Deeanne Gist, a first time novelist who writes with natural humor and a wonderful ear for dialogue, originally was a teacher. She now publishes her own line of parenting products called "I Did It Productions." She has a degree from Texas A&M and lives with her family in Houston, Texas.

After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four stair-step 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 While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce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.

Gist lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-two years, her four teenagers and two dogs.