Linda Lael Miller (born 1949 as Linda Lael), is a

best-selling A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

American author of more than 100 contemporary and

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

romance novels A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

. She has also written under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Lael St. James.

Personal life

Linda Lael was born in 1949 in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. Her father was a

town marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

, although he, along with her uncle Jake "Jiggs" Lael also competed on the rodeo circuit. A voracious reader, Linda began writing her own stories when she was 10. As a child, Linda often visited with an elderly neighbor and listened to stories of her neighbor's experiences meeting outlaw

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...

and witnessing a gunfight involving the

Dalton Brothers The Dalton Gang was a group of outlaws in the American Old West during 1890–1892. It was also known as The Dalton Brothers because four of its members were brothers. The gang specialized in bank robbery, bank and train robbery, train robberie ...

. Lael graduated from high school in Northport, WA but did not attend college. After her marriage, Miller spent 10 years living in Spokane before moving away. She has lived in Italy and in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. After five years living in Arizona, Miller moved back to Washington in 2006. Miller has established a foundation, the Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women. These scholarships are intended to allow women who are struggling to further their education, either through a trade school or a traditional college or university. The scholarships are funded by the fees Miller commands at speaking engagements, and winners are allowed to spend the proceeds on any expense (including childcare and transportation) that will allow her to attend school.

Works

Her first manuscripts were rejected, but publishers finally purchased ''Fletcher's Woman'', a

historical romance Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods, which Walter Scott helped popularize in the early 19th century. Varieties Viking These books feature Vikings during the Da ...

. Since then, she has published over 77 novels, in a variety of

romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

subgenres, including contemporary, suspense, time-travel, and paranormal. The historical romances have been set in a range of time frames, from the Medieval period to the American West. Miller is best known for her romances set in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

. One of these, ''McKettrick's Choice'', reached number 15 on the

New York Times Bestseller List ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

. In an interview, Miller stated that: "I love westerns best of all. To me, the cowboy is the great North American myth, the ideal of honor, courage and persistence we need to live up to." She has also described her western settings as "naturally romantic, from the big sky to the lonely prairie, and it's the perfect backdrop for adventure, danger, grand passion, joy, and sorrow—the whole gamut of human emotions". The heroines of Miller's novels are known for being strong, independent women. Miller has stated that she wants her heroines to be good examples, proving that they can take care of themselves. She has been nominated six times for the

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by incr ...

RITA Award, the highest honor given to a romance author. She has won the Silver Pen Award as well as the ''Romantic Times'' award for Most Sensual Historical Romance.

Bibliography

Springwater series

*''Springwater'' (Pocket, 1998) *''Rachel'' (Pocket, 1999) *''Savannah'' (Pocket, 1999) *''Miranda'' (Pocket, 1999) *''Jessica'' (Pocket, 1999) *''A Springwater Christmas'' (Pocket, 1999) *''Springwater Wedding'' (Pocket, 2002)

Primrose series

*''Bridget'' (Pocket, 2000) *''Christy'' (Pocket, 2000) *''Skye'' (Pocket, 2000) *''Megan'' (Pocket, 2000) *''Last Chance Cafe'' (Pocket Star, 2003)

Vampire series

*''Forever and the Night'' (Berkley, 1993) *''For All Eternity'' (Berkley, 1994) *''Time Without End'' (Berkley, 1995) *''Tonight and Always'' (Berkley, 1996)

Orphan Train series

*''Lily and the Major'' (Pocket, 1990) *''Emma and the Outlaw'' (Pocket, 1991) *''Caroline and the Raider'' (Pocket, 1992)

McKettrick series

*''High Country Bride'' (Pocket, 2002) *''Shotgun Bride'' (Pocket Star, 2003) *''Secondhand Bride'' (Pocket, 2004) *''McKettrick's Choice'' (HQN Books, 2005) *''Sierra's Homecoming'' (Silhouette, 2006) *''McKettrick's Luck'' (Harlequin Books, 2007) *''McKettrick's Pride'' (Harlequin Books, 2007) *''McKettrick's Heart'' (Harlequin Books, 2007) *''The McKettrick Way'' (Harlequin Books, 2007) *''A McKettrick Christmas'' (Harlequin Books, 2008) *''McKettricks Of Texas: Tate'' (HQN Books, 2010) *''McKettricks Of Texas: Garrett'' (HQN Books, 2010) *''McKettricks Of Texas: Austin'' (HQN Books, 2010) *''A Lawman's Christmas'' (HQN Books, 2011) *''An Outlaw's Christmas'' (HQN, Books, 2012)

Stone Creek series

*''The Man From Stone Creek'' (HQN Books, 2007) *''A Wanted Man'' (HQN Books, 2007) *''The Rustler'' (HQN Books, 2008) *''A Stone Creek Christmas'' (Silhouette, 2008) *''The Bridegroom'', due Aug 2009 (HQN Books, 2009) *''At Home in Stone Creek'',due Dec 2009 (Silhouette Special Edition)

Montana Creed series

*''Logan'', (HQN Books 2009) *''Dylan'', (HQN Books 2009) *''Tyler'', (HQN Books 2009) *''A Creed Country Christmas'', (HQN Books 2009) *''A Creed in Stone Creek'', (HQN Books 2011) *''Creed's Honor'', (HQN Book 2011) *''The Creed Legacy'', (HQN Book 2011)

Parable, Montana series

*''Big Sky Country'', (HQN Books 2012) *''Big Sky Mountain'', (HQN Books 2012) *''Big Sky River'', (HQN Books 2012) *''Big Sky Summer'', (HQN Books 2013) *''Big Sky Wedding'', (HQN Books 2013) *''Big Sky Secrets'', (HQN Books 2014)

Time-Travel

*''Here and Then'' (Silhouette, 1992) *''There and Now'' (Silhouette, 1992) *''Knights'' (Pocket, 1996) *''Pirates'' (Pocket, 1996)

Clare Westbrook

*''Don't Look Now'' (Pocket Star, 2004) *''Never Look Back'' (Pocket Star, 2005) *''One Last Look'' (Pocket, 2006)

Mojo Sheepshanks series

*''Deadly Gamble'', (HQN Books, 2008) *''Deadly Deception'', (HQN Books, 2008) *''Arizona Wild'', (HQN Books, 2016) eissue of ''Deadly Gamble''*''Arizona Heat'', (HQN Books December 27, 2016) eissue of ''Deadly Deception''

Australian series

*''Moonfire'' (Pocket, 1988) *''Angelfire'' (Pocket, 1991)

The Corbins

*''Banner O'Brien'' (Pocket, 1991) *''Corbin's Fancy'' (Pocket, 1991) *''Memory's Embrace'' (Pocket, 1991) *''My Darling Melissa'' (Pocket, 2008)

The Quade series

*''Yankee Wife'' (Pocket, 1993) *''Taming Charlotte'' (Pocket, 1993) *''Princess Annie'' (Pocket, 1994)

Writing as Lael St. James

*''My Lady Wayward'' (Pocket, 2001) *''My Lady Beloved'' (Pocket, 2001)

Brides of Bliss County series

*''The Marriage Pact'', (HQN Books 2014) *''The Marriage Charm'', (HQN Books 2015) *''The Marriage Season'', (HQN Books 2015) *''Christmas In Mustang Creek'', (HQN Books 2015)

Carsons of Mustang Creek series

*''Once a Rancher'', (HQN Books March 2016) *''Always a Cowboy'', (HQN Books August 30, 2016) *''Forever a Hero'', (HQN Book March 28, 2017)

Other

*''Queen of the Rodeo as part of More than Words Vol 4'' (Harlequin, 2008) *''The Leopard's Woman'' (Silhouette, 2002) *''Two Brothers'' (Pocket, 2001) *''Courting Susannah'' (Pocket, 1998) *''One Wish'' (Pocket, 2000) *''The Vow'' (Pocket, 1998) *''My Outlaw'' (Pocket, 1997) *''Together'' (HarperTorch, 1996) *''The Legacy'' (Pocket, 1994) *''Daniel's Bride'' (Pocket, 1992) *''Wild About Harry'' (Silhouette, 1991) *''Glory, Glory'', (Silhouette, 1990) *''Escape From Cabriz'', (Silhouette, 1990) *''Mixed Messages'' (Mira, 1996) *''Daring Moves'', (Silhouette, 1990) *''Just Kate'', (Harlequin, 2005) *''Only Forever'' (Mira, 1995) *''Used-to-be-Lovers'' (Mira, 2002) *''Wanton Angel'' (Pocket, 1991) *''Lauralee'' (Pocket, 1986) *''Ragged Rainbows'' (Mira, 1998) *''State Secrets'', (Mira, 1994) *''State Secrets'', Reissue(Harlequin Famous Firsts, due June 2009) *''Part of the Bargain'', (Silhouette, 1994) *''Willow'' (Pocket, 1990) *''Snowflakes on the Sea'', (Silhouette, 1989) *''Desire and Destiny'' (Pocket, 1990) *''Fletcher's Woman'' (Pocket, 1991)

Awards

*1990-1991 - ''Romantic Times'' Career Achievement Award for series Love and Laughter *1990-1991 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Historical Romance Sequel, ''Emma and the Outlaw'' *1991-1992 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Historical Romance, ''Daniel's Bride'' *1992-1993 - ''Romantic Times'' Career Achievement Award finalist for Historical Romance *1992-1993 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award finalist for Best Historical Romance, ''Yankee Wife'' *1993-1993 - ''Romantic Times'' Career Achievement Award finalist for Contemporary Fantasy *1993 - The Talisman Book of the Year, ''Forever and the Night'' *1993 - Affaire de Coeur Reader-Writer Award finalist for Outstanding Achiever *1993 - Affaire de Coeur Reader-Writer Award finalist for Best American Historical, ''Yankee Wife'' *1993-1994 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award finalist for Best Historical Romantic Adventure, ''Taming Charlotte' *1993-1994 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award finalist for Best Contemporary Romantic Suspense, ''Forever and the Night'' *1994 - Waldenbooks Bestselling Trend Title (Vampire), ''For All Eternity'' *1995 - Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist for ''Time Without End'' *1995 - Waldenbooks Bestselling Paranormal Title, ''Time Without End'' *1995-1996 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Historical Time-Travel, ''Knights'' *1996-1997 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award finalist for Best Contemporary Fantasy Romance, ''Tonight and Always'' *1997-1998 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Heroes *1997-1998 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award finalist for Best Innovative Historical Romance, ''The Vow'' *1997-1998 - ''Romantic Times'' Career Achievement Award for Historical Fantasy *1998 - Barnes & Noble.com Historical Romance Editor's Pick, ''Two Brothers'' *1998-1999 - ''Romantic Times'' Career Achievement Award finalist for Historical Storyteller of the Year *1998-1999 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award finalist forBest Historical Romance in a series, ''A Springwater Christmas'' *1999-2000 - ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award finalist for Best Historical Romance of the Year, ''One Wish'' *1999 - Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America Booksellers' Best Award for Best Long Historical Romance, ''A Springwater Christmas'' *2000 - Reviewers International Organization Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence Finalist for Favorite Historical Romance, ''Courting Susannah *2002 - Reviewers International Organization Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence Finalist for Favorite Contemporary Romance, ''Last Chance Cafe'' *2002 - ''The Word on Romance'' Reviewer's Rose Award finalist for Best Contemporary Romance, ''Last Chance Cafe''

References

External links

Linda Lael Miller's Official Web Site
on ''

Sidewalks Entertainment ''Sidewalks Entertainment'' (1988–present) is a weekly American television series that is a combination of a talk show, magazine show and variety show featuring celebrity interviews, music, artistic and novelty acts, and rising performers. The ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Linda Lael 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American romantic fiction writers American women novelists Women romantic fiction writers 1949 births Living people 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers