[4] Through her maternal grandfather, United States Navy Commander Lundi Addison Moore, she claims descent from Plymouth Colony settler and Mayflower Compact signer Stephen Hopkins.

As a teenager, Reed gigged with an alternative rock band as a singer-songwriter,[6] and performed lead roles in, as well as designed sets and costumes for, school and community theatre productions.

In 2011, the trio negotiated and received a reported six-figure financial deal with the Arthur A. Levine imprint of Scholastic Press for the North American rights to their planned Amber House Trilogy.

[3][15][16][17] Amber House received a positive critical reception, with Publishers Weekly praising the book's plot and originality, dubbing the story "rich, strange, and utterly fascinating.

"[18] Kirkus Reviews singled out the book's heroine as being a "strong, admirable character" for young female readers, contrasting her with Bella Swan from the Twilight franchise.

[28] In September 2013, Reed spoke out as a proponent of "mandatory exit surveys" at college campuses, designed to better monitor the efficacy of policies and programs regarding student safety.

Such surveys would, according to Reed, prevent internal corruption and dismissal of valid student claims because they would create an external reference monitoring whether colleges remain in compliance with the Clery Act and their own safety policies.

[citation needed] Reed received her honor alongside feminist icons such as attorney Gloria Allred, singer-songwriter June Millington and Grammy Award-winner Helen Reddy.

Reed helped to organize college students in support of women's rights and to raise public awareness about the issue of gendered violence, appearing on CNN, CBS, NBC, HuffPost Live and other news programs.

[38][39] On July 26, 2016, Reed was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of her 63-year-old maternal uncle, Shane Patrick Moore; this occurred at his parents' home in Applegate, Oregon.

[46] In January 2021, Reed filed a malpractice lawsuit against her defense attorney alleging he failed to adequately represent her and caused her to accept a false plea deal that was not voluntary.