The Casual Bio:

 It all began in Erie, PA, when I was 13.   My parents, Fran & Renee Kloecker, had no problem letting me bury myself in the basement with an old typewriter.   I started writing science fiction short stories and novellas about teenagers (naturally) who always managed to fall in love.  Then at a high school slumber party, I borrowed a friend's copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss's SHANNA.  While everyone else slept, I stayed up all night reading--and I was hooked.  A whole new world of books had opened up to me, and I devoured them.  I went to college and chose engineering instead of writing, but writing always lingered at the back of my mind. Heck, I didn't like engineering enough to finish it.  After I got married and had babies, the typewriter (and soon a computer) called me back, and I finally tried my hand at a historical romance.  It took me 13 years and three manuscripts (two of which will never leave the closet) before Avon bought The Darkest Knight in 1998.  My sixteenth novel, In Pursuit of a Scandalous Lady, came out in May 2010, and my first novella was published in the Hot and Bothered anthology from St. Martin's Press. I also write medievals again under the name Julia Latham. My most recent Julia book, Wicked, Sinful Nights, came out in January 2010.

Thank goodness I found the Central New York Romance Writers, where I learned all about writing and friendship.  Then there's my critique group, the Packeteers, whose support has been incredible and crucial.  I have a wonderful husband, Jim, and three kids: Jim (age 27--a wine sommelier in Aspen CO), Michelle (age 25--in marketing for a company in NYC that runs conferences), and Laura (age 19--a sophomore in college). 

Well, thanks for stopping by.  I love to get e-mail, so send me some.  If you enjoy snail-mail in a nostalgic sort of way, you can reach me at PO Box 2355, Liverpool, NY 13089-2355.  Please include a SASE (okay, I had to say it).

The Professional Bio:

A USA Today Bestselling author, Gayle Callen writes historical romances for Avon Books. Her latest novel, In Pursuit of a Scandalous Lady, was published in May 2010.

Named the "Notable New Author of 1999," Gayle has also won the Holt Medallion and the Laurel Wreath Award, and finaled in the National Readers Choice Awards. Her books have been translated into over eight different languages.

She resides in a suburb of Central New York, with her husband and three children. Besides writing, she loves to read, sing, travel, crochet, and delve too deeply into historical research. A past President of the Central New York Romance Writers, she is also a member of Romance Writers of America, the Authors Guild, and Novelists Inc.