Colleen Oakley is the critically acclaimed author of BEFORE I GO, CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH, YOU WERE THERE TOO and the forthcoming THE INVISIBLE HUSBAND OF FRICK ISLAND (May 2021). Colleen’s novels have been longlisted for the Southern Book Prize twice and Close Enough to Touch won the French Reader’s Prize. Her books have been translated into 21 languages and optioned for film.

A former magazine editor for Marie Claire and Women’s Health & Fitness, Colleen’s articles and essays have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, Woman’s Day, Fitness, Health, Marie Claire and Martha Stewart Weddings. A proud graduate of the University of Georgia’s school of journalism, Colleen currently lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids and the world’s biggest lapdog, Bailey.

Colleen’s #read99women pick is Camille Pagan’s FOREVER IS THE WORST LONG TIME. “Emotional, heart-breaking and unexpected, FOREVER IS THE WORST LONG TIME by Camille Noe Pagan kept me up way past my bedtime and had me crying into my pillow as I finished at 3 a.m. It's a beautiful novel about how life often surprises us, but love is the constant that keeps us going—my favorite kind of read.”