Mary Peace Finley grew up along the Arkansas River near the site of Bent's Fort and the old Santa Fe Trail. She attended public schools in Fowler, Colorado, and is a graduate of the University of Denver. She has taught English as a foreign language in Latin America and the United States and teaches fiction writing classes and workshops. Her award-winning historical novels, Soaring Eagle, White Grizzly, and Meadow Lark, make up the Santa Fe Trail Trilogy. Other publications include Little Fox's Secret-The Mystery of Bent's Fort, The Matchbox, Tiger Tales, Fireflies, and Fernitickles; magazine articles, and television scripts for Marty Stouffer's Wild America. She lives in Colorado.