Jennifer Vido’s stories may not be set in Harford County, but the sense of community that runs through her books is shaped by life here. A longtime resident, Vido balances her work as Executive Director of the Harford County Bar Foundation with a career as a novelist, writing romance and cozy mysteries built around human connection, resilience, and belonging.
Living in a place she didn’t originally call home has influenced how she sees people and how she writes them. “Being part of a community that I’m not originally from, you learn different things about the area and the people who live there,” Vido said. “We’re a small community, it’s a tight-knit community with people that take care of each other.” That warmth informs her fictional worlds. “Each is set in a cozy close-knit community like Harford County,” she added. “I love this place, I love the community. It’s so warm and welcoming, and it’s just like my series that I write.”
Vido and her husband met at Vanderbilt University, and she spent years teaching French, including at The John Carroll School. “I loved teaching,” she says. “Sometimes life throws you a curveball.” Severe arthritis and eventual joint replacements changed her day-to-day work and led her into a new role serving county residents through the Bar Foundation, which provides legal support ranging from notary services to full legal representation.
Writing, meanwhile, happens after hours. “I am not a full-time writer; I’m the Executive Director of Harford County Bar Foundation,” Vido says. “I write at night.” Her routine is steady: “In the chair every night at 8 pm writing.”
The drive to tell stories grew out of her lifelong love of books. “I’ve always been a reader,” she said, crediting her mother with frequent library trips as a child. A defining moment arrived unexpectedly on Live with Regis & Kelly during a reading segment in which she was surprisingly invited on stage. “Something just clicked,” she recalled as her impetus to start writing
Since her first book was published in 2010, Vido has gravitated toward romance and cozy mysteries. “Romance, intrigue, hope, human connection; if you’re looking for those things in a story, that’s what I write,” she says. For mystery fans who prefer comfort over shock, her approach is simple: “No blood, guts, or gore -- that’s why I write cozy mysteries.”
Her Gull Island series reflects that inviting spirit. Inspired by decades of family vacations in the Lowcountry, the fictional island setting is, as Vido puts it, “like my love letter to Fripp Island.” She added, “The area soothes the soul.” The books center on “uplifting romances; family, fresh starts, and love,” with a throughline she believes readers need: “We all need fresh starts.”
Her newest release, Simplicity by the Sea, hit shelves in January and continues the series with a friends-to-lovers storyline. It opens with a wedding that brings back familiar faces while introducing a single dad, a new dynamic for Vido. “What I love about the series is that there are recurring characters,” she said. “But, the books are stand-alone, so you can pick one up and not be lost.”
Her work has earned a variety of recognitions, including Baltimore Magazine’s Best Local Author in 2024 and 2025. “It was very exciting and very humbling to have my writing acknowledged in that way,” Vido said.
The launch of Vido’s newest novel will also serve as a fundraiser benefiting the Harford County Bar Foundation. “To be able to celebrate another part of me, the writing part, is so special,” Vido says.
At the heart of Vido’s work is a simple goal: to make readers feel like they belong. “Just a sense of belonging. That’s what Gull Island is,” she says. Her books offer escape and reassurance, and she’s unwavering in that. “I don’t write books with sad endings,” Vido says. “I’m always looking for that happily ever after.”
Romance, intrigue, hope, human connection; if you’re looking for those things in a story, that’s what I write.