Joss Wood wrote her first book at the age of eight and has never really stopped. Her passion for putting black letters on a white screen is only matched by her love of books and travelling (especially to the wild places of Southern Africa) and, possibly, by her hatred of ironing and making school lunches. Joss was a finalist in the Voice of Africa/Essentials magazine short story writing competition in 2010 and placed third in 2011. It was through this competition that her first book was brought to the notice of the Mills & Boon editors.

Joss has a background in business and marketing. When she's not writing or being a hands-on mum, Joss, fueled by coffee, works for a nonprofit organization to promote the local economic development and the collective business interests of the area where she resides. Her hobbies include coaching her young daughter's field hockey team, meeting her friends for a before-work cappuccino and an after-work cup of tea, and reading, reading, reading.

She is happiest with a rucksack on her back and an airplane ticket in her hand and has been fortunate enough to indulge her passion for travel by visiting many countries within Southern Africa, Europe and America. Joss lives in a rural town in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, in an area surrounded by wild-game farms and stunning mountains. It is not unusual for her to see rhinoceroses and giraffes, antelope and zebras while driving to have tea with her mother in a neighbouring town.

Joss lives with her husband, son and daughter - and their pets - happily and chaotically, surrounded by books, family and friends.

Maisey Yates started writing stories from the moment she first learned how to form words with a pen. But she never had any idea what to write, and most stories sat started, half formed and half finished, but never completed.

During her high school and college years, she spent a lot of time dreaming about holding a book in her hands that had her name emblazoned across the front, but she did a lot more dreaming than actual writing.At her very first job she was fortunate enough to meet her very own tall, dark and handsome hero, who happened to be her boss, and she promptly married him and started a family.

It wasn't until she was pregnant with her second child that she found her very first Harlequin Presents book in a local thrift store. She'd never read a Harlequin romance before, and by the time she'd reached the happily ever after she had fallen in love.

She devoured as many as she could get her hands on after that, and she knew that these were the books she wanted to write!Soon after that she saw that Harlequin was running a competition to win an editor for a year. She decided that was her sign to get in gear and start writing again.

So she wrote her chapter and synopsis and hit send with trembling hands. She didn't get any feedback from the contest, but it was the boost she needed to get her first full manuscript finished and submitted to Harlequin Presents.

Nearly two years later, while pregnant with her third child, she received The Call from her editor, informing her they wanted to buy that manuscript. She was very glad that the good news didn't send her promptly into labor! She still can't quite believe she's blessed enough to see her name on not just any book, but her favorite books.

Maisey lives with her supportive, wonderful, diaper-changing husband and three small children across the street from her parents, and the home she grew up in, in the wilds of southern Oregon.She enjoys the contrast of living in a place where you might wake up to find a bear on your back porch and then head into the home office to write stories that take place in exotic urban locales.