[close] After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel, and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm--all from the comforts of home.

Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities.

After a few short months of running her publishing company, Gist quickly discovered being a "corporate executive" was not where her gifts and talents lie. Ignoring her creative yearnings, she wrestled with manufacturing, distributing, marketing, invoicing, collecting, warehousing, pick-pack-and-shipping, etc. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.

Eight months later, she submitted A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers and they picked it up for their new "edgy inspirational" line of historical fiction. After its release in July 2005, Bride hit eight best seller lists, has sold over 150,000 copies and won the Christy Award for BEST ROMANCE 2006. The Measure of a Lady hit five best seller lists and won the Christy Award for BEST ROMANCE 2007. Courting Trouble and Deep in the Heart of Trouble have made five best seller lists so far.

Gist is contracted to have a book out every June through 2011. She lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-five years and their two border collies. They have four kids in college. Visit her blog to find out the most up-to-the-minute news about Dee. [close]