Georgette Heyer was a prolific English novelist and short-story writer, known for her works in the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. She essentially established the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.

Her writing career began in 1921, when she transformed a story for her ailing younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925, she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer, and later a barrister. The couple spent several years living in Tanganyika Territory and Macedonia before returning to England in 1929. Despite releasing her novel These Old Shades during the General Strike, it became popular, convincing Heyer that publicity was unnecessary for good sales. Consequently, she remained a best-selling author throughout her life without the aid of publicity.

Heyer's meticulous attention to detail was evident in her historical novels. She collected reference works and kept detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life to ensure accuracy. While some critics believed her novels were overly detailed, others praised this as her greatest asset.

Beginning in 1932, she released one romance novel and one thriller each year. Her husband often provided basic outlines for the plots of her thrillers, allowing Heyer to develop character relationships and dialogue. Although many critics labeled her detective novels as unoriginal, others praised them for their wit and well-woven plots.

Despite her success, Heyer faced challenges, such as tax issues and alleged plagiarism. She chose not to file lawsuits against suspected plagiarists but explored ways to minimize her tax liability. Eventually, she created a limited liability company to administer the rights to her novels. In 1966, she sold the company and the rights to seventeen of her novels to Booker-McConnell.

Heyer continued writing until her death in July 1974. At the time of her passing, 48 of her novels were still in print; her last book, My Lord John, was published posthumously.