Jean Candlish Kelchner was born and grew up in Augusta, Arkansas, a small town on The White River, a tributary of the Mississippi, and just as muddy. She likes to think she writes in the Southern tradition; at least, she is confident that her mental resources are rooted there and the three heroines of her three novels are drawn from there; even though they unfold in the North, just as she did.  She calls herself a late-bloomer, because she went back to school late, started teaching late, and started writing even later.

Ms. Kelchner holds a Masters Degree in Liberal Studies from Kean University in New Jersey where she taught English and Humanities. She is a member of AAUW (American Association of University Women) and IWWG (International Women’s Writing Guild). She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Charles.