Georgette Heyer was an English novelist renowned for her contributions to the genres of historical romance and detective fiction. She is often credited with establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre, Regency romance, which were inspired by the works of Jane Austen. To ensure accuracy in her novels, Heyer collected reference works and maintained detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life.

Heyer's writing career commenced in 1921 when she transformed a story conceived for her ailing younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925, she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer, and the couple lived in Tanganyika Territory and Macedonia for several years before returning to England in 1929.

Known for her meticulous attention to historical details, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year starting in 1932. Her husband often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers, while Heyer focused on character development and dialogue.

Despite her success, Heyer remained intensely private; she never granted interviews, made public appearances, or engaged in publicity efforts, believing that her private life was solely her concern. Her success was sometimes marred by challenges with tax inspectors and alleged plagiarists, though she chose not to pursue lawsuits and instead focused on minimizing her tax liabilities.

Heyer continued to write until her death in July 1974. At that time, 48 of her novels were still in print, and her final book, My Lord John, was published posthumously.