Julianne MacLean is a Canadian author of romance novels, primarily historical romance. She resides in Nova Scotia and has become a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Her books have been described as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.”

MacLean earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of King's College in 1987. She furthered her education by studying accounting and received a degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting in 1992. Before dedicating herself to writing romance novels full-time, she worked in the Office of the Auditor General. Her first novel, Prairie Bride, was sold to Harlequin in 1999.

She is a four-time RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. In 2005, her novel Love According to Lily won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Best Regency-Set Historical Romance Award. Her novels have been sold worldwide in over a dozen languages. Julianne MacLean is known for her love of travel, having lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England.