Kathleen McCleary

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.