Formal Bio

2008 Golden Heart® winner Kay Cassidy is the author of stories she wishes were based on her real life. Her debut novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY, takes readers behind the veil of a secret society of good populars dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world.

Kay is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt Contest™ reading program for kids and teens that has been featured in VOYA, School Library Journal Teen, and Publishers Weekly Children’s Bookshelf. More than 800 libraries across the U.S. and Canada participate in this trivia-based program that encourages reading for fun and helps promote a lifelong love of reading. Kay personally funds the program as part of her Pay It Forward outreach efforts. Kay also founded the Living Your Five™ project as a way to bring people together to make a positive difference in the world.

Kay is a former college cheerleader and sorority alum, an M.B.A. and a member of Mensa. She thinks it’s comical when people are surprised to discover those things aren’t mutually exclusive. In her free time, Kay enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading. Her latest obsession is digital scrapbooking which she loves to do while watching Nascar races and NFL games.

"Girl power, baby! This is the book you want when you want to believe you can do anything!"

~ Becca Fitzpatrick
New York Times
bestselling author
Hush, Hush

"The Cinderella Society is just as much about empowering yourself as it is about the fun and romance, and the super secret society will appeal to fans of Ally Carter."

~ Tirzah, age 17
The Compulsive Reader

“The Cinderella Society is girl power in a great new package! Kay shows a real girl on a real path to finding out who she is who just happens to have a great support team there to help her when she falls! The Cinderella Society is a must read for teen girls! It deals with real issues that we’ve all had and are still facing in regards to how we fit into the world.”

~ Stacey Canova
Bookseller
Page Turners

"Empowering, flirty, and fun... The Cinderella Society was a blast to read!"

~ Jessica, age 14
Chick Lit Teens

“I loved watching Jess transform – to start to see what was inside of her and how to let that out. The conflict, the fantastic characters, the overall fun this book was to read… chick lit isn’t usually my thing, but this is so much more.”

~ Kristen H.
Children’s librarian
Bookworming in the 21st Century

"The Cinderella Society sent out such a positive message for girls and was a book showing girls CAN do anything. This is a must read!"

~ Erica, age 16
The Book Cellar