[3] At the age of 12 she read the book The King Must Die, by Mary Renault, which had a major impact on the budding writer, describing it as "having everything, Greek mythology brought into real life... heroes, gods, humans, love, romance, adventure".

[9] Dayton first came to widespread attention with her novel Resurrection, set against the backdrop of ancient Egypt, fusing ancient Egyptian history and archaeology with the possibility of advanced civilizations in a nearby galaxy.”[10] It features the character of Pruitt, a lone warrior fighting to save her people from extermination, who must journey across time and the stars to find a lost technology.

[13] USA Today noted the different responses of the three characters to the "disillusionment experienced when lies of childhood are revealed as frightening truths of a really messed-up adult reality".

[12] In November 2015, Dayton released an e-Novella entitled The Young Dread, revolving around a character who was a child in the 1400s but is still alive today, and aged only into a teen.

[19] According to Isabella Biedenharn of Entertainment Weekly magazine: "Traveler continues the story of Quin Kincaid, a Seeker who, on the night of her Oath, learned that her family's legacy is not quite what it seemed".

[23] Her interest in genetic engineering began in 2009 when she read an article in The New Yorker about synthetic biology and the scientists who were fusing together body parts to create new life.

[24] Sadie Trombetta of Bustle described the book as "powerful, poignant", writing: "six interconnected narratives come together to tell a larger story about a distant future where science and technology have made it possible to attain the kind of perfection humans have always craved.

"[26] Publishers Weekly also gave the book a starred review, stating that "Dayton's brilliant collection of stories is best described as a scientific Twilight Zone".

[27] In the UK, the Financial Times wrote of the book, "There's some lovely writing from Dayton, especially her first-person narratives, and the thought-provoking ideas are grounded in warm, credible characterisation.