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.