Kelley is a freelance illustrator living in Washington. A homeschool alumni, at the age of 6 she won "Best of Show" in her church's art show for her depiction of Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac. Kelley received a BA in Japanese at San Jose State University and studied abroad in Japan for a semester. In 2013 she received her MFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University and won the SCBWI Student Illustrator Scholarship. Her other job is being a mother to three daughters. In her spare time, she sleeps.