Andrea Beaty () is an American children's author. Beaty was born in Benton, Illinois and currently resides in Naperville, Illinois. As a child, she loved Nancy Drew mysteries. She attended Southern Illinois University and studied Biology and Computer Science. After graduating, she worked for a software company, doing some technical writing. Her tech writing experience led her to write children's books. She received the Prairie State for Excellence in Children's Writing Award from the Illinois Re…