Suzanne Collins is an American television writer and novelist from Hartford, Connecticut. She began her career in television as a writer for children's shows, including work on the Nickelodeon series 'Clarissa Explains It All' and 'The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.' Later, she transitioned to writing novels. Her first book series, 'The Underland Chronicles,' was targeted towards middle-grade readers and was well received. However, she gained massive popularity with 'The Hunger Games' series, which has been published in 51 languages and sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. The series also sparked a successful film franchise. Collins was named to the Time 100 list in 2010 and also received the California Young Reader Medal in 2011.