Kay Hooper was born on an Air Force base in California, where her father was stationed. The family soon moved back to North Carolina, where Hooper was raised with her younger brother and sister. Her father and brother own a construction company, her sister Linda owns a business and works as Hooper's office manager and publicist. Hooper's mother was her personal assistant until her death in March 2002.

Hooper attended East Rutherford High School before enrolling in Isothermal Community College where she realized quickly that business classes were not her forte. She switched her course of study to literature and history and began indulging her long-time interest in writing. She requested a typewriter for Christmas, and after receiving it began her novel in earnest. This first novel, the Regency romance Lady Thief, was bought by Dell Publishing in 1980, when Hooper was only twenty-two. Since then she has had more than 60 novels published.

Hooper is single and lives near her family in Bostic, North Carolina. She has many cats and several dogs.

The Quinn/Thief Series

The Men of Mysteries Past Series

• All for Quinn / August 1993
• The Trouble with Jared / June 1993
• Hunting the Wolfe / April 1993
• The Touch of Max / February 1993

The Once Upon a Time Series

• The Matchmaker / October 1991
• Star-Crossed Lovers / October 1990
• The Lady and the Lion / September 1990
• Through the Looking Glass / June 1990
• What Dreams May Come / April 1990
• The Glass Shoe / November 1989
• Golden Threads / September 1989

The Bishop/Special Crimes Unit Series

Shadows trilogy

Evil trilogy

Fear trilogy

Blood trilogy

The Hagen Series

• Aces High / April 1989
• It Takes a Thief / March 1989
• Captain's Paradise / December 1988
• Shades of Gray / October 1988
• Outlaw Derek / April 1988
• Unmasking Kelsey / February 1988
• The Fall of Lucas Kendrick / January 1988
• Zach's Law / December 1987
• Rafferty's Wife / November 1987
• Raven On the Wing / May 1987
• In Serena's Web / April 1987

Compilations

• The Real Thing / November 2004(Reissue of 2 novels: Enemy Mine and The Haviland Touch)
• Elusive / March 2004(Reissue of 3 novels: Elusive Dawn, On Her Doorstep, and Return Engagement)
• Enchanted / January 2003(Reissue of 3 novels: Kissed by Magic, Belonging to Taylor, and Eye of the Beholder)

Stand-Alone Novels

• Haunting Rachel / July 1999
• Finding Laura / July 1998
• After Caroline / October 1997
• Amanda / September 1996
• The Haunting of Josie / August 1994
• Masquerade / February 1994
• The Wizard of Seattle / June 1993
• House of Cards / November 1991
• The Haviland Touch / June 1991 (Reissued December 2005)
• Crime of Passion / February 1991
• Enemy Mine / August 1989 (Reissued November 2005)
• Delaney Historicals II: Velvet Lightning / November 1988
• Delaney Historicals: Golden Flames / April 1988
• Summer of the Unicorn / March 1988
• The Delaney's of Killaroo: Adelaide, the Enchantress / September 1987
• On Her Doorstep / December 1986
• The Shamrock Trinity: Rafe, the Maverick / October 1986
• Time After Time / July 1986
• Larger Than Life (available only through Loveswept book club)
• Belonging to Taylor / March 1986
• Rebel Waltz / February 1986
• Eye of the Beholder / May 1985
• Illegal Possession / March 1985
• If There Be Dragons / December 1984
• Pepper's Way / September 1984
• Something Different / May 1984
• Moonlight Rhapsody / May 1984
• CJ's Fate / February 1984
• Kissed by Magic / November 1983
• Elusive Dawn / July 1983
• On Wings of Magic / June 1983
• Taken by Storm / March 1983
• Breathless Surrender / November 1982
• Return Engagement / September 1982
• Mask of Passion / August 1982
• Lady Thief / July 1981 (Reissued March 2005)

Stories Published in Anthologies