Young adult fiction forms the core of Tahereh Mafi's work as a novelist — a body of writing that spans science fiction, romance, and children's literature, all composed in English.

Mafi was born on November 9, 1988, in Connecticut, and is a citizen of the United States. She attended University High School and went on to study at Soka University of America. From those beginnings in Connecticut, her career as a writer took shape across several overlapping genres, with young adult fiction as the consistent center of her output.

As a novelist, Mafi works within genres that include science fiction, romance, and children's fiction. Writing for younger audiences has defined her practice, and the combination of speculative and romantic elements has characterized the range of her published work. She writes in English and has built a body of fiction aimed primarily at young adult readers.

Mafi is based in Santa Monica, California, where she continues her work as a novelist and children's writer. Her engagement with young adult fiction — a form that accommodates both science-fictional premises and romantic narrative — represents the sustained focus of her career as a writer working in the United States.