Susan Wiggs, who was born on May 17, 1958, is an American author who writes historical and contemporary romance novels.

Early years

Wiggs started writing when she was a child. She finished her first novel, A Book About Some Bad Kids, when she was eight years old. After finishing college, she paused her dream of being a novelist and became a math teacher. She continued to read, especially loving romance novels. In 1983, when she ran out of books to read, she began writing again. She used the working title A Book About Some Bad Adults.

Career

For three years, Wiggs kept writing, and in 1987, Zebra Books published her first novel, a Western historical romance titled Texas Wildflower. Her later books include historical and modern romance stories set in many different places and times. Many of her novels take place in areas where she has lived or visited. In 1992, she stopped teaching to write full-time, and since then, she has written an average of two books each year.

In 2000, Wiggs began writing books focused on women's experiences in addition to her historical romance novels. The first of these, The You I Never Knew, was published in 2001. After writing many mass-market novels for several years, Wiggs released her first hardcover book in 2003. It was titled Home Before Dark.

Many of her novels are connected, which allows her to return to characters she has already created. Her books have been translated into many languages, including French, German, Dutch, Latvian, Japanese, Hungarian, and Russian.

Awards

Wiggs's books are often nominated for the RITA Award, which is the most important award in the romance genre. In 1993, she won the RITA Award for Best Romance for her book Lord of the Night. In 2000, she won another RITA Award when her book The Charm School was named "Favorite Book of the Year." She also won the RITA Award in 2001 for Best Short Historical for The Mistress and in 2006 for Lakeside Cottage. Wiggs has also received the Holt Medallion, the Colorado Award of Excellence, and the Peninsula Romance Writers of America Blue Boa Award. Romantic Times has honored her twice with a Career Achievement Award.