Serena B. Miller

Serena B. Miller (born January 20, 1950) is a USA Today's best selling American author of Inspirational Fiction, Historical Fiction, Amish Romance, and Cozy Mystery

Early life and education

Miller was born in Portsmouth, Ohio and grew up in southern Ohio. Much of her childhood was spent in an 1840s log house originally belonging to her great-grandfather. She attended Ohio Valley Christian College in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Writing career

Miller began to seriously pursue a writing career in her late forties after her sons were grown. She was first published in various periodicals including The Detroit Free Press Magazine, Billy Graham's Decision Magazine, Guideposts, Focus On The Family, Christian Woman, Woman's World, and Reader's Digest. After joining Romance Writers of America in 2001, she began submitting full-length inspirational novels to various publishers.

Her fascination with an Old Order Amish settlement that had recently moved into southern Ohio near her home resulted in '' Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio (2010)''. Closely following were three more Amish novels: ''An Uncommon Grace (2012)'', ''Hidden Mercies (2013)'', and ''Fearless Hope (2014)''. Her interest in the post-civil war lumbering era in Michigan inspired a historical series beginning with ''The Measure of Katie Calloway (2011)'' followed by ''A Promise to Love (2012)'' and ''Under A Blackberry Moon (2013)''.

In addition to her fiction, Miller has authored several non-fiction works drawing from her extensive research into Amish communities. These include ''An Amish Wedding Invitation (2013)'', ''Inside an Amish Schoolhouse (2017)'', and her comprehensive parenting guide ''More than Happy: The Wisdom of Amish Parenting (2015)''. These works demonstrate her authority on Amish culture and traditions beyond her fictional portrayals.

Miller has achieved USA Today bestselling author status with her blend of inspirational fiction and compelling storytelling. She established herself as primarily a series writer with several multi-book collections. Her largest series, ''The Doreen Sizemore Adventures'', consists of eleven books beginning with ''Murder on the Texas Eagle: A Doreen Sizemore Adventure (2013)''. She returned to the Sugarcreek setting with the five-book ''Love's Journey in Sugarcreek'' series, further exploring the Amish community that launched her career. Her ''Love's Journey on Manitoulin Island'' series, comprising four books including ''Moriah's Lighthouse (2017)'', expanded her geographical scope beyond Ohio. Additional series include ''Uncommon Grace'' (3 books) and ''Secrets of Sugarcreek'' (2 books).

Miller's work has garnered significant recognition within the Christian and inspirational fiction community. Her novel ''The Measure Of Katie Calloway'' won the prestigious RITA Award from Romance Writers of America in 2012. ''An Uncommon Grace'' was nominated as a finalist for the 2013 Carol Awards. Her novel ''Under a Blackberry Moon'' was a finalist in the 2013 Christy Awards, and ''A Promise to Love'' won the Carol Award in 2013 from the American Christian Fiction Writers Association.

Three of Miller's novels have been adapted into television movies. ''Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio'' was adapted as a television movie for UP TV and aired in 2014. It was filmed on location in Sugarcreek, Ohio, and won the Movieguide Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring TV or Streaming Movie or Program in 2015. ''An Uncommon Grace'' was adapted by the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel in 2017, with filming taking place in Kentucky. ''Moriah's Lighthouse'' was adapted by the Hallmark Channel in 2022, filmed on location in France, including the Ploumanac'h Lighthouse in Perros-Guirec.

Miller has maintained a consistent publishing schedule throughout her career, with particularly productive periods in 2013, 2017, and 2025. Her most recent works include five new titles published in 2025, demonstrating her continued literary productivity and reader appeal after fifteen years in the industry.

Personal life

After several years working as a court reporter in Detroit, Michigan, she and her family moved back to their hometown of Minford, Ohio, where her husband, Steve Miller, became the minister of the Sunshine Church of Christ. He passed away in 2016 after a lengthy illness. Always her greatest encourager, he made her promise that she would continue writing after he was gone. Because of the brain fog of grief, for many months, she found it impossible to keep that promise. Her youngest son, Jacob, suggested she attempt to rewrite one of her earliest manuscripts, which had been rejected by multiple publishers.

One thing her husband had emphasized during the years she wrote and dealt with rejection was, “God doesn’t expect you to be successful, Serena. He only asks you to be faithful. Just do the work.”

With those words in mind, she rewrote the rejected manuscript, while her son taught himself all aspects of publishing. Soon, the family business of L.J. Emory Publishing was established, which has published all her titles since. The rights to the resulting novel, ''Moriah’s Lighthouse'', was later purchased by Hallmark, and filmed on location at beautiful Ploumanac'h Lighthouse in Perros-Guirec, Hotel Castel Beau Site in Brittany, and Rochefort-en-Terre, France.

Bibliography

Stand-Alone Publications

Amish Inspirational Romance

Historical Inspirational Romance

Cozy Mystery

Filmography

References

External links

Official Serena B. Miller US web site
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Serena B.
21st-century American novelists
RITA Award winners
American romantic fiction writers
1950 births
Living people
American women novelists
21st-century American women writers
American women romantic fiction writers
People from Portsmouth, Ohio
Ohio Valley University alumni