Merrillee wrote her first novel and shared it with her friends when she was in high school, but years passed before she thought about writing anything with publication in mind. After many years of writing, in July of 2003 she won the Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of America for best inspirational romance manuscript. She has also been the winner of the inspirational category in MARA Fiction from the Heartland Contest, Lonestar Writing Competition, TARA First Impressions Contest, Dixie First Chapter Contest and Opening Gambit Contest. In February of 2004, Merrillee received "the call" that made her dream of publication come true. Her first book, THE HEART’S HOMECOMING, was an August 2005 release from Steeple Hill, Love Inspired. AN UNEXPECTED BLESSING was a June 2006 release from Steeple Hill, Love Inspired. Merrillee has visited all fifty states and a dozen foreign countries. She has lived in the cities of Spokane, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, and Chicago. Her moves have inspired the settings for her stories and given her the opportunity to meet other writers through the chapters of Romance Writers of American located in each place she lived. She is active in her local RWA chapter, First Coast Romance Writers and a long-distance member of Chicago-North RWA. Merrillee now lives in Florida. When she is not writing, she works part-time for her husband’s recruiting firm or enjoys walking on the beach, playing tennis or doing a little yard work.