside Washington, D.C. More about this author >