Karen McMillan lives in New Zealand and is the author of 17 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 series of animated movies. Karen is the resident book reviewer on The Cafe TV3, and appears regularly in the media. She has been a speaker at many festivals and events, including the Going West Festival, the Devonport Arts Festival, the Tauranga Arts Festival, and Brisbane Book Week (with thanks to Creative NZ Funding)​. 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