About the author
Kara McKenzie was born in the early 1960’s in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula, not far from the Mackinaw Bridge. She was told a parade was stopped so her mother could get through to the hospital in time for her to be born. Maybe, this was a sign that life would open a few possibilities for her.
Kara was the middle child of three and lived on a small island on Lake Huron. Her parents, siblings and her enjoyed biking, fishing, walking the island and spending time together on the lake as a family. She enjoyed watching the sunsets on the lake and listening to the waves lapping against the shore in the evenings. Winters were spent skating on open patches of ice, snowmobiling, skiing, and sledding down the hill next to their home.
Kara loved reading books of many different genres. From the time she was little, she was writing. Her father used to ask her where all the pens went, and everyone laughed when she produced a handful of them. Her husband had the same experience when their car was totaled, and he found about fifty pens scattered in places all over the vehicle.
Kara worked hard during her high school years doing various jobs, including waitressing at a local restaurant in a nearby town. Although, generally quiet and introspective, Kara liked people and enjoyed friendships and the people she met in her work relationships. Her close friends would describe her as kindhearted, generally optimistic with a gentle sense of humor.
Kara graduated from LSSU in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan with an Early Childhood Associate’s Degree and from NMU in Marquette, Michigan with a degree in Education. During her college years, Kara grew in faith through her experiences with prayer and in studying God’s Word. It was during this time, Kara accepted Christ as her Savior, what she would consider the most important decision she ever made.
Kara and her husband met at the college they attended in the Upper Peninsula. They married and moved to Richmond, Virginia for four years where Kara held a teaching job. Her and her husband had two children who were to bring many happy experiences to their lives. Her family moved to Lower Michigan soon after the children were born, where Kara took time to stay home with her daughter and son and care for them in their early years. A few years later in 1993, she took a teaching position at Climax-Scotts Schools in the small farming town where they lived, and she’s been working there ever since.
Kara has attended gracespring Bible Church for close to twenty years. She’s enjoyed Bible study and the fellowship she’s gained from the experiences there. She’s helped with Vacation Bible School when her kids were young. She volunteers for the Women at Risk (WAR) organization, which helps keep women and children off the streets, by training the women in trades so they can support themselves. Kara has also helped a teacher friend with The Good New’s Club after school in her classroom for the past five years.
A turning point in Kara’s life was when she began writing novels in the early 1990’s. After her first book was written, she realized how much satisfaction it gave her to accomplish this task and has been writing novels ever since. Her parents, family and friends have supported and encouraged her to grow as a writer.