Micol Ostow (born April 29, 1976) is an American author, editor and educator who has written more than 40 published works. Her first original hardcover novel, ''Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa'', was named a " New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age". She has also been the

ghostwriter A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often ...

for novelizations of television series such as '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', '' Charmed'' and ''

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

''.

Early years

Ostow was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to a

Jewish-American American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora Je ...

father and a Puerto Rican mother. Even though she was raised in the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

faith (her mother, who was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, converted before she married her father), she always maintained a good relationship and remained close to her Puerto Rican Catholic family. In 1990, when her grandmother was dying in Puerto Rico, she joined her immediate family and other members of the family who traveled from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, New York, and other places to the island to be with her. The experience of seeing how easily the family banded together, despite the fact that some of them had never even met before, served as an inspirational factor when she wrote her first novel ''Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa''.Live Journal
/ref> Raised in South Orange, New Jersey, Ostow graduated from Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union (now

Golda Och Academy Golda Och Academy is a private Jewish day school that offers secular and religious education for Jewish children from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade at two campuses in West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Until Jun ...

), a Jewish day school in West Orange. After Ostow graduated from college, she was hired by the New York City publisher

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

, as an editor. Ostow, who has written as a

for novelizations of popular television series such as ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Charmed'', and ''Fearless'', some published under house pseudonyms, began to author young-adult novels.

''Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa''

Ostow took a Media Bistro's YA (Young Adult) Writing Course. During the course she wrote the ''Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa'' pitch and the first ten pages of the manuscript in her class. She sold it before the semester ended. The book is about a Jewish girl from the suburbs of New York. Her mother has family in Puerto Rico, but Emily has never had any contact with them – not until she is forced to go to the Caribbean for her grandmother's funeral. Even though Emily wants nothing to do with her Puerto Rican heritage a very special person shows her that uncovering her roots is like discovering a secret part of her own heart.Emily Goldberg Learns To Salsa

Written works

Among the books which Ostow has authored or co-authored are the following:Micol Ostow's profile
/ref> *''The Executive Desk Gong'' (Running Press Mini Kits) (September 17, 2003) *''Westminster Abby'' ( S.A.S.S.) by Micol Ostow (May 5, 2005), part of the '' Students Across the Seven Seas'' series *''The Warren Witches'' (Charmed) by Laura J. Burns, Micol Ostow, Greg Elliot, and Paul Ruditis *''The Quotable Slayer'' (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) by Steven Brezenoff and Micol Ostow (December 2, 2003) *''House of Shards'' (Charmed) by Micol Ostow (Oct 24, 2006) *''Crush du Jour'' (Romantic Comedies) by Micol Ostow *''Popular Vote'' by Micol Ostow *''Changeling Places'' (Charmed) by Micol Ostow (March 22, 2005) *''30 Guys in 30 Days'' (Simon Romantic Comedies) by Micol Ostow (May 31, 2005) *''Ultimate Travel Games'' (Crazy Games) (May 4, 2006) *''Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa'' by Micol Ostow (November 2, 2006) *''Mind Your Manners, Dick and Jane'' by Micol Ostow and Noah Harlan (November 2, 2006) *''Mumble's Journey: The Junior Novelization of Happy Feet'' by Micol Ostow *''GoldenGirl'' (Bradford Novel) by Micol Ostow (Jan. 27, 2009) *''What Would My Cell Phone Do?'' by Micol Ostow (Jun 9, 2011) *''The Day Before'' ('' Riverdale'') by Micol Ostow (December 26, 2018) *''Get Out of Town'' (''Riverdale'') by Micol Ostow (May 28, 2019) *''The Maple Murders'' (''Riverdale'') by Micol Ostow (October 15, 2019) *''The Curse'' (''

Nancy Drew Nancy Drew is a fictional character appearing in several mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Crea ...

'') by Micol Ostow (March 31, 2020) *''Death of a Cheerleader'' (''Riverdale'') by Micol Ostow (May 5, 2020) Ostow is also the author (uncredited) of young-adult novels based on television series, including ''

American Dreams ''American Dreams'' is an American drama television series that ran on NBC for three seasons & 61 episodes, from September 29, 2002, to March 30, 2005. The show tells the story of the Pryor family of Philadelphia during the mid-1960s, with many ...

'', and for novel series, including ''

'' and '' Camp Confidential''.

Later years

After spending the first eight years of her career as an editor, Ostow decided to become a freelance writer.Miami Dade College News & Events
/ref> She is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in writing for children and young adults through

Vermont College of Fine Arts Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...

. The Media Bistro's YA (Young Adult) Writing Course instructor, Kristen Kemp was looking for someone to continue her work as an instructor and Ostow, who is a full-time freelance accepted the job. She lives and works in NYC with her Emmy Award-winning filmmaker husband, Noah Harlan.NY Times Wedding Announcement
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostow, Micol 1976 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American people of Puerto Rican descent 20th-century American Jews Ghostwriters Golda Och Academy alumni Writers from New York City 21st-century American women writers People from South Orange, New Jersey Novelists from New Jersey Novelists from New York (state) 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American women