C J Daugherty

C. J. Daugherty, also writing as Christi Daugherty and Ava Glass, is an American novelist residing in England. She gained significant recognition for her young adult romantic thriller series, Night School, set in a fictional boarding school. Before her career as a novelist, Daugherty worked as a journalist for prominent publications and later served in the British government, focusing on counterterrorism and social media education.

Daugherty began writing novels in 2010. The Night School series, launched in 2012, achieved international bestseller status and was translated into numerous languages. The series' success led to the creation of a web television series in 2014, marking it as the first British young adult book adaptation of its kind. She has also co-authored a young adult fantasy series, The Secret Fire, and writes adult crime thrillers under the name Christi Daugherty.

Before embarking on her fiction writing career, C. J. Daugherty established herself as a journalist. Her early professional experience included writing for well-known publications such as the Dallas Morning News, Reuters, and Time Out. Following her journalism career, she transitioned to working for the British government. In this role, she was involved in educating a counterterrorism unit within the Home Secretary's office on the effective use of social media. This period provided her with diverse professional experiences prior to her focus on novel writing, which commenced in 2010.

Daugherty's most prominent literary achievement is the Night School series, a collection of young adult romantic thrillers centered around a fictional boarding school named Cimmeria Academy. The first book was published in 2012, with subsequent installments released through 2015. The series achieved considerable international success, being translated into 22 languages and becoming a bestseller in various countries. For instance, books within the series topped bestseller lists in Germany, Poland, Israel, and France. The popularity of Night School also led to its adaptation into a web television series, launched in 2014, which was noted as the first British web series based on a young adult novel and garnered significant media attention.

Beyond the acclaimed Night School series, C. J. Daugherty has explored other genres and collaborations. She co-authored The Secret Fire, a young adult fantasy series, with French author Carina Rozenfeld, with the first book released in 2015 and a sequel following in 2016. Under the pen name Christi Daugherty, she has also written adult crime thrillers, featuring a crime reporter named Harper McClain. This series includes titles like The Echo Killing and A Beautiful Corpse. Furthermore, she returned to young adult fiction with the series Number 10, set in the same universe as Night School and focusing on the daughter of the British Prime Minister.