Julie Anne Long is a bestselling American author, known for her historical and contemporary romance novels. She was born in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California, where she currently resides. Long has always had a passion for writing, which started at a young age when she wrote her first book about apples using crayons. Her love for writing led her to become the editor of her elementary, high school, and college papers. It was in college that she learned how to typeset, which helped her secure desktop publishing jobs in the future.
Long originally planned to major in Journalism, but she later switched to Creative Writing, which felt like a more comfortable fit for her imagination and sense of whimsy. She dreamed of becoming a novelist, but she also had aspirations of becoming a rock star. However, she found that writing came more naturally to her than being a musician. Despite her love for writing, she initially pursued a career in rock music, but she eventually realized that she could incorporate her love for drama, passion, and men with unruly hair into her novels.
Long's writing career took off when she sold her first novel, The Runaway Duke, to Warner Books in 2003. Since then, she has become a USA Today Bestselling author and Rita Award winner. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages and have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America Rita and Romantic Times Reviewer's choice. Reviewers have called her books "dazzling," "brilliant," and "impossible to put down." Her novel, HOT IN HELLCAT CANYON, was named by Amazon.com as one of the Best books of 2016, and was nominated for a 2016 Rita Award. Kirkus Reviews also named WILD AT WHISKEY CREEK one of the best books of 2016.
Long currently lives in the Bay Area of San Francisco, where she enjoys going to museums, the ballet, and the symphony. When she's not writing, she spends time with her cats and takes pleasure in creating heroes and heroines, putting them through emotional paces, and watching their relationships develop on the page. She is known for her Regency historical novels, a genre she was drawn to because of her love for history and Jane Austen's inimitable wit.