Kathleen E. Woodiwiss was a pioneering American novelist, known for her significant contributions to the historical romance genre. Born as Kathleen Erin Hogg on June 3, 1939, in Alexandria, Louisiana, she was the youngest of eight siblings. Her father, Charles Wingrove Hogg, was a disabled World War I veteran, and her mother was Gladys Coker.

From an early age, Woodiwiss relished creating original stories. By age six, she was already crafting narratives to help herself fall asleep. At 16, she met U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant Ross Eugene Woodiwiss, whom she married a year later. She wrote her first book in longhand while living at a military outpost in Japan.

In 1972, Woodiwiss released The Flame and the Flower, a novel that not only became an instant New York Times bestseller but also set a new precedent in literature by revolutionizing mainstream publishing. This work marked the dawn of the modern historical romance novel.

Throughout her career, Woodiwiss published thirteen novels and two novellas under the pseudonym Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. She passed away on July 6, 2007, in Princeton, Minnesota, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the literary world.