Shelley Shephard Gray earned a bachelor's and master's degree in education. Before becoming a full time writer, she taught elementary school in Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. She started writing about the Amish because their way of life appealed to her and she wanted to write stories about regular people in extraordinary situations. Her works include the Sisters of the Heart series, Seasons of Sugarcreek series, The Families of Honor series, Heart of a Hero series, and Secrets of Crittenden County series.