Veronica Roth

Raised in the well-to-do Chicago suburb of Barrington, Illinois, Roth opted to attend Northwestern University, based largely on the excellent reputation of its writing program. While at the school, the highly motivated young writer began her debut novel, Divergent, a futuristic tale that focuses on teen protagonist Tris, who must take a series of tests to find out what faction of society she belongs in. Conflict arises when it's discovered that she's "divergent," meaning that she is equally suited for multiple paths. Like Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games novels, Divergent tapped into the youthful quest for identity and self-reliance, among other themes, and became a huge hit, with Roth selling the film rights prior to any sequels. Roth let the plot thicken with Insurgent, which finds Tris and her allies in further perilous situations, and brought the series to an apparent end with Allegiant. Meanwhile, buzzed-about young actress Shailene Woodley was cast as Tris in the "Divergent" movie, with Neil Burger tapped as director for the eagerly anticipated 2014 movie, which received Roth's enthusiastic support.