Julie Garwood (1944) is a bestselling American romance author known best for her historical romances. She published her first romance novel Gentle Warrior in 1985. She has written a number of historical series including The Crown Spies series and the Highland's Lairds series. In 2000 she ventured into Romantic Suspense with her book Heartbreaker. To date she has over thirty five million books in print world wide.