Bio
Kim Zachman grew up in Norris, Tennessee, the prettiest small town in the whole state, and possibly the whole country. Even though it was a pretty town, it was a very small town and there wasn’t much to do besides read. Kim was grateful that Norris had a library, even if it wasn’t open every day.
One reason Kim liked to read so much was because she was curious about people, places, animals, and almost everything else, except for astrophysics. It’s not uncommon for avid readers to want to be writers and that was true of Kim. She sold her first book at the age of six…to her grandmother for ten cents. She has never forgotten the rush that came with that literary success.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, she went on to earn her master’s degree in Sports Psychology from the University of Virginia. Sports Psychology might seem like an odd degree to get, but it was a good idea at the time, because Kim’s other passion besides reading and writing, was sports. She played basketball and volleyball in high school and volleyball in college.
But the reading and writing bug was still there. After college, Kim took classes in creative writing, editing, and writing for magazines and started a career as a freelance writer. Kim has published more than 100 articles and essays in more than 25 magazines, newspapers, and e-magazines.
When Kim became a mom, she took her two daughters to the library. Then a weird thing happened— she started to check out children’s books for herself. Her new fascination with children’s literature led to a job with Scholastic Book Fairs as a field support representative. She traveled around to schools talking about books. It was so much fun, sometimes she felt guilty for getting paid.
Kim still wanted to write, but now she wanted to write for kids. She joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). With the help of her agent, John Rudolph of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, her first book, There’s No Ham in Hamburgers: Facts and Folklore About Our Favorite Foods released April 2021 from Running Press Kids. It’s companion, There’s No Cream in Cream Soda: Facts and Folklore About Our Favorite Drinks published in July 2023.
Kim lives in the Atlanta area with her husband and their almost perfect dog. Sometimes, their daughters come home from college and live with them too. She’s still a member of SCBWI, as well as, the Atlanta Writer’s Club and the Middle Grade Mojo (www.middlegrademojo.com), a resource for middle grade readers and writers. Instead of volleyball and basketball, she now plays tennis.
