Romance author Anne McAllister was born in California. She has a master's degree in theology. Before becoming a full time writer, she taught Spanish, capped deodorant bottles, copyedited textbooks, and ghostwrote sermons. Since 1985, she has written over 50 novels. She has won numerous awards including two RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America for Cowboy Pride and The Stardust Cowboy, the 2000 Writer of the Year award from Midwest Fiction Writers, and the 2000 Romantic Times' Career Achievement Award as Series Author of the Year.