Julie Anne Peters (January 16, 1952 – March 21, 2023) was an American author of young adult fiction. Peters published 20 works, mostly novels, geared toward children and adolescents, many of which feature LGBT characters. In addition to the United States, Peters's books have been published in numerous countries, including South Korea, China, Croatia, Germany, France, Italy, Indonesia, Turkey and Brazil. Her 2004 book Luna was the first young-adult novel with a transgender character to be released by a mainstream publisher.

Early life and education

Julie Anne Peters was born in Jamestown, New York, on January 16, 1952, one of four siblings. When she was five, her family moved to the suburbs of Denver. Her parents divorced when she was in high school. Peters received a BA in elementary education from Colorado Women's College in 1974, with a minor in French. She earned a BS in computer and management science from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in 1985. During the next ten years, Peters worked as a research analyst, computer programmer, and systems engineer. In 1989, Peters earned an MBA from the University of Colorado Denver with emphasis in information systems.

Career

Peters first worked as a teacher, teaching fifth grade and working as a special needs education assistant in the Jefferson County School District in Lakewood, Colorado, in 1975. However, she was unsuccessful as an educator, and pursued a different career path. She subsequently worked as a secretary, research assistant, computer programmer and systems analyst for Tracom Corporation in Denver from 1975 until 1984. Following this, Peters was a computer systems engineer for Electronic Data Systems in Denver from 1985 until 1988. Peters began her writing career with the publication of her first two books, The Stinky Sneakers Contest, illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith, in 1992, and Risky Friends in 1993.

Personal life and death

Peters married her longtime partner, Sherri Leggett, in 2014. They lived in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Peters died at her home on March 21, 2023, at the age of 71.

Published works

Awards

Peters has won numerous awards including: