Natalie Haney Tilghman is the co-author of the novel A 52-Hertz Whale. She first published the short story, “Whale Boy,” which inspired the character of James Turner, in Cicada Magazine. "Whale Boy" won runner-up in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Magazine Merit Awards. In 2010, she won first place for fiction in The Atlantic's Student Writing Contest. She has a MFA in Creative Writing from the Rainier Writers Workshop. She lives in Glenview, Illinois, with her husband, two sons, and Chihuahua. Visit her at www.natalietilghman.com.