Merrill Williams began her career in publishing as an editorial assistant at Vogue magazine in New York City. After relocating to California to raise a family, she joined the management team at a private athletic club, and a few years later was recruited by a nationally renowned resort as their director of public relations. When she retired from the hotel business, she moved to New England where she published and edited a regional food and lifestyle magazine. Finally retiring for good in 2009, she returned to California to be closer to her family. Stories from the Garden Shed, a family history, is her first full-length book.