NEW ~See my 2011 press kit here!

Tessa Dare is a part-time librarian¹, full-time mommy² and swing-shift writer³ living in Southern California.

Tessa lived a rather nomadic childhood in the Midwest. As a girl, she discovered that no matter how many times she moved, two kinds of friends traveled with her: the friends in books, and the friends in her head. She still converses with both sets daily.

Tessa writes fresh and flirty historical romance, a blog, and the stray magazine article. To the chagrin of her family, Tessa does not write grocery lists, Christmas cards, or timely checks to utility companies⁴. She shares a tiny bungalow with her husband, their two children, a dog, and many dust bunnies.⁵

Tessa enjoys a good book, a good laugh, a good long walk in the woods, a good movie, a good meal, a glass of good wine, and the company of good people.

Tessa is represented by Helen Breitwieser of Cornerstone Literary Agency.

Tessa did not expect to enjoy writing about herself in third person, but what do you know? Tessa does.⁶

Oh, and Tessa would love to hear from you!

¹ Currently, more like part-part-part-time.
² However, the darelings are now in school or preschool.
³ And I do a lot of my writing during their school.
⁴ I actually did send a few cards last year.
⁵ Some lovely ladies come to corral them every other week.
⁶ Why so many footnotes? Because I'm Tessa is oddly superstitious lazy about changing this, the very first bio she ever wrote. A more official-sounding bio and press kit are available here.

Press Kit

With updated bio, FAQ, and more!
View it online
Download the PDF

Printable Booklist

Click here to download the PDF.

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out some of Tessa's FAQ here.

Publicity Photos

Clicking on thumbnail will download the larger, high-resolution file.

Photo credit: Raphael Maglonzo.

Book Signings & Appearances

• October 22, 2011 - Signing at New and Recycled Romances in Costa Mesa, CA; Noon to 2pm
• February 25, 2012 - Passion and Prose reader convention in Long Beach, CA
• April 11-15, 2012 - RT Booklovers Convention in Chicago, IL
• July, 2012 - Romance Writers of America national conference in Anaheim, CA

A Smattering of Past Interviews and Guest Blogs



My cover art, as interpreted by my eldest dareling.

• The Romance Reader New Faces Interview, September 2009
• Romance Writers on the Journey Interview, July 2009
• Number One Novels Interview, July 2009
• The Good, the Bad, and the Unread Interview, August 2009
• "The Care and Feeding of Werestags" Guest blog on Risky Regencies, May 2009
• Romance Bandits Interview, March 2008
• Romance Vagabonds Guest Blog, May 2007