Katy Hays is The New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters, which was a Read with Jenna Pick. Her new novel, Saltwater, will be published by Ballantine in March 2025. In addition to writing, Katy works as an adjunct Art History Professor, teaching rural students from Truckee to Tecopa. She holds an MA in Art History from Williams College and pursued her PhD in Art History at UC Berkeley. Her academic writing has been published by Ashgate, an imprint of Routledge. She serves as Board Secretary of the Community of Writers.