Jeff Karena was raised in the Midwest. He began writing at the age of ten, scribbling notes on the daily events of his life in a makeshift journal. His love of writing grew as a teenager, as did his love of mountain biking, exploration, independence and curiosity. Jeff relocated to the Dallas, Texas area to work, attend college, explore, and experience life in a major metropolitan area. This also provided Jeff with stories of people and experiences to write about, including working as a detention officer. Jeff has been fascinated by the East Coast since he was a child, seeing images of New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in newspapers and magazines. After college, he took a unique regulatory position that offered travel throughout Virginia. This provided Jeff with further exploratory opportunities, and more stories of people and experiences to write about. Jeff returned to the Midwest in 2019, where he continues to mountain bike, explore and write stories about people and experiences. Aside from mountain biking, Jeff loves going to art museums, listening to music, antiques, history, architecture, the Washington Nationals, the Las Vegas Raiders and classic cars. Jeff has an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of North Texas.