She is a social marketing consultant and science writer specializing in reaching—and decoding—teen brains. She dove headfirst into parenting teens when her three kids were trying their wings and testing their limits.

Since her passion is storytelling, she relished listening in on backseat conversations between her children and their friends. As her kids grew, Payes tuned in to how their language, ideas, and attitudes transformed along with their bodies and brains. The exercise represented a complete anthropological study in teen social psychology. For a mom, teens may be lovable and exasperating, but for a writer and science interpreter: priceless.

Payes lives in Rockville, Maryland, where she works with teens on STEAM learning—science, technology, engineering, arts and design, and math—and consults with readers on creating new apps, games, and story lines. Her grown children still engage in "backseat" conversations—but now she's the one riding in back. This is her first book for teens.