Born and raised in Brazil to a Brazilian father and an American mother, Karen Keilt had a childhood of luxury and privilege. In 1979, she fled to the U.S., after being unlawfully held prisoner and tortured by Brazilian police for 45 days before being ransomed. Since coming to America, she has been a riding master at the YMCA, the first-ever female general manager of a men's professional RHI League hockey franchise (the Florida Hammerheads), a newspaper columnist in South Carolina, and written four screenplays. She lives in Carefree, Arizona, with her husband, Jack, and their dog, Luna.