I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I was in my late twenties. But I loved books. I was the kind of kid who usually had a book in hand. My favorite thing to do was to find a quiet place outdoors to settle with a large glass of iced tea and a snack and read for hours at a time. I grew up in a rural area in central Washington State and never had the opportunity to meet any of the authors of the books I loved so much. I truly believed that authors must be born with magic powers and that certainly didn’t describe me.

So, I went to school and got a degree in business management then went to work for an airplane manufacturer. My creative soul was slowly dying in that corporate environment, though, and I started searching for a different career. I considered opening a bookstore and tea shop or becoming a librarian. I knew I wanted to work with books, but the idea of writing them still hadn’t crossed my mind.

That all changed when I met a woman who today is my sister-in-law (we married brothers). She was the first real-life human I’d ever met who told me she was writing a book. As simple as that may sound, she opened my mind to the possibility that maybe I could also try writing.

So, that’s what I did. I quit my corporate job and dove into writing. I started writing romance and found an excellent education in the craft and the business of writing through Romance Writers of America. In these years I also started a family and was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom who wrote when the kids were asleep.

Fourteen years and six full-length manuscripts later, I’d found my voice and my genre, and finally signed with my literary agent who, a few months later, sold my first book to a publisher. My career as a real-life author (who doesn’t have magic powers!) began and I’ve never looked back.

My first book, THE GIRL WHO WROTE IN SILK, was released in 2015 and became a USA Today bestseller and award winner. It has sold twelve foreign language editions and is currently being shopped to streamers as a limited series for television. My second book, TODAY WE GO HOME, was released in 2019 and was a Target Book Club pick. My third book, SMOKE ON THE WIND, will be released in June 2025.

I love meeting readers and talking with groups about my books, their inspirations, the writing process, the true history behind each of my stories, or anything else! If you want to ask me a question, or invite me to your bookstore, event, or book club gathering, feel free to drop me a line using the form on the Contact page.

Other than writing, I love to spend time with my family and doing a number of activities that nurture my creative soul: walking, exploring, traveling, browsing art museums, playing on Adobe Illustrator, reading, and so much more!

Thank you for reading my stories, and thank you for being here. I wouldn’t be a writer without readers like you!

Happy reading!

Kelli