Stephanie Vaughan

One day, though, a friend made the rash statement that she was "too cynical and sarcastic to be a romance heroine." Well, I couldn't let that go by without comment. I wrote the opening chapter of a romance novel starring my friend as the story's heroine, and after two chapters I found I couldn't stop. I finished the story and wrote another. And another. And another.

I'm grateful for the people who've crossed my path at the right times to make this all happen: the amazingly generous and hugely talented Suzanne Brockmann, for her graciousness and encouragement; the readers of Suz's bb community, for reading the early stuff and saying it didn't suck; Angela Knight, for opening my eyes to the possibilities in erotic romance and electronic publishing; the fine folks at Torquere Press, Ellora's Cave, Phaze, Loose Id, and Whiskey Creek, who have bought my stories; and the best critique partner ever, the incredible Raven McKnight -- I love you, man. Most of all, my wonderful husband and son, who always know the right thing to say.

Thank you,

It all began in a little 6,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California.

No, wait.

That was Ted Baxter and I'm channeling old episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore show again.

It's been a pretty ordinary life so far. I grew up in suburban Orange County, California, back when you could still find orange groves there. Two older brothers, a mom and dad who somehow managed to stay together, and a steady parade of animal companions -- everything from hamsters to horses -- were the main ingredients in the mix.

Except somewhere along the line my love of books and reading took over. I've been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, and I give my parents all the credit for instilling that love in me by reading to me every night when I was a child. Everything from action/adventure to poetry; stories of pioneer girls and their dogs, to Anna Sewell's Black Beauty.

Early on, my artistic impulses took the form of painting, mostly. My depiction of a butterfly landing on a Clydesdale's head won first prize in the six-to-seven-year-old category at La Pluma Elementary school, and we all figured that was that.