After more than two decades in the South, Shannon McNear now makes her home on the windy northern plains with her husband, an elderly but still-feisty German Shepherd, and one cat. She serves in worship and youth ministry, and has been writing novel-length fiction since age 15. Her first novella, Defending Truth, from A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® nominee, and her most recent novella, The Wise Guy and the Star in Love’s Pure Light is a 2021 SELAH winner.

When not cooking, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, hanging out with her grandbabies and basking in the beauty of the Dakota prairie.