Born Tami Mikkelson in Iowa, Hoag grew up in a very small Minnesota town. Because her siblings were more than ten years older than her and there were not a lot of other children nearby, Hoag developed an active imagination, making up stories to entertain herself. In 1977 she married her high school sweetheart, Daniel Hoag, shortly before he finished college. However, she never had the opportunity to go to college herself, as they moved to a town without easy access to higher education. The couple were later divorced.

Before publishing her first novel, Hoag held varying jobs, including a stint as a photographer's assistant, training show horses, working at the circulation desk at a newspaper, and even selling designer bathroom accessories. She began her career as an author in 1988, writing category romances for the Bantam Books Loveswept Line. After several years of success in that field, Hoag switched her focus to single-title suspense novels. She has had thirteen consecutive New York Times bestsellers, including five in a 20-month span. [1] Her novel Night Sins became a TV miniseries starring Valerie Bertinelli and Harry Hamlin. Hoag has been invited to do a reading at one of Barbara Bush's literacy functions, and then had lunch with former President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Bush at their home.[2]

Hoag and three other authors who made the leap from romance to thrillers at roughly the same time (Eileen Dreyer, Elizabeth Grayson and Kimberly Cates) have formed a group they call the Divas. The group provides support and encouragement for each other, and Hoag often thanks them in the acknowledgement section of her books. [3]

Hoag owns horses, and often goes for a ride to combat writer's block. She has competed in dressage at a national level, but stopped competing after breaking five vertebrae in her back during a fall while trying out a horse for a friend.[4] Hoag is fully recovered from her accident, and has returned to the competition arena. She currently lives in Malibu, California, and Wellington, Florida.

• Still Waters (1992)
• Dark Paradise (1994)
• Kill the Messenger (2004)
• Deeper than the Dead (2009)
• Secrets to the Grave (December 28, 2010)

Elena Estes Series

• Dark Horse (2002)
• The Alibi Man (2007)

Kovac/Liska Series

• Ashes to Ashes (1999)
• Dust to Dust (2000)
• Prior Bad Acts (2006)

Deer Lake Series

• Night Sins (1995)
• Guilty as Sin (1997)

Doucet Series

• The Restless Heart (Loveswept #458) (1991), (2007) Reissue
• Lucky's Lady (1992)
• Cry Wolf (1993)
• A Thin Dark Line (1997)

Hennessy Series

• The Trouble with J.J. (Loveswept #253) (1988), (2009) Reissue
• Magic (1990)

Loveswept

• #276 McKnight in Shining Armor (1988), (2009) Reissue
• #315 Mismatch (1989), (2008) Reissue
• #351 Straight from the Heart (1989), (2007) Reissue
• #480 Sarah's Sin (1992)
• #493 Heart of Dixie (1991), (2008) Reissue
• #532 Taken by Storm (1992), (2007) Reissue
• #561 Last White Knight (1992), (2008) Reissue

Quaid Horses Series

• #304 Rumor Has It (1989), (2009) Reissue
• #331 Man of Her Dreams (1989) (2008) Reissue
• #434 Tempestuous (1990), (2007) Reissue

The Rainbow Chasers Series

• #393 Heart of Gold (1990), (February 2010) Reissue
• #405 Keeping Company (1990), (September 28, 2010) Reissue
• #417 Reilly's Return (1990), (June 2010) Reissue
• Magic (1990)