Kay was born and raised in Ohio with her three younger sisters. She has lived in New York, California, Alabama and Sweden and, since 1969, has lived in Houston, Texas. She has three grown children.

Her books have been on the USAToday Bestseller lists and have also been best-sellers in Sweden. She was a finalist for a Romance Writers of America RITA Award, the highest honor bestowed on a romance novelist, in 2000 in the category Contemporary Single Title, for her novel The Wrong Child.

Ms. Kay is also an acclaimed teacher of writing. She teaches a variety of online writing classes including a series of novel writing classes which are all listed on her website.

Novels

As Trisha Alexander

• When Somebody Loves You (1992)
• When Somebody Needs You (1992)
• When Somebody Wants You (1993)
• Cinderella Girl (1990)
• Here Comes the Groom (1993)
• Mother of the Groom (1993)
• Say You Love Me (1994)
• What Will the Children Think? (1994)
• Let's Make It Legal (1994)
• The Real Elizabeth Hollister.... (1995)
• The Girl Next Door (1995)
• A Bride for Luke (1996)
• The Constant Heart (1996)
• A Bride for John (1997)
• A Baby for Rebecca (1997)
• Stop the Wedding! (1997)
• Substitute Bride (1997)
• With This Wedding Ring (1998)
• A Mother for Jeffrey (1999)
• Falling for an Older Man (2000)
• Wedding Bells and Mistletoe (2000)

As Ann Patrick

• Opening Act (1990)
• Hearts Collide (1991)
• For Services Rendered (1991)
• Betting on Love (1992)

As Patricia Kay

• Comfort and Joy (1997)
• The Wrong Child (2000)
• Just a Small-town Girl (2001)
• The Other Woman (2001)
• The Millionaire and the Mom (2001)
• Family Album (2002)
• Secrets of a Small Town (2003)
• Annie and the Confirmed Bachelor (2003)
• Man of the Hour (2004)
• Nanny in Hiding: The Hathaways of Morgan Creek (2004)
• Come October (2005)
• You've Got Game: The Hathaways of Morgan Creek (2005)
• The Perfect Life (2006)
• It Runs in the Family (2006)
• She's the One (2006)
• His Best Friend (2006)
• The One-Week Wife (2006)
• Which End Is Up? (2006)
• Wish Come True (2007)
• The Billionaire and His Boss (2008)
• His Brother's Bride-to-Be (2009)

Omnibus

As Patricia Kay

• A Long Road Home (2003) (with Allison Leigh)
• Baby on the Way / Counting on a Cowboy / Secrets of a Small Town (2004) (with Marie Ferrarella and Karen Sandler)
• Cowboy on Her Trail / Man of the Hour (2004) (with Janis Reams Hudson)
• Devil You Know / Nanny in Hiding (2004) (with Laurie Paige)
• She's the One / Call Me Cowboy (2006) (with Judy Duarte)
• One-Week Wife / Bought-and-Paid-for Wife (2007) (with Bronwyn Jameson)