Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume

Beth Kendrick won the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award for My Favorite Mistake. She has a Ph.D. in psychology and an unshakable devotion to the Chicago Cubs. After surviving too many Minnesota winters, she moved to Arizona, where she is working on her second novel (coming soon from Downtown Press). For more information you can visit the author's website at www.bethkendrick.com.

Cara Lockwood is also the author of I Do (But I Don't), which was made into a Lifetime movie, as well as Pink Slip Party and Dixieland Sushi, and Every Demon Has His Day, all available from Downtown Press. She was born in Dallas, Texas, and earned a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked as a journalist in Austin, and is now married and living in Chicago. Her husband is not a rock star, but he does play the guitar -- poorly.

Laura Caldwell, who lives in Chicago with her husband, left a successful career as a trial attorney to become a novelist. She is the author of Burning the Map, which was selected by Barnes & Noble.com as one of "The Best of 2002" and A Clean Slate, which received a starred review from Booklist, as well as The Year of Living Famously, The Night I Got Lucky and a novel of suspense, Look Closely. She is a contributing editor at Lake Magazine and an adjunct professor of law at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Julie Kenner has always loved making up stories--particularly those with a happy ending. But she took a convoluted path to romance writing.

After working as a lawyer for eight years, she decided to try to focus some of her creative energy. Since Julie is a happily-ever-after aficionado who unabashedly cries during heartwarming commercials (especially any by Kodak or Hallmark), romance writing was a perfect fit.

When she and her husband moved from Los Angeles back to her hometown of Austin, Texas, Julie started to seriously write.

Though her first manuscript will never see the light of day (it's now in a box in the garage), her second sold to Harlequin Temptation after placing first in the Tampa Area Romance Authors' Contest.

That novel, Nobody Does It Better, was published in February of 2000. Julie loves writing the hot, spicy stories that are the hallmark of the Temptation and Blaze lines, and since that first sale, Julie's sold several additional books to Harlequin (Temptation, Blaze, and Duets).

Julie still practices law full-time, losing herself in her stories on evenings and weekends. When she's not working or writing, she loves spending time with her four cats (Madam, Tequila, Tiger, and Squeaky) and with the neighborhood cats who tend to hang around her house, all of which have been given names by Julie and her husband, Don (such as Black Kitty, Talkie-cat, Blue Eyes, and Fluffy).

She and her husband also love to travel--whether to small towns in the Texas hill country, or to more distant venues such as Ireland, London, or Paris.

Julie's a movie buff, enjoying everything from the lightest romantic comedy to the most action-packed adventure! You can see a list of her favorite romances (and her mother's favorites!) on her web site, www.juliekenner.com.

Julie loves to hear from readers, and you can write her at P.O. Box 151417, Austin, TX 78715-1417 (if you'd like free goodies, send a SASE),

Jennifer O'Connell received her BA from Smith College and her MBA from the University of Chicago. She is the author of Insider Dating, Bachelorette #1, Dress Rehearsal, Off the Record, and Plan B. Visit her website at ...

Meg Cabot is the author of the #1 New York Times best-sellers All-American Girl and The Princess Diaries series, two of which have been made into major motion pictures by Disney. Meg is also the author of The Mediator series, the Airhead series, and many books for adults. She currently divides her time between Key West and New York City with her husband and one-eyed cat, Henrietta.

Cara Lockwood is also the author of I Do (But I Don't), which was made into a Lifetime movie, as well as Pink Slip Party and Dixieland Sushi, and Every Demon Has His Day, all available from Downtown Press. She was born in Dallas, Texas, and earned a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked as a journalist in Austin, and is now married and living in Chicago. Her husband is not a rock star, but he does play the guitar -- poorly.

Cara Lockwood is also the author of I Do (But I Don't), which was made into a Lifetime movie, as well as Pink Slip Party and Dixieland Sushi, and Every Demon Has His Day, all available from Downtown Press. She was born in Dallas, Texas, and earned a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked as a journalist in Austin, and is now married and living in Chicago. Her husband is not a rock star, but he does play the guitar -- poorly.

Melissa Senate is the author of eight novels, including the bestselling See Jane Date, which was made into an ABC Family TV movie and has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. She's published short pieces in Everything I've Always Wanted to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, It's a Wonderful Lie, Flirting with Pride and Prejudice, and American Girls About Town. A former romance and young adult editor from New York, she now lives on the southern coast of Maine with her son.