When Diane Gaston was a little girl, she'd learn all the words to popular love songs. When she played, her dolls acted out tragic love affairs with the current heartthrob on TV or in the movies. She thought everyone in the world made up romantic stories in their heads to fall asleep at night.

Even as a little girl, Diane loved the romances in the books she read, enjoying Nancy Drew's relationship with Ned more her mystery-solving. And she will never forgive Louisa May Alcott for not giving Jo a happy ending with Laurie. When Diane discovered romance novels in college, she was in heaven, especially if the romance was set in historic England.

Diane even majored in English literature in college, but the closest her coursework came to romance was a smattering of Jane Austen. In her first career, Diane helped others craft their own happy endings. She earned masters degrees in both psychology and social work and became a county mental health therapist. She also experienced her own romance, getting married and raising a daughter and son.

Diane's dream job, though, had always been to write romance novels. One day she decided to pursue that dream and has never looked back. She is now writing full-time. Her Harlequin Historical books have won Romance's highest honor - the RITA Award, the National Readers Choice Award and the Golden Heart.

Diane has reaped a world of friendships through her romance writing - a wonderful bonus to living her dream. Diane enjoys e-mailing with her friends and traveling to England for research. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three very ordinary house cats.

Annie Burrows was born in Suffolk, England, to parents who loved to read. Her home was always full of books, and every Saturday they went to the local library to stock up on more! Always a bit of a daydreamer, Annie began to make up stories in her own head during long walks to and from school, and during the prolonged bouts of illness that kept her in bed.

Part of every family holiday was spent visiting stately homes, or exploring ruined castles. As soon as they got home, Annie and her older sister would either dress up as lords and ladies and romp around the garden, or, if it was raining, draw intricate plans of their very own imaginary stately home, complete with secret tunnels and a maze in the extensive grounds.

Her love of stories meant that when she was old enough to go to university, she chose to study English literature. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do beyond that, but meeting a handsome student of math, who was also the owner of a very powerful motorbike, helped her make up her mind. She married him, and followed him to Manchester, where he earned his doctorate.

For many years Annie felt it was important to stay at home to raise her two children, but one day, when the youngest was at senior school, she began to wonder if all those daydreams that had kept her mind occupied whilst carrying out mundane chores, would provide similar pleasure to other women.

Her first attempt at working one of her storylines into a manuscript that she could send to publishers took almost two years, mainly because she kept tearing it up and starting all over again. Having to get a job to help pay school fees and university tuition for her children didn't help either. This first completed novel was rejected by every single publisher she sent it to, but by this time, writing had become an addiction.

Fortunately, Mills & Boon eventually accepted another one of her manuscripts, and His Cinderella Bride was published in September 2007. Because all she wants to do is write, having to go out to work to earn money had been really getting in the way!