Christie RidgwayThe SUN rose on romance for me when I was 11 years old and caught my first glimpse of that certain teen hottie on the cover of a Tigerbeat magazine. Practical even then, I realized that my chances of meeting dazzling coverboy were slim, so I wrote myown reality in a series of romantic stories (I was already dreaming of becoming a published author) that I shared with my best friend. Today, those stories are locked away in a box. The key is lost, thank you God.

It was near the SURF in Santa Barbara that I found the real man I would share my life with. We met my freshman year at college during the Halloween Dance. He went as The Wind. I didn't understand it then, I don't understand it now. However, after our first meeting he called me "Princess" when he saw me (later found out he couldn't remember my name) and I discovered he could play the "Peanuts" theme on the piano. Diplomas, first jobs, and a few years later, we married and now have two sons.

Like waves crashing onto the SAND, my dream of becoming a published author never ended. But still practical, I worked for a number of years as a technical writer and computer programmer. Then I rediscovered the joy of romance novels between rounds of Lego-building and reading GOODNIGHT MOON to my young sons. Mom had always said I could do whatever I wanted, and now I knew that I wanted to write books that provided entertainment and emotional satisfaction.

SEX (threw that in to keep you reading!) is not what my books are all about. Sure, there's sizzle on the pages but there's also drama and then there's the suspense of discovering how two people can find their happily-ever-after. I believe in those, by the way. So come on, let me tell you a love story. Let me take you to warm, sexy, and romantic California.

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