Betty Brooks was born and raised in Palo Pinto County, the second eldest of eleven children. During her early years, she roamed the Palo Pinto Mountains with her brothers, developing a love for the outdoors that remains to this day. She became an avid reader in grade school and her love of books has stayed with her throughout the years. In 1953, she married her high school sweetheart. Two years later, he was drafted into the army. His military career spanned twenty years and brought the family (one son and two daughters) to Michigan, Minnesota, California, El Paso, TX, and Germany. When James retired in 1976, they moved back to their hometown of Mineral Wells, TX. There, Ms. Brooks began her writing career. Her first book, Savage Flame, was published by Zebra in March, 1987. A national best seller, it was nominated by Romantic Times (RT) for "Best Indian Romance" by a new author. Her Apache quartet was nominated by RT for "Best Western Romance Series" of the year. In total, Ms. Brooks has written twenty Historical Romances for Zebra Books. 1999 brings the release of three new Betty Brooks titles. A Place in my Heart will be available in April, A Wayward Heart in December, and her novelette, Mail Order Love, is offered as lead title in Zebra's anthology Always A Bride (May 1999)