Mary Peace Finley grew up near the site of Bent's Fort in southeastern Colorado on the old Santa Fe Trail exploring the many areas that now serve as settings for her novels. She is a graduate of the University of Denver, a former teacher of English-as-a-Foreign Language, television scriptwriter, and author of several books.

All three novels in her Santa Fe Trail trilogy are award winners: Meadow Lark - winner of the Colorado Book Award for young adult fiction and WILLA Award finalist; White Grizzly - winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award from Publishers Marketing Association and an EVVY Award from Colorado Independent Publisher's Association; Soaring Eagle - winner of Top Hand Award from Colorado Author's League and finalist for Colorado Blue Spruce Award. Most recently, Mary Peace Finley was the recipient of an Award of Merit from the Santa Fe Trail Association.

Mary is active in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Collorado Authors League, Women Writing the West, and Western Writers of America.

Visit Mary at http://www.marypeacefinley.com/.