Who is KJ Scouten? 

Don’t worry, this isn’t where I get all existential, nobody needs that right now. I just wanted to start out with a quick introduction. Rather than the generic, “Hey! My name is…” followed by “I was born here, raised here, and enjoy this” I thought I’d go about this a different way. 

So, who is KJ Scouten? (Aside from someone who apparently talks about herself in the third person… sometimes.)

Storyteller

The first thing y’all should know about me is that I am a storyteller. Always have been. Even as a young child I was imagining, writing, sharing stories. I grew up in a family of storytellers and some of my fondest family memories are from sitting around a dinner table listening to my Dad and assorted relatives share and subsequently one up each other with tale after tale. By the end of it my cheeks would burn and my stomach would hurt from laughing. 

That love of a good story sparked something in me early on, a desire to share my own stories. I can’t remember for certain when I realized my greatest dream and ambition was to become a published author, but I know that I was young. The conviction with which I have pursued that dream has grown steadily. Starting out as a tiny thought I kept to myself at first, not quite confident enough to share even though I planned and wrote and fantasized. Now, here I am, happy to tell anyone and everyone that I’m working on my first novel!

True Crime Enthusiast

Something else pretty much everyone that knows me is well aware of, probably more than they would like to be, is that I am obsessed with true crime. Podcasts are my go to fix, but I love the books, the documentaries, the random Google alerts when a new cult pops up or a TikTok that sends me down a rabbit hole. I love it all! It may or may not have something to do with my Mom letting me watch CSI and read her murder mystery books growing up. More than a few times while I was in elementary school she would get a call from the librarian because I was trying to check out another Agatha Christie or Tom Clancy Novel that was, “Above my grade level.” 

Fast forward to today and I’m listening to true crime on my way to work, in the shower, working out, even to fall asleep at night! Which I’m sure is totally normal. I love to watch an old episode of Forensics Files on the treadmill or discuss the crazy unsolved case one of my friends heard about over margaritas and queso. In fact, just the other day one of my friends asked if I had any good recommendations for true crime content as she dips her toe in and I sent a half dozen texts back to back with all my favorites.

Be sure to check back later and I promise I’ll share some of my favorite true crime content with y’all too!

Outdoorsy

I grew up in rural Montana and Wyoming. Like really rural, think once a month grocery trips and at least an hour drive to a ‘real’ town. We were also the kind of family that just spent a lot of time outside, partly because we had horses and cattle to take care of, but also because we were just that kind of family. There were lots of trips to the mountains to camp and fish and explore!

The mountains are still, very much my happy place, even though they are a little further away now that I live in Texas. I am lucky to have a state park less than 10 minutes from my house which makes taking the dog out for a hike an easy weekend adventure. My friends and I take a ‘girls trip’ every year with the camper and I try to get to Montana to visit my folks as often as I can. That always includes a trip to the mountains to fly fish, even though I’m terrible at it! The part I love is finding a nice little stream to work my way down and enjoy the piece in quiet while I fish. 

Coffee Addict

I feel like I’ve been drinking coffee my entire life, even though I know that’s not true. I certainly can’t imagine a day now without at least one cup of coffee, that is for certain. Personally I prefer it black, bitter and strong. Not to say I won’t get ‘fancy’ with a blended ice coffee with more caramel than I care to account for and always with an extra shot of espresso. 

When I think back, the memory with the strongest tie to a cup of coffee is sitting at my Grandma’s kitchen table on the ranch as a teenager. No matter what time of day it was or what was going on, as soon as you sat down at her table she had a hot, strong cup of coffee ready for you and there were unlimited refills.

Now as an adult nothing says Home to me like a slow morning at home sipping a cup of good coffee. 

Lover of the Simple Life

A relatively new development is my new found appreciation for simple living.  Something that I attribute to my rural and small town upbringing but, have really begun to explore and enjoy more as I have moved into my thirties. Like I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things is enjoying a good cup of coffee on a slow morning. Either with a home cooked breakfast or with a good book on the front porch. 

Along those lines of slowing down and enjoying the simple moments I’ve made it a point to find other ways to appreciate the little things. Home cooked meals, gardening, spending time outside. I watch less TV and read more books and swapped lamps for candles. I write in a journal every evening and have made it a point to cut back on ‘stuff’ in general. Asking myself, do I really need this? Could I use what I already have? Can I make this myself? 

My upbringing was a simple one and it’s been surprisingly comforting to go back to that in more ways than one. 

Long Story Short

Who is KJ Scouten? It’s me! A small town, country girl, a lover of true crime and simple pleasures like spending time outside or a good cup of coffee. More than anything, a reader, a writer, a storyteller. 

I am so excited to share my stories with all of you, both my own personal stories and my written works.