Karen Hawkins-Ball is an American writer who was born and raised in the beautiful Appalachian (pronounced 'appa-latch-un') mountains of Southwest Virginia. She has worked in higher education for the past 28 years and has two daughters: Emily and Sara. She is the proud Gigi to her granddaughter, Melanie. 

Karen's pseudonym, McKinley Lanter, is an homage to her great grandfather

In her spare time, she enjoys attending and helping her church, reading, writing and spending time with her husband, Eric, and her five dogs. 

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