Harper Lee inspired Lori Keesey to become a writer. So captivated by Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lori wanted to create characters just as engaging as this spunky little girl. Many years passed--and hundreds of novels were read--before Lori realized her goal. A former journalist, Lori has written for daily newspapers, trade publications, and magazines and worked for NASA in public outreach for nearly twenty years as a communication consultant. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she met her husband, Kevin Berry, the father of her three boys. Lori was born in Washington, DC, and now calls Walland, Tennessee, home.