Marcie/Minori McKinney

**Marcie McKinney**, or, **Minori McKinney**, or as they're formally known (by their birth name), **Marcella Mia McKinney**, is best known for being the author of the Forgotten Intelligence trilogy and the fanfiction series MistClan's path, after Erin Hunter's series Warriors. They also have written original works, such as Imagine, and, their most popular on their Wattpad, Petrified. They are a contributor on Wiki, aka MarcieMeowz.

Minori was born on October 26th, 2001 in Framingham, Massachusetts, and has lived in Marlborough, Massachusetts ever since, though they had lived in Savannah, Georgia for a year while in college, eventually coming home as they felt they "left too soon" and that "college wasn't worth it"- describing it as a "waste of time and money" and a "fate worse than death for your bank account and your life if you don't get a good major"... they're joking... right?

Ever since they were five or younger, they wrote children's books. At the age of 11, they decided to start writing more complex novels.

As of 2019, they now refer to themselves as Minori, taking on their non-binary identity fully. However, through their novels, they will still publish them under the "Marcie McKinney" name online. This was revealed to have changed to the “Minori McKinney” name officially after the publication of Imagine.

At the age of 10, Minori was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is categorized under the autism spectrum. “I don’t let this hinder me in my work,” they said in response to a question from a fan. “I love to draw, I love to write, I love to sing and play Charles. I won’t let my disability get in the way of that.” Minori cites their grandfather, Charles McKinney, as a great inspiration in their work, and as the namesake for their ukulele. He passed away in May 2019, leaving Minori devastated but still hoping his memory would live on in their work... and in their ukulele. They found peace one day with this knowledge- "Each day I play my uke, I know he's there. And each day I see a dragonfly follow me... I know he's there too. Once, I was busking in Savannah, where I went to college for a year, and a dragonfly flew over and just laid there and chilled with me for half an hour straight- I'm not kidding, that's when I knew he was always there, so proud of me."

Not long after, their mood had heavily shifted in a negative manner, leading to a diagnosis of MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) at age 11, later progressing to bipolar disorder at age 18. They admit that it has very seriously affected their life and relationships, and as stated on their podcast in June of 2023, they were now talking with their therapist more, and though they had been on medication (more specifically Prozac) for an indefinite amount of time for it, they finally worked up the courage to tell their doctor how it truly made them feel, and it “subsequently ended their pain” in said regard.

They did have a special someone of sorts- who they ended up making the decision to call things off with "for better or for worse" in June 2023 after 6 years to focus on their mental health. "Maybe one day, some day far in the future, I'll find that someone who's best for me, but for now, let me be single by choice. I've been much happier that way." They say. Minori has dubbed their sexuality as "bisexual and aromantic" as of this time- though according to them- only since they have an "unrequited 'crush', of sorts"- all according to the podcast behind the scenes posted on the discord.

Minori attended the Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School from 2016 to 2020, when they graduated, though in their words, it was a "pretty pathetic graduation". "I had to pull up in my dad's car, get out when my name was called with my mask on, grab my diploma and certificate, pose for one photo without the mask, then turn around and put it right back on and go home. How lame is that?" Due to COVID-19, their graduation and the last part of their senior year was immediately affected. "My last performance with the drama club and honors chorus, the senior prom, the senior trip, the skip day, the prank. And my graduation party with all my friends... not to mention the last of my days with said friends in school. All of that was suddenly ripped away from me," they say. "I'm just glad the rest of my family wasn't there to witness my anger... and sometimes I'm even glad my Grampy didn't have to see something so lame for a graduation."

After a gap year, they got accepted into the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD for short) in Savannah, Georgia, moving onto that campus for one year's time. "Though I loved the warm weather and the independence, I left the comfort of home too soon... it's mostly because I gave into pressure from my mom and her family to get out of the house and go to school." After a "miserable failure" of a first year, Minori left SCAD and went home to instead look for work. They have since become a teller and a freelance artist, occasionally selling at conventions, the first of which was Fan Expo Boston 2023, taking place from August 4-6. However, due to it being a failure in their terms, they were hesitant to accept the next potential venture- taking place in December of the same year. "I can't back down, one bad con doesn't mean *all* bad cons," they replied, when questioned about it by a fan on the discord. "Though, there are times I cannot help but worry... that it will end the same way as Fan Expo. And if it does, it makes me wonder if every staff member in middle school, every former friend who now hates me, every naysayer online... if they were right, and I should just give up and go back to school and be miserable and in debt all over again... but let me have a second chance first- let Minori McKinney show the world what they were put on it to do- to be an artist, because it's the only thing I *can* do right."

*More coming soon*

*TRIVIA*

* Minori often takes on the nicknames "Zilly", "Minori-sama", and "Miss/Mx. (pronounced “mix”) Minori".
* Minori, starting sophomore year, chose to be called "Minori". They say, "It means truth (in Japanese). The truth about my identity."
* Minori published Forgotten Intelligence at the age of 14, and Imagine at the age of 21.
* Minori has had multiple books and manga works in the making, and somehow keeps them all going. We don't know how they do it!
* Minori struggles with hearing in their right ear, so you may see them with a hearing aid from time to time. “My friend actually practically lost his hearing in his left ear, but bought a set as they only sold those where he was at- but now it can quit sitting around. He takes the left one, I take the right one, checkmate, we both win.” They say, in that regard.