Kristyn Crow is an award-winning author, screenwriter, mentor, teacher, and presenter.

Kristyn Crow is the author of numerous children's picture books, including the ZOMBELINA series, BEDTIME AT THE SWAMP, and ALL ABOARD THE MOONLIGHT TRAIN. 

 

She has received starred reviews, a blue ribbon from the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and a Utah Book Award nomination. She was the recipient of the 2016 MLA Picture Book Award for her book, ZOMBELINA DANCES THE NUTCRACKER. Her books ZOMBELINA and ZOMBELINA SCHOOL DAYS were both featured in the New York Times.

 

Kristyn is also the screenwriter for Clark Planetarium's ACCIDENTAL ASTRONAUTS, an educational Dome Theater feature for children, now playing in 21 planetariums nationwide. Kristyn has been a chairperson for "Writing for Charity" for ten years, providing books to needy children in impoverished nations.

 

She was also a contributing author to "TRUE HEROES," a multi-author project where children stricken with cancer were written as the heroes of fictional stories. She has authored hundreds of articles on special needs parenting topics for foundations such as AUTISM SPEAKS, based on her experiences raising a now-adult son with autism. 

 

In 2016 Kristyn received the national "Women In the Arts" award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. She currently enjoys working with at-risk youth, teaching creative writing projects.

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In her own words:

“I was born “Kristyn Riley” in southern California, the first of seven children. As soon as I was able to understand what children’s books were, I knew I wanted to write them. I think I was implanted with a writing microchip. There was never any other career option. When I was in kindergarten I told my school teacher very confidently, “I want to be an author when I grow up.” She looked surprised and said, “Nobody your age has ever told me that.” At home I would feverishly make miniature books by stapling sheets of paper together, then writing stories and illustrating them.

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 As a young girl I liked to invent funny rhythms by shuffling and clunking my Sunday shoes on the kitchen floor. I would scuff and tap them to my own strange beat. I also liked to make serious songs funny by swapping ordinary words for sillier ones. So I suppose I’ve always enjoyed tinkering with language and rhythm.

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 As the oldest child in my family, I liked to convince my younger brothers and sisters that my stuffed dog could make candy appear out of thin air. All it took was a little distraction, and lightning-speed placement of the candy in my pocket. There’s a magician in me.

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 The dream of being an author followed me throughout my high school and college years. I took creative writing courses as often as I could and tried to become chummy with the instructors, hoping some inspiration would rub off. I was a creative writing junkie.

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Even as a busy mom of seven, I looked for opportunities to write every chance I could. My children’s needs were met, but I also took the time to meet my own. I became good at juggling parenting responsibilities and the pursuit of my dreams.

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 I attended writers’ conferences. I was at a particular conference at a university, when I met an author who expressed interest in my work and recommended that I submit my manuscripts to his literary agent. With this author’s encouragement and my husband’s urging, I sent off a packet of my stories. Three months later the agent called, offering to sign me on as a client. A year later, I sold my first book. Two more books followed. My dream of being published was finally realized!

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 My hope is that something I have written will make you laugh, clap, tap, snap, stomp, pound, smile, gasp, jiggle your feet, wiggle in your seat, giggle to the beat, dream, imagine, listen, wonder, hum, drum, sing, or belch really loud. (Okay, maybe not belch really loud.)”