Karon McAninch was born in Oak Park, Illinois. As an only child, she grew up in Berwyn, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. During this time, she listened to her mother who told her to find a way to occupy her time when she was alone. As a result, at the age of 14 Karon developed an interest in writing short stories, but never considered publishing until recently. With encouragement from family and friends, Karon moved forward to publish her first book, A Tortoise Shell Cat Named Patches.