Donna Kathryn Kelly began her legal career as an assistant public defender, handling felony and juvenile cases. Kelly subsequently worked as an assistant appellate defender for the Office of the State Appellate Defender in La Salle County, Illinois for seven years. Kelly has successfully argued cases before the Appellate Court of Illinois and the Supreme Court of Illinois. After devoting the first decade of her legal career to criminal defense, Kelly worked as a prosecutor in the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office in northern Illinois, where she successfully tried numerous felony cases to jury verdict. In 2007, she was honored by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists with the Outstanding Assistant State's Attorney (Illinois) of the Year Award for her commitment and dedication to seeking justice for victims of alcohol-impaired and drug-impaired drivers. Later in her career, Kelly served in executive-level managerial positions as Chief of the Civil Division and subsequently, First Assistant State's Attorney. Kelly is the author of THE CHENEY MANNING SERIES, a collection of suspense novels featuring an Illinois public defender turned amateur sleuth who investigates homicide cases in the northern Illinois area. Kelly is also the author of the paranormal horror thriller, THE DESCENT: A Halloween Novel, which was a semi-finalist in the 2023 Soon to be Famous Illinois Author Project Manuscript Contest. Kelly's supernatural thriller, THE LION AT THE FALLS, was selected as a Finalist in the 2024 Killer Nashville Claymore Award Competition [Supernatural Category]. Additionally, the novel was awarded Third Place in the 2024 West Virginia Writers' Competition [Book-Length Prose Category]. Kelly's poetry has appeared in various literary journals and anthologies. Her poem, ASSUMPSIT, was selected as the First Place Entry in the South Dakota State Poetry Society's 2018 Annual Poetry Contest (Portrait Category). You can find Kelly on Instagram @donnakathrynkelly. [Author Photo Credit: Linda M. Barrett Productions]