Kay Hooper (aka Kay Robbins) was born in California, in an air force base hospital since her father was stationed there at the time. The family moved back to North Carolina shortly afterward, so she was raised and went to school there. The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation. Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College—where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas. Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats—Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel—of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.

AKA Jaelyn Conlee. Fayrene Preston was born in Texas, USA where she raised. Her high school years were straight out of the movie American Graffiti—good friends and that wonderful rock ‘n' roll. After high school, Fayrene attended college and earned an Associate degree in Business Administration. Almost immediately afterward the university, she married a Navy man and for the next five years they traveled back and forth across America several times and lived on both coasts. Although the marriage didn't last, she was blessed with two completely wonderful sons, both grown now, and the most beautiful little granddaughter you've ever seen in your life! She counts herself as very lucky. Books have always been an important part of her life, and now she gets to make her living by writing them. She can't think of anything to make one happier. She published her debut novel as Jaelyn Conlee in 1982, now continued writing as Fayrene Preston.