Afton was a bookseller in Los Angeles and then the frontlist buyer at Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, where she learned to love books as a kid, before she earned her MFA in nonfiction at University of Idaho, where she was editor in chief of Fugue and taught composition and creative writing. Now, she works as an independent press publicist and book marketer, offers freelance editing and book industry consulting, and acquires audiobooks for Spotify.
Afton has guided backpacking trips all over the Sierras, conducted research in an island laboratory off the coast of Southern California, and traveled all over the world studying end-of-life care. Her writing has been graciously supported by Bread Loaf, Centrum, Lighthouse, and Fine Arts Work Center. When she’s not writing, she makes large, sculptural pottery you can find in design studios around Denver. She calls the Rocky Mountain West her home.