Growing up in Michigan, on the east side of Kalamazoo, J. Marie Smith has always been interested in writing, and lived a life worth writing about, from sailing the U.S. and British Virgin Islands onboard the sailboat of her brother (a retired Navy Officer), to undergoing flight training for her private pilot’s license.

Many of these adventures were undertaken with her husband at her side, with whom she raised two daughters, Dawn and Kelley. After a prolonged illness, her husband passed away nine years ago, and she found solace in her writing, publishing her first book of this series, Silver Creek, Jake and Jessica, in 2017.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys making afghans for her friends and family (which includes three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren) and feeding the wildlife in her backyard. She now lives in Galesburg, Michigan, close to her family, with two rescue cats, Kirby and Dottie.