Author Megan Miranda worked in biotechnology for 10 years before moving to rural North Carolina with her husband and young children. Miranda began her career writing suspenseful young adult novels, eventually transitioning to adult mysteries and thrillers. Her debut adult novel, All the Missing Girls, became an instant New York Times bestseller, and her subsequent books received a prominent level of commercial success.

Like The Last to Vanish, Miranda’s novels typically focus on small communities in or near a secluded forest setting. Miranda reports drawing inspiration from her small North Carolina mountain community. Many of the author’s novels investigate human disappearances while exploring the morality of the central characters. Abby questions Celeste, Cory, and Patrick’s morals when Abby uncovers their controversial decisions and actions. While an element of natural danger lurks at the edge of the Cutter’s Pass, Abby confronts the dangers within the tight-knit community while seeking the truth about those who vanished.

Miranda also credits Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia as an influence in her early life (Miranda, Megan. “Writing the Woods.” Medium, 29 June 2016). She often reflects on a magical element in nature, specifically folklore.