Heather Tomlinson grew up in California and New Hampshire, graduating from Wellesley College with a degree in French literature. After teaching English in Paris, and French in the U.S., she worked at a book wholesaler. Now she writes the kinds of novels she likes to read.

In November 2006, Heather moved onto the 48-foot sailboat Adventure, with her engineer husband and cats X, Y, and Z.

When not writing, she can be spotted reading on deck, catching up on the (endless) list of boat chores, or exploring foreign ports.