About Meghan

Biography

Meghan P. Browne is the award-winning author of Indelible Ann: The Larger-than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards (with illiustrator Carlynn Whitt) and Dorothy the Brave (with illustrator Brooke Smart). Her forthcoming The Bees of Notre Dame (with illustrator E.B. Goodale) is due out Fall 2023 from Random House Studio. Meghan holds a BA from The University of Arizona (Go, Cats!) and an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas where she now lives with her husband, Greg, their three children, a pasture full of goats and chickens, a thriving honeybee apiary, a barn kitty named Bonnie and the most talkative blue heeler there ever was.

TeachingBooks Author Name Pronunciation:

Dreams come true…

I was born in Austin, Texas on March 5, 1985, back when Austin was more of a sleepy college town than a booming tech hub. I spent a ton of time with my dad’s big Irish family as a kid. Every Wednesday my Flanagan grandparents had a house full of aunts, uncles and cousins over for dinner, a tradition my grandmother continues still today! Every other Friday, all of us cousins spent the night and stayed up late playing cards and eating gummy bears. We put on plays, explored in the woods, played dress up in my grandmother’s beautiful gowns, and were allowed so much creative free time. My family, like many families, loves to tell stories. Every time I begin to think I’ve heard them all a hundred times, I learn a new one. I think I got my love for storytelling around my grandparents’ table.

When we were in fifth grade, one of my cousins and I put out a weekly newspaper that we created together. There was one, and only one, edition ever made. My love of journalism was just beginning to percolate. I became the co-editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper, the LBJ Liberator. I’m positive that this foundation of journalism has been one of the greatest gifts in my life. If you are a student aspiring to publication, my greatest bit of advice would be to join your high school or college journalism program. You won’t be sorry!

I spent so many years of my life as a competitive swimmer that I almost turned into a mermaid in college. Though I never achieved my sky-high dream of making the US Olympic team, I did have the honor to grow up with and train with many of the best swimmers in the world. I am a proud varsity letterwinner of the esteemed University of Arizona Swimming and Diving program. Those long hours in the pool and early morning practices taught me the kind of determination and patience I have relied on throughout my life.

It is one of my greatest joys to write for young readers. I fell in love reading Diane Stanley’s picture book biographies that made the Texas Library Association’s Bluebonnet Master List year after year. Diane and so many other authors (Mark Twain, Joan Lowry Nixon, Charlotte Brontë, and many more) made me ravenous for words, and I longed to convey my own emotions and stories. I have those authors, my beloved school teachers, and my parents to thank for helping me become a lifelong reader. Writing for young readers reminds me to keep curious and kind.