Having a rich English ancestry that can be traced back to the 1500s, BARBARA PIERCE credits her grandmother and the romantic family tales she was told as a child for inspiring her early fascination with English history. Striving to balance her love of history with the need to tell a compelling story, she debuted in 2000 with A Desperate Game. She next introduced readers to the Bedegrayne family with A Lady's Mischief and A Gentleman at Heart. Barbara currently lives near Atlanta with her husband and three children.