Linda Lael Miller (born 1949 as Linda Lael), is a best-selling American author of more than seventy contemporary and historical romance novels. She has also written under the pen name Lael St. James.
Linda Lael was born in 1949 in Washington. Her father was a town marshal, although he, along with her uncle Jake "Jiggs" Lael also competed on the rodeo circuit. A voracious reader, Linda began writing her own stories when she was 10. As a child, Linda often visited with an elderly neighbor and listened to stories of her neighbor's experiences meeting outlaw Jesse James and witnessing a gunfight involving the Dalton Brothers. Lael graduated from high school in Northport, WA but did not attend college. After her marriage, Miller spent 10 years living in Spokane before moving away. She has lived in Italy and in London. After five years living in Arizona, Miller moved back to Washington in 2006.
Miller has established a foundation, the Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women. These scholarships are intended to allow women who are struggling to further their education, either through a trade school or a traditional college or university. The scholarships are funded by the fees Miller commands at speaking engagements, and winners are allowed to spend the proceeds on any expense (including childcare and transportation) that will allow her to attend school.
Her first manuscripts were rejected, but publishers finally purchased Fletcher's Woman, a historical romance. Since then, she has published over 77 novels, in a variety of romance novel subgenres, including contemporary, suspense, time-travel, and paranormal. The historical romances have been set in a range of time frames, from the Medieval period to the American West.
Miller is best known for her romances set in the Western United States. One of these, McKettrick's Choice, reached number 15 on the New York Times Bestseller List. In an interview, Miller stated that: "I love westerns best of all. To me, the cowboy is the great North American myth, the ideal of honor, courage and persistence we need to live up to." She has also described her western settings as "naturally romantic, from the big sky to the lonely prairie, and it's the perfect backdrop for adventure, danger, grand passion, joy, and sorrow...the whole gamut of human emotions".
The heroines of Miller's novels are known for being strong, independent women. Miller has stated that she wants her heroines to be good examples, proving that they can take care of themselves.
She has been nominated six times for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, the highest honor given to a romance author. She has won the Silver Pen Award as well as the Romantic Times award for Most Sensual Historical Romance.
