Amy S. Peele

Amy S. Peele was born and raised in the Chicago area. She enjoyed a successful 35-year career in Organ Transplantation, retiring from the University of California-San Francisco in 2014. Her lived experiences provide rich, authentic backdrops for her books, many of which have received national acclaim.

Amy also has a love for comedy and improv, graduating from Chicago’s Second City Players Workshop in 1985, and later studying Improv at Bay Area Theatre Sports in San Francisco. Amy’s sense of humor comes through in all her writing and speaking engagements.

Amy met her architect/artist husband, Mark Schatz (schatzworks.com), through his mother, who was her student at a transplant coordinator course. Mark and Amy were married in 1987 and have two children: Gracie is the head chef at 18 Reasons, a non-profit community culinary school in the Bay Area (18reasons.org), while Bennett works in the digital sound industry, enjoys building bikes and playing music, and recently welcomed Amy’s first grandchild into the world.

In addition to writing bestselling books, Amy is a highly sought-after speaker, a certified Hatha & Laughter Yoga instructor, and a meditation enthusiast. She lives in Northern California and will forever be a die-hard Cubs fan.