USA TODAY bestselling author Stephanie Bond was seven years deep into a systems engineering career and pursuing an MBA at night when an instructor remarked that she had a flair for writing and suggested that she submit to academic journals. But Stephanie, a voracious reader, was only interested in writing fiction–more specifically, romantic fiction. Upon completing her master’s degree and with no formal training in writing (her undergraduate degree is in computer programming), she started writing a romance novel in her spare time. Two years later in 1995 she sold her first manuscript, a romantic comedy, to Harlequin Books. In 1997, with ten sales under her belt to two publishers, Stephanie left her corporate job to write women’s romantic fiction full-time. In 2011, Stephanie launched a self-publishing business. Since that time, she has sold more than 1 million copies of her own books. To-date, Stephanie has published over 70 novels and has over 6 million copies of her work in worldwide distribution in numerous languages and formats.

Sandra Chastain was born on 1936 in Wadley, Georgia, 100 miles northwest of Savannah. As a little girl, she created fantasy lives for her paper dolls, and then she discovered Nancy Drew. Sandra wrote her first novel with a friend when she was 10 years old, The Mystery of the Green Necklace. Some four decades later, when her three daughters had gone off on their own, she returned to writing and was soon busy with writing, in addition to working with her husband in their veterinary practice in Smyrna, Georgia. Before long she was writing full time. Published since 1988, she writes historical novels for Bantam, short contemporary romances for Harlequin, and southern women's fiction for Bellebooks. To date, she has produced over 50 works, including her first fairy tale, The Tiniest Fairy In the Kingdom, published by Bellebooks. She writes under pennames Jenna Darcy and Allie Jordan as well as in her own name. Sandra has won many honors and recognitions from her industry.

Fantasizing has always been an important part of Donna's life. While growing up in a small Ohio town, she and her friends played make-believe for hours on end, spinning the most fantastic scenarios, all rich in relationship drama. (They were mostly based on fairy tales and her mom's favorite soap operas.) But in her teenage years, when her friends outgrew their "let's pretend" games, Donna still craved…something. So at 18, she set out for parts unknown, living in a half-dozen states, working diverse jobs, trying her hand at skydiving, whitewater rafting, motorcycling and tea-leaves reading. She realized the most intriguing element of her journey was the characters she met along the way. After working at occupations ranging from commercial shrimper to cocktail waitress to financial aid director of an art college, Donna finally found the drama she craves—writing novels. Happily married to an avid "junkee" — owner of a junk, antiques and collectibles business—she has two teenage sons and two older stepsons with lovely little families of their own. Donna lives in a log cabin in northeast Georgia where she writes for the Harlequin Temptation, Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin Blaze lines. Her novels have won her several prestigious awards…and many blissful hours fantasizing.

Virginia Ellis, aka Lyn Ellis, was a professional photographer who had traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and the world. With her camera she learned how to tell a visual story. In her Harlequin books, she was translating the visual into words, creating memorable characters, vivid settings and compelling romances. Her first book, Dear John, won a Maggie Award for Best Short Contemporary, the Waldenbooks award for Bestselling Series book from Harlequin in 1994, and was nominated in two categories for the prestigious RITA award. Her second book, In Praise of Younger Men, was also nominated for a RITA. Gin also wrote two women’s mainstream fiction novels under her own name, Virginia Ellis. Her novel The Wedding Dress was optioned by Dolly Parton Productions for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Gin was one of the five founding partners of Belle Books, along with authors Deborah Smith, Deb Dixon, Sandra Chastain, and Donna Ball. Gin Ellis, the versatile and award-winning writer, passed away 18 January 2006.