Ellen Birkman

Ellen Ziegler Birkman grew up in a rambling farmhouse in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. She had a glorious childhood as the oldest of five children. She enjoyed riding horses, acting, writing, and developing her musical talents. During high school she was a foreign exchange student in Spain and spent her senior year in Norway. With a Master’s Degree in Education, she began her teaching career at a Christian school. Ellen taught English, directed a massive music program and the youth group and met her husband. She then became the Music Director at another church. When her husband started law school, Ellen transitioned to public school and currently teaches at Boca Raton Community High School in Palm Beach County, Florida. She has been teaching Florida’s high school students for over 40 years and still “falls in love every August with a whole new group of 180 kids”.

Her stories flow from the sweet memories and the rich love story she had with her husband of 31 years. Her beloved husband died in 2007. Several of her books were written during those difficult days of “finding my way without him at my side”.

Ellen resides in Boca Raton and is passionate about teaching, gardening, writing, and cooking/baking. She did inherit the sunbuckle tins, used to bake the heart-shaped cookies, for which this book series is named. She has baked thousands of sunbuckle cookies. Ellen’s greatest blessings are her three remarkable sons: David, Johnny, and Joe.