About

McKinley Aspen is a writer who lives in the Southern United States. In addition to the normal family shenanigans, McKinley has a busy schedule as "Chief Dog Walker" to Otis the puppy dog.

A graduate of both University of Chicago and Elmhurst University, McKinley enjoys exporing the world through family road trips, meals featuring Portillo's Beef with mozz (that's mozzarella in case you didn't know), and St. Louis Cardinals baseball.

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Featured Work

PRAESIDIUM: Shadows in the Wind Book One

July 7, 2022

Kathryn Bek gets the chance of a lifetime: a job offer right out of college, and in New York City, where adventure lies around every corner. Believing she is recruited for her marketing prowess, she is excited by the prospect of her new job in the intelligence sector; but all is not what it seems. Before long, Kathryn and her new team are thrown into a world of mystery, murder, and magic. As the team rushes around the world, untangling the web of lies, she finds that her past may be the key to protecting her, and the world's, future.

Will she be able to confront her fuzzy past to unlock the secrets within herself? Can her team rise to the challenge and stop the Paolucci Crime Family before they unleash havoc upon the globe?

Who will endure, the Kathryn of the past, or that of the future?

Other Works

  • COGITATIO: Shadows in the Wind Book Two

    August 8, 2023

Awards and Recognition

  • The BREW Award - 1st Place URBAN FICTION 2023 (Based in Australia, the BREW Book Excellence Award recognises exemplary literary pieces from all over the world.)
  • ILLUMINATION AWARDS - 1st Place (GOLD MEDAL) FICTION 2022 (Special honor highlighted in the "enduring light" category as a book that is timeless.)
  • FIREBIRD AWARDS - 1st Place across multiple categories: ACTION ADVENTURE, MYSTERY, URBAN FANTASY, and BEST COVER DESIGN 2022
  • ************************************************************** KIRKUS REVIEW (excerpt): A brisk, entertaining, tale of down-to-earth superheroes. **************************************************************

Press and Media Mentions