
Mary Jo Putney was born in New York. After earning degrees in English literature and Industrial Design, she worked for a magazine in London and a design firm in California. She eventually settled down in Baltimore, Maryland to become a freelance graphic designer. She needed to purchase a computer for business and soon realized that it was the ultimate writing tool. Her first novel, a Regency romance, sold in a week and she was offered a three-book contract immediately. That was in 1987 and, since then, she has published over 25 books. She writes primarily historical and contemporary romance but also publishes fantasy romances under the pen name M.J. Putney. She has won numerous awards for her romance novels.
Ms. Putney is unmarried and still lives in Baltimore.