Lydia is the author of the young adult novels TOXIC, THE NOVEMBER GIRL, CONTROL, and CATALYST. Her short stories can be found in the anthologies COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES and STAR WARS: FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. She also writes adult historical fiction including A BEAUTIFUL POISON, THE IMPOSSIBLE GIRL, and OPIUM AND ABSINTHE, as well as the nonfiction book QUACKERY: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything. She is a practicing physician at the University of Nebraska and lives with her family in Omaha.