Barron grew up in small-town Alabama, where her family owned a farm,[1] and says she's always had an obsession with science fiction and fantasy.

[3] Growing up, she heard a lot of stories about people practicing voodoo, which initially piqued her interest,[4] since it was often talked about in a negative light.

[6] The books she read most were adult, which she says is due to her love of complicated stories on the dark side, which wasn't as prevalent in children's literature at the time.

[3] Some of her favorite authors include Margaret Atwood, Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, Octavia Butler, Suzanne Collins, N.K.

[15] The second book in the series, Reaper of Souls, about a now-magic possessing Arrah who's become the last surviving witchdoctor and is hunted by the Demon King, was first published by HarperTeen in 2021.

[16] Barron says she's had chronic illnesses all her life, some invisible, which inspired her to write about a main character in Maya that also has similar experiences, without making it the center of her story.