Tracy Rose Chevalier, born on October 19, 1962, is an American-British novelist renowned for her historical fiction. Her path to literary acclaim began with her debut novel "El azul de la virgen" but it was her second novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring, that catapulted her to fame. This book, inspired by Vermeer's famous painting, was later adapted into an Academy Award-nominated film in 2003.

Chevalier's childhood was one of literary immersion, with her days often spent reading on her bed. She cites authors like Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madeleine L’Engle, and Susan Cooper as some of her early favorites, with L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables being the book she would take to a desert island. The youngest of three children, she was raised by a father who worked as a photographer for The Washington Post.

Chevalier pursued a BA in English at Oberlin College, Ohio, a choice that seemed predestined due to the institution's liberal and progressive reputation. She further honed her writing skills by obtaining an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, in 1994.