Mary Ellis grew up close to the Amish where she loved their peaceful agrarian lifestyle and strong sense of Christian community. She and her husband now live by the largest population of Old Order in the country where they take weekend trips to research her books. Mary enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, bicycling and swimming. Living in Harmony, book one of her last series won the 2012 Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction. Book two, Love Comes to Paradise, won the 2013 Lime Award.