Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Gillian Flynn earned English and journalism undergraduate degrees from the University of Kansas. She wrote for a trade magazine in California before moving to Chicago, where she received a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She moved to New York City and wrote for Entertainment Weekly for 10 years. She was the magazines television critic for four years. Her debut novel, Sharp Objects, was published in 2006 and won two Dagger Awards. Her other works include Dark Places and Gone Girl. In 2012 she made The New York Times Best Seller list for her two works Dark Places and Sharp Objects.