Hello, I’m Amanda. I started out reporting community news for my hometown newspaper. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism, and, soon after, I was living in East L.A. and volunteering in L.A. County's juvenile halls. It was around this time I wrote my first book, Reformed: How a Life Sentence Became My Saving Grace, the true story of a former gang member’s journey to redemption. Since Reformed was published, I have continued writing narrative nonfiction and have also ventured into fiction. I have hopes for these stories to one day find a home with a publisher (so stay tuned and follow my writing journey on Instagram). I love research and read at least 30 books a year (check out my latest reads on Goodreads). I also love hiking and getting outdoors. My experiences volunteering within the criminal justice system have made me passionate about causes that are trying to reform the system from the inside out. My work reflects this passion as I’m particularly drawn to stories of mercy, justice, and perseverance.