Leigh Michaels Leigh Michaels received a Bachelor's of Arts in Journalism from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. While there she also received the Robert Bliss Award for being the highest ranking senior in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She won a national William Randolph Hearst Award for feature writing as an undergraduate. Michaels wrote her first romance novel at the age of 15. She then proceeded to burn it and the five more she wrote after the first. She finally submitted a novel to Harlequin who scooped it up and published it immediately. Since then, five of her novels, including "Tie That Binds" and "Traveling Man" have been finalists for Best Traditional Romance… Novel of the Year in the RITA Awards, sponsored by the Romance Writers of America. Her book "Family Secrets" received a Reviewers Choice Award from Romance Times Magazine and fifteen of her books have made it to the Waldenbooks Romance Bestsellers List. She was also the recipient of the 1994 Pioneer Award presented by Iowa Romance Novelists.