Janet Dailey was the American author of over 100 books. She began her career as a category romance writer with Harlequin in 1974. She transitioned to single-title romance novels in 1979. Her first mass market romance novel, Touch the Wind, reached the New York Times Best Seller List. Her subsequent books have also been New York Times Bestsellers. Her novel Foxfire Light was made into a movie.

Dailey was born and raised in Iowa. She met her husband, Bill, when she worked at the secretarial firm he owned. In 1980, Dailey and her husband moved to Branson, Missouri, where Bill promoted and produced shows at the American Theater. He died on August 5, 2005.

According to an official statement from her publisher Kensington, Dailey "passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013."