Shelley Wykoff spent her childhood growing up in the country playing in trees and creeks. An especially super day was when they caught crawfish or bottled lightning bugs. She was an avid reader supported by her mother who bought her the latest Hardy Boy mystery that was on the market each payday. Reading helped her through her parents’ divorce. Shelley attended Edinboro University where she majored in Criminal Justice and Sociology. She furthered her education at Mercyhurst University completing a Master’s certificate in Administration of Justice. A scholarship is also available there in honor of her late mother, Janina and maternal grandfather Morong. Shelley was first published in September 2011 in the project Women Warriors; Stories behind the Thin Blue Line. This has garnered national attention in the industry; it continues to do well today.