Life as a curvy, feisty provocateur is fun, but it isn’t always easy. Kelli M. Brown has spent a lifetime asking questions, debating viewpoints, and advocating for women and diversity. The world has a lot of fixed ideas about the ideal female, and the size of her heart is often overshadowed by the measure of her waistline.

After co-founding She Magazine, a college publication that championed women and inclusivity, Kelli went on to work as a journalist for CNN and Fox News, before becoming the Communications Director of Imaginarium, the Denver Public Schools’ Innovation Lab.

Love has always lit the path of inspiration, and more recently, led her to romantic fiction. But you won’t find billionaire jerks in Kelli’s books, or the spotless virgins waiting to redeem them. Kelli’s characters are the kind of people fiction tends to forget: the fat girls that hide their bodies, or those who live with a disability long after they’ve found their happy ending. After all, life is complex and love can be tough, destructive, and heartbreaking. But it’s always beautiful, and so are the people it touches and transforms.

Kelli loves connecting with her readers and other writers. Follow her on Facebook or Instagram to keep up with her daily updates and other escapades.