Kekla is the author of many novels and nonfiction books for young readers. She grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and wrote her first novel when she was in high school. She should have known then that she was destined to be an author, but it actually took her a while longer to figure it out. Kekla always loved books, though. Her mom read lots of books to her, and took her to the library every week so she could read and read and read. Kekla made a habit of checking out as many paperbacks as she could carry!
Kekla is biracial. Her mom grew up in the U.S., but her ancestors came from Holland, Scotland, and maybe elsewhere in Europe. Her dad grew up in Cameroon, a country in western Africa. When Kekla was very young, she lived with her parents in Cameroon for several years.