Shay Youngblood is a novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. She was born in Columbus, Georgia. She has been fascinated with the written word since she first learned how to read. Her favorite recurring dream as a child was one in which she lived in a library. She even said, "from the time I got my first library card I wanted to read all the books in the world."

In addition to writing, Youngblood has worked as a public information assistant for WPBA in Atlanta and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Dominica.