Maureen McKade has been making up stories since the moment she learned to read, write and string sentences together. Her first book, "Winter Hearts", published in 1997 was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America's (RWA) Golden Heart contest, then a finalist in RWA's RITA for best first book. Since then, she's written thirteen more books and a short story for an anthology.She taught middle school science for three years then held a variety of jobs--bookstore clerk, administrative assistant, customer service manager, department manager, and pharmacy technician--until she settling on writing. (Or, more aptly, until writing settled on her.)Maureen and her husband, a retired Air Force officer, now live on 40 nature-filled acres in southwestern North Dakota with their two French Brittany Spaniels and three cats. Her eclectic list of leisure pursuits include long walks with hubby and their dogs, reading, wildlife watching, golfing, bird hunting, and puttering around in the kitchen.To learn more, visit http://www.maureenmckade.net