An award-winning journalist, Jackie Sheckler Finch has covered a wide array of topics—from birth to death with all the joy and sorrow in between. She has written for many publications and has been named the Mark Twain Travel Writer of the Year by Midwest Travel Writers a record five times—in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2007, and 2011. She shares her home with her resident entertainer and watchdog, Pepper. One of her greatest joys is taking to the road to find the fascinating people and places that wait over the hill and around the next bend.