Afton started her professional career as a bookseller in Los Angeles and eventually became the frontlist buyer at Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, where she learned to love books as a kid. She earned her MFA in nonfiction at University of Idaho, where she was editor in chief of Fugue and taught composition and creative writing to college students. Now, she works as an independent press publicist and book marketer, reviews books for Kirkus, and offers freelance editing and book industry consulting.
Afton has also has guided backpacking trips all over the Sierras, worked as a researcher 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 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.