Born in Cali, Colombia, where she studied Communication. In the year 2000, at that time Creative Vice-president of a major Spanish agency, she left behind her successful career to work in her chosen profession and great love, literature. Her first book was Alma abierta (2001), a poetry book that tackles the conflicts of mature humans; De los amores negados (2003), her first novel, won the 2004 Latin Literary Award at the prestigious Chicago Book Fair, and was warmly received by critics and readers in Spain and Latin America. El penúltimo sueño (2005) established her position as a talented novelist, winning the 2005 Azorín Novel Prize, the 2005 Award for Best Colombian Book of Fiction and, once again, the Latin Literary Award (2006). In 2007, Lo que le falta al tiempo also won a Latin Literary Award and in 2009 she received the Planeta-Casamérica Fiction Prize for Ella, que todo lo tuvo; this was followed by Memorias de un sinvergüenza de siete suelas (2013). Her work has been translated into 23 languages and published in over 50 countries. She won the Fernando Lara Prize for her novel Algún, día hoy (2019).