Marissa Meyer was born on February 19, 1984. She grew up in Tacoma, Washington. When Meyer was 14 years old, she was introduced to anime and fan fiction. She was very interested in it and completed 40 stories under the name Alicia Blade. These stories were published on Fanfiction.net. She also wrote a novelette called The "Phantom of Linkshire Manor". In 2007, the novelette was published in the "Bound in Skin" anthology. 