Julie Garwood was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1946. Her writing career began when the last of her three children entered school. Her first novel, Gentle Warrior, was published in 1985. She has written over 25 romance novels since then including Shadow Dance, Slow Burn, Murder List, Killjoy, Mercy, Heartbreaker, Ransom, Come the Spring, and The Ideal Man. Her novel For the Roses was adapted into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. She also wrote a children's book, What's a Girl to Do?, and has also begun writing a novel for young adults under the pseudonym of Emily Chase. Her titles have made The New York Times Best Seller List several times --Sweet Talk in 2012, Hotshot in 2013 and Fast Track in 2014.