Kathleen McCleary was born and raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., and lived in New York, Tennessee, and Virginia before settling in Oregon in 1992. She has worked as a staff writer and editor and freelance writer for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, USA Weekend, Good Housekeeping, More, Health, Martha Stewart Living, and Ladies Home Journal. She was a columnist for several years for HGTV.com. A 2004 job opportunity for her husband brought her reluctantly back to Virginia (which is a beautiful and friendly state that had nothing to do with her discontent other than the fact that it wasn't Oregon). The move sparked the idea for a novel, and she spent almost three years writing House and Home, while also working as a freelance writer and as a barista at the local, independently owned coffee shop in her town.

She lives in northern Virginia with her husband, two daughters, and two cats, and spends several months each year in Oregon.

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Little known facts about Kathleen McCleary that may (or may not) surprise her friends:

-At age 12 she was briefly considered for the lead role in "The Exorcist," until her mother found out what the movie was about. (Her mom had a friend who was a casting agent.)
-She majored in comparative religion in college.
-She attended law school for a semester at Union University in Albany until she figured out that she really didn't want to be a lawyer.
-She interviewed Michael Jordan when she was two months pregnant and came perilously close to barfing on his expensive leather shoes (but didn't!).
-She is a very fast walker.