LEARN MORE DEAD IN THE WATER, a romantic YA thriller, is out April 27, 2027 from Penguin Teen! MK Pagano writes stories about messy girls, mayhem, and murder. Learn more ORDER NOW AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
“Slow-burn mystery at its finest, with a scintillating frenemies-to-lovers romance that will keep you up far past your bedtime.” — Alexa Donne, Edgar Award–nominated author of The Ivies
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Dead in the Water cover

Dead in the Water

A romantic YA Thriller out 4.27.27 from Penguin Teen.

Seventeen-year-old Juliette hasn’t set foot on Whittaker Island since her cousin Allie drowned there five years ago—a tragedy that shattered her family.

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Girls Who Burn

My international bestseller YA Thriller GIRLS WHO BURN is out now from Penguin Teen in the US, Hachette in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, Comet YA in France, and One Verlag in Germany.

Eighteen-year-old Addie Blackwood regrets nothing more than one horrible, mistake-filled night last summer. Hours after she hurled the worst words she could think of at her sister, Fiona was found dead at the bottom of a ravine.

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What's New?

25 Goals for 2025

I normally write this post before the end of the year, but holidays with young children and lots of family and travel make it so I can’t do much at the end...

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Post Election Thoughts

In the early morning of November 6th, like so many others I know, I woke up around 3 AM with a pit of dread in my stomach. Go back to...

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On NaNoWriMo, AI, and Other Writerly Things

I told myself I was going to be less on social media lately, but truth be told, I’m always telling myself that, and I always get sucked back in. Whether...

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