Vanessa Diffenbaugh was born and raised in northern California. After studying creative writing, she went on to teach art and technology to youth in low-income communities. She and her husband PK have four children: Donovan, Tre'von, Graciela and Miles. Vanessa is also the co-founder of Camellia Network, whose mission is to create a nationwide movement to support youth transitioning from foster care. She and her family live in Monterey, California.

The Language of Flowers is Vanessa's first novel. It was published in over forty countries, and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller in the UK. She is also the author of We Never Asked for Wings.