Heather Graham Pozzessere, also known as Heather Graham and Shannon Drake, is a highly successful American author, best known for her romance novels which span various sub-genres including romantic suspense, historical romance, paranormal romance, and gothics. She has also ventured into other genres, such as horror and urban fantasy. With over 150 books to her name, Heather is a remarkably prolific author who has made a significant impact on the romance genre.
Heather's writing career began after she graduated from the University of South Florida with a major in theater arts. She spent several years working in dinner theater, doing back-up vocals, and bartending before deciding to stay home after the birth of her third child and try her hand at writing. After some initial trial and error, Heather sold her first book, "When Next We Love," in 1982, and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas, including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. Heather has written launch books for Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work, including being a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her books have been translated into approximately twenty languages, and she has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild. Heather has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in various publications such as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today, and she has appeared on many newscasts, including Today, Entertainment Tonight, and local television.
In addition to her writing, Heather is an active member of the literary community. She was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball since 1999, with all revenues going directly to children's charity. She is also a certified scuba diver, enjoys travel, ballroom dancing, and is passionate about giving back to her community. Heather loves her family deeply and considers her career a gift, expressing gratitude for being able to do something she loves so much for a living.