Asked how she comes to be a romance author, Katharine says it’s all in the stories.

“In the third grade, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up. That year I wrote a sequel to Margret Rey’s Pretzel, ‘the longest dachshund in the world,’ featuring a much friendlier love interest than poor Pretzel’s sadly particular girlfriend.

As a high schooler I still intended to be a vet, but of large animals, and I longed to live by the ocean—‘down the shore’ as they say in my hometown, Philly. Over vacation, on a yellow legal pad I penned the story of a horse-crazy girl summering at the beach who discovers the magical allure of that unique animal, the teenaged lifeguard. (My little sister sat next to me reading each page as I produced it. God bless every writer’s first fan.)

By the time I graduated from Duke University with my bachelor’s degree, I had a yen to teach. But before heading off to full-time work, I delved into another writing project: a novel about a young English teacher learning a breathtaking new language in the arms of her soccer-coach colleague.

A decade or so later I found myself finishing up a PhD in History. While allegedly taking notes on ancient texts in the Vatican Library, I furtively filled my laptop with steamy chapters about a heretic priestess and the inquisitor-knight to whom she burns to surrender.

Eventually, I got the picture. I love romance—the high adventure, pure emotion, and rich sensuality of the hero and heroine’s journey together. Whatever else I'm doing, I simply must write romance.”

Katharine writes lush, sexy historical romances. A professor of European History, she lives with her husband, son, two dogs, and a whole bunch of plants about two hours from the Atlantic Ocean. She loves hearing from readers.