**Cassandra Clare**, born *Judith Lewis (née Rumelt)* on July 27, 1973, is an *American author* renowned for her young adult fiction. She is best known for her bestselling series, **The Mortal Instruments**. Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family, accompanied by several trunks of fantasy books. Before venturing into fiction, she worked as an entertainment journalist for the *Hollywood Reporter*. Her debut novel, *City of Bones*, is the first book in **The Mortal Instruments** trilogy and became a *New York Times bestseller*. Cassandra currently resides in Massachusetts with her fiancé and their two cats.