Deeanne Gist holds a degree from Texas A&M. After a short career in elementary education, she retired to raise her four children. Over the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business; wrote freelance articles for numerous publications including People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel; and started her own publishing company. After a mainstream publisher agreed to license her parenting I Did It! product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, she returned to writing. Her novels include A Bride Most Begrudging, A Bride in the Bargain, Beguiled, and Maid To Match. She has won two Christy Awards.