Born in Toronto, Ontario (where she currently resides), Kim Carlton has always been interested in the written word. Born as Kim Edwards, she started out as the co-editor of her middle school newspaper, and went on to study English and Political Science at the University of Toronto, where she became involved in the student newspapers.

She went on to do an internship at NOW Magazine, then moved up through various positions to become the editor of a start-up lifestyle magazine, PLUS. There she experienced all aspects of creating a top-quality publication from start to finish.

Since then, Kim has worked in senior editorial roles at several other publications and websites, including Optical Prism, Home and Décor, Renters News and CP24.com. She has also managed a thriving freelance business writing and editing material for corporate, non-profit, publishing and web clients. She has written for publications which include The Toronto Star, Elevate, Access, Elle Canada, AMOI, The Lawyer's Weekly, and has also contributed to websites such as the CBC.ca.

After dating for several years, Kim married her husband, graphic designer Andrew Carlton in 2009 and changed her last name to Carlton. They live with their son Andrew James and cat Luna in the Lakeshore area of Toronto.