Karen McMillan lives in New Zealand and is the author of 16 books, published in nine countries, a mixture of fiction, non-fiction and children's books. Karen has a Diploma in Professional Writing and an Advanced Diploma of Applied Arts (Writing). Love Bytes was originally published as Love in Aotearoa by Random House and the book was short-listed for the Ashton Wylie Book Award in 2005. Everyday Strength represented New Zealand in the Gourmand World Awards 2018 in the Health and Nutrition category. She is also the author of the popular Elastic Island Adventure series for children, that is in early development to be made into a TV series. Previously an award-winning fashion designer, Karen has worked in the book publishing industry for the past 18 years. Karen has written articles for a variety of different publications and from time to time she undertakes ghost-writing projects. She has also volunteered for many years for her local hospice, writing articles that promote the life-affirming work that they do. Karen is a breast cancer survivor. www.karenm.co.nz