MERCENARY'S WOMAN

"Retired" soldier of fortune Ebenezer Scott was a bad boy to the core. Schoolteacher Sally Johnson was the fresh scrubbed beauty from across the street. When Sally's life was put in danger, Ebenezer fought to protect her. But this sweet-natured beauty yearned for so much more. She dreamed of a lifetime of love in Ebenezer Scott's big, strong arms. Could she slip through his ironclad defenses and become this beloved mercenary's bride?

THE WINTER SOLDIER

Everyone in Jacobsville, Texas, steered clear of taciturn Cy Parks. Except spirited Lisa Monroe. To shield the lovely Lisa from a revenge-seeking desperado, the winter soldier claimed her as his bride. Clearly, Cy was getting possessive of this alluring woman who needed the type of safeguarding only he could provide. But who would protect the beguiling bride from him?

Diana Palmer is a former newspaper reporter with 16 years' experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. She began selling romance novels in 1979 and currently writes for HQN Books (mainstream romances) and Silhouette Books (contemporary series romances).

Diana Palmer has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world, and she has written over 100 books for Silhouette, MIRA and Harlequin Books.

Her awards include 10 Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times Magazine, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.

In 1998, a Japanese Harlequin reader poll gave her Silhouette Desire novel The Patient Nurse its favorite-book-of-the-year award.

She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by the Gale Group, Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Melrose Press, Ltd. , and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk.

She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archeological Institute of America, the Planetary Society, the Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.

She has been married to her husband, James, since 1972. They have one son, who is in college studying to pursue a law enforcement career.

Diana herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45, inspired by her husband, who had quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming. He retired from his own computer business in 1998, and now enters skeet-shooting competitions in local, state, national and international competition.

Diana graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, Georgia, in 1995 with a major in history and a double minor in archeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi) and was named to the National Dean's List.

In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies.