Mallori McNeal is an African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 urban fiction

Urban fiction

Urban fiction, also known as Street lit, is a literary genre set, as the name implies, in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the race and culture of its characters as the urban setting. The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside...

 author from Cincinnati, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. Her debut novel

Debut novel

A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...

, A Down Chick, was released in 2005. McNeal began writing A Down Chick at age 14, during the summer before she began her first year in high school. She completed A Down Chick and was signed to Triple Crown Publications at age 16. McNeal's second novel, The Set Up, was published in 2007. Mallori McNeal is now a film major student at the Art Institute of San Francisco, as well as a mother of a daughter and son. She lives in the Bay area of California.