Mandi Lynn is the young adult author of her debut novel, Essence. Beginning to write the story when she was only thirteen years old, after three and a half years of hard work, Essence was published and in print. To graduate in 2014, meanwhile Mandi goes to a vocational high school where she takes cosmetology alongside writing novels and doing regular schoolwork. Mandi can now be found on YouTube hosting YA Ink—a series of videos about writing and publishing—and sharing her journey as a writer.