Beverly Long

I can't remember a time when I didn't love books and didn't love to read. I used to sneak a flashlight into my bedroom, pull the covers over my head, and then, undetected by parents or older siblings, I'd read until the wee hours of the morning. When I was in grade school, I waited impatiently, my allowance money in hand, for the next Trixie Belden or Nancy Drew book to hit the shelves. I was a sucker even then for a strong heroine. In my teens, I discovered the Harlequin romance novel and I was hooked. What wasn't to love about gorgeous people doing interesting things in exotic places? What wasn't to love about a happy ending? In between reading romance novels, I managed to get married, get a bachelor's degree in business management, find a job, have two children, and go back to night school for a master's degree. I had stories in my head and in my heart but it wasn't until 1996 that I decided to try my hand at writing my own romance novel. I still have that book--and when I need a good laugh, I pull it out and read it. It really is bad. Fortunately, I was smart enough to join a writing group of like-minded souls--Romance Writers of America--and eight years and several more manuscripts later, in early 2004, I sold a book to Berkley Publishing. That book became Stay with Me, a time-travel where the heroine travels back to the Old West. It was published in January, 2005. Here with Me, a sequel to Stay with Me, will be available in November, 2006. If you find time in your busy life to read my books, I hope you enjoy them as much as I've enjoyed my favorite books over the years. I hope they make you laugh and make you cry and affirm your belief in love and happy endings.