Author Lois Duncan.
(Image credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Lois Duncan, the author of such popular suspense novels for young adults as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Killing Mr. Griffin, died Wednesday. She was 82.

Born April 28, 1934, Duncan wrote in an essay for Contemporary Authors: "I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a writer. It's the only thing I ever wanted to be." Throughout elementary school, she submitted stories to magazines, Publisher's Weekly says, and at 13, she got her first story published, in Calling All Girls. While raising her family, she wrote for magazines and entered the manuscript for her first book, Debutante Hill, into a contest — she took first place, and won a book deal and $1,000.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.