A native of Missouri, Mimi O'Malley holds a B.A. in History from the University of Dayton (OH) and an M.S. in Library Science from Clarion University in Pennsylvania. She has worked in archives and special collections at the Bucks County Historical Society in Pennsylvania and is currently experiencing a learning curve as an academic librarian at Sullivan University. Before embarking on her first travel/history book, she wrote more than fifty articles for newspapers, magazines, and online publications. She resides in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband and two children.