Born in 1964 in New London, Connecticut
Current home is Ann Arbor, Michigan
Daughter of Elizabeth Stephens and Dave Johnson of Biltmore Forest
"Kostova" is the feminine form of "Kostov," her Bulgarian husband Gyorgi's surname

Kostova says she can speak Bulgarian pretty well
Kostova is a 40-year-old mother of three
Kostova's father, Dave Johnson, a professor of city and regional planning - and a Dracula movie fan - inspired Kostova's novel
It took ten years for her to finish The Historian
She earned a $2m advance after the book went to auction

Kostova is not a fan of blood and gore. She told Newsweek that she promised herself that "I would only spill a cup of blood in the whole book."
Elizabeth Kostova is very protective of her privacy. "I never discuss my family in interviews."