Fern Michaels is the pseudonym for Mary Ruth Kuczkir. She was born on April 9, 1933, and grew up in Hasting, Pennsylvania. Michaels is an American author of romance and thriller novels, including at least 90 bestselling books with more than 150 million copies in print. Her USA Today and New York Times bestselling books include Family Blessings, Pretty Woman, Crown Jewel, Take Down and About Face. She writes the Texas quartet, the Captive series, and The Sisterhood series. (Bowker Author Biography)

Catherine Coulter was born on December 26, 1942 in Cameron County, Texas. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and a master's degree in early 19th century European history from Boston College. Her first novel, The Autumn Countess, was published in 1978. Before becoming a full-time writer in 1982, she worked on Wall Street as a speech writer. Since then she has written over 65 books including The Aristocrat, Afterglow, False Pretenses, Impulse, and Born to Be Wild. She also writes the FBI Thriller series and numerous historical romance trilogies including the Song, Star, Magic, Night, Bride, Viking, and Legacy Trilogies. She writes A Brit in the FBI series with J. T. Ellison. (Bowker Author Biography)